Preview/Live Thread: The Finals, Game 7 (#AnythingCanHappen)

“When you give a team life, give a team confidence, anything can happen in a Game 7.” – Paul Pierce

Way back when the 2015-16 NBA season started… all of 235 days ago, did you imagine it would end up here? Sure, it may not have been all that difficult to predict a rematch between the Cavs and the Warriors, given that they were each the odds-on favorites to capture their respective conferences… but could you have fathomed the historic significance of this one remaining Finals contest? Even as recently as a week ago… were you one of the stalwarts who believed in your heart that the Cavaliers could somehow, someway climb out of the 3-1 hole they had dug to force this seventh and deciding game?

No matter the victor, it will be an ending for the ages. One that will be long remembered in the annals of the sport. If Golden State holds serve at home in Oracle Arena (where they went 39-2 during the season, and are 11-2 in the playoffs), they will finish off arguably the greatest season in League history, cementing their place amongst the all-time elite teams. But, if Cleveland can parlay the momentum they’ve built behind their runaway locomotive of a leader, and rip glory from the jaws of what seemed like certain defeat a week ago, they will be the ones to carve their names into basketball lore. After all, in case you maybe hadn’t heard… no team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the NBA Finals. In fact, only two other teams had ever even forced a Game 7, and none in the last 50 years (the Knicks in 1951 and the Lakers in 1966), since before the ABA/NBA merger.

As Tom indicated in his brilliant piece yesterday… nobody really knows anything about how this will all play out. The patterns that have emerged (or haven’t as the case may be), the storylines, the history, the statistical information… none of it really matters in a Game 7. Everyone will leave everything they have on the court… from the MVPs to the X Factors… from the wiliest vet to the least used role player… to a man they will exhaust themselves in these final 48 minutes to capture a crown. There’s no next game that would require a monitoring of minutes played for guys like LeBron. There’s no next game for which guys like Draymond could be suspended. Win or lose, this is it. For one team, it’s a summer of jubilance… for the other a summer of second-guessing and might-have-beens.

So, which stars will shine brightest? Which MVP will prevail? Will the Splash Brothers break loose and throw cold water on the Cavs’ dreams of a victory parade? Or will LeBron and Kyrie continue to break down the once unbreakable Warrior D to dash the chances of a repeat? Which injury issue will loom larger… Iggy’s ailing back, or Kyrie’s banged up foot? Which missing man on offense will find his shot first, Harrison Barnes or Kevin Love? Who can push the right buttons at the right time… Steve Kerr or Ty Lue? How much of a factor will the refs be… and will Ayesha Curry break Twitter? These questions and so many more will all soon be a part of the amazing history of this game, this series and this season for the record books.

Beyond the game, there’s the question of what this will mean to the history of these two franchises, and their respective fanbases and cities.

If the Warriors find a way to finish things off on their home floor, they would effectively answer any doubters of their greatness. Their legacy would be ensured, and even those that debated the validity of their championship last year through the veil of significant injuries suffered by their opponents in literally every round of the playoffs, would have to tip their collective caps to this team. With 73 wins and a second straight championship, they would have to be considered a dynasty, and the odds-on favorites to do it again next year.

If the Cavaliers pull off the upset that many thought not just improbable, but downright impossible… the rest of the world should be put on notice for the audible roar that will be heard from downtown Cleveland. You know the numbers, so I won’t dwell on them here… but half a century of sports disappointment, bitterness and woe would evaporate in one glorious instant. LeBron James would fulfill his promise he and Lee Jenkins crafted so thoughtfully in the summer of 2014… finally bringing home a championship to Cleveland. The victory parade would not only be epic… it might require multiple days to complete.

I’m posting this early to get the conversation going, so there may still be changes to the lineups on each side. There may be multiple updates as we get closer to game time (8 pm EST), so look out for them. I’m also going to break from my habitual prediction of the winner and final score… not because I’m superstitious, but because, like so many others, I literally have no idea what’s going to happen. In the end, win or lose, I love this team and have been proud to cover it with our team at C:tB.

I will leave you with this… These teams have also had a history of playing on national holidays. Neither Christmas Day nor Martin Luther King Day worked out all that well for the Cavs. But today just happens to be Father’s Day. On a personal note… this is my first Father’s Day without my dad. He was the one who indoctrinated me into Cleveland sports, something I alternately loved and cursed him for over the years since my youth. Even though it’s been 20 years since I lived in Northeastern Ohio, not a day goes by that I don’t think about Cleveland. My dad was alive for the last Indians championship in 1948, and the last Browns title in 1964. He sadly never got to see a Cavalier championship… something I know he desperately wanted. He loved watching LeBron. He loved this team. I hope they win it for all the fathers who would love nothing more than to share a championship with their children. But, if they fall short… I will be comforted by remembering something my own father always said to me after tough losses…

“Son, it only hurts because you care. And, it’s good to care about Cleveland.”

Thanks dad. And thank you to all the fathers on this historic Father’s Day.

GO CAVS!