Warriors fall to Cavs in Game 6; Quotes of the night
The Golden State Warriors fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. The series is now tied 3-3. Here are some of the best quotes.
For the second game in a row, the Golden State Warriors couldn’t handle business.
On the one year anniversary of their title-clinching victory last season, the Warriors couldn’t find the same magic that led them to celebrate in Cleveland before. This time, LeBron James stole the show. The Cavaliers jumped off to another quick start, building a 20 point lead in the first quarter. Despite all their efforts, the Warriors could never recover and James and co. tied the series up.
It’s impossible to talk about this game without looking at the officiating and how the final minutes played out. Stephen Curry picked up his sixth foul trying to steal the ball away from James in the backcourt. Thinking on his feet, James let himself fall, duping the referee into handing Curry his sixth personal foul. The MVP was upset after a few calls hadn’t gone his way and hurled his mouthpiece to the sideline, cursing out the official. Curry was ejected for the first time in his career.
Head coach Steve Kerr was also unhappy with the calls in Game 6 and expressed his feelings following the game. Generally diplomatic, Kerr unleashed on the officiating.
Kerr on Curry: "I'm happy he threw his mouthpiece. He should be upset."
— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) June 17, 2016
Kerr taking the fine and complaining about refs: "If they are going to let CLE grab and hold and call a ticky tack to foul out (Curry) ..."
— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) June 17, 2016
Kerr on Curry: "I'm happy he threw his mouthpiece. He should be upset."
— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) June 17, 2016
Despite momentum shifting in Cleveland’s favor, the Warriors are still, to this point, the best team in the league with the MVP on their side. They get to play a Game 7 on their own home floor, where they’ve been spectacular over the last few years. Curry is optimistic.
Curry: "We can do it."
— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) June 17, 2016
The Warriors seem broken right now. Curry exploded, Kerr called out officials, and Klay Thompson left the bench early to head to the locker rooms. Curry disagrees.
Steph Curry: "I think we're more mentally tough than letting two games not going our way get in our head."
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 17, 2016
The Warriors set the record for most wins in a single season. They had the first unanimous MVP, the Coach of the Year, and two All-NBA players. Losing after holding a 3-1 lead would be deficit. Thompson spoke on what the implications losing this series would have on this team’s legacy.
#Warriors Klay Thompson says "100 percent" it will be a failed season if they don't win the title. "It's win the whole thing or bust for us"
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 17, 2016
Ayesha Curry had some very strong thoughts when her husband fouled out and was subsequently ejected.
Here's what Ayesha Curry posted at the end of the game...then deleted, but only after tens of thousands of retweets: pic.twitter.com/dO83u456iX
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 17, 2016
She deleted the tweet and later apologized for it.
tweeted in the heat of the moment because the call was uncalled for.
— Ayesha Curry (@ayeshacurry) June 17, 2016
After completely dominating the first two games of the series, the Warriors have let the Cavaliers back into it and now must play in their second Game 7 of these playoffs.