"He gets six fouls called on him. Three of them were absolutely ridiculous. He steals the ball from Kyrie [Irving] clean at one point. LeBron flops on the last one. [Referee] Jason Phillips falls for that, for a flop. This is the MVP of the league we're talking about. These touch fouls in the NBA Finals. Let me be clear. We did not lose because of the officiating. They totally outplayed us. Cleveland deserved to win. But those three, three of the six fouls, were incredibly inappropriate calls for anybody, much less the MVP of the league."
A reporter asked if Kerr was OK with Curry throwing his mouthpiece?
"Yeah, I'm happy he threw his mouthpiece. He should be upset. Look, it's the Finals. Everybody is competing out there. There are fouls on every play. It's a physical game. I just think that Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, the way we run our offense -- we're running, we're cutting through the lane, we're a rhythm offense -- if they're going to let Cleveland grab and hold these guys constantly on their cuts and then you're going to call these ticky-tack fouls on the MVP of the league to foul him out, I don't agree with that."
So the Dubs' easy stroll to a second straight championship has turned into a Homeric struggle -- thinking of that famous Achaeans vs. Trojans matchup that went into serious overtime back in the day -- that will conclude Sunday at Oracle Arena.
No predictions here, but it's clear which team has the momentum now. On the other hand, the Warriors are angry and motivated. And they're playing to defend the legacy of their record-setting 73-win season and secure their place as one of the league's best teams ever.
Here's the Associated Press writeup of Game 6:
Tom Withers
AP Sports Writer
CLEVELAND — LeBron James scored 41 points, Kyrie Irving added 23 and the Cleveland Cavaliers sent the NBA Finals packing for California by beating the rattled Golden State Warriors 115-101 on Thursday night to even this unpredictable series and force a decisive Game 7.
James delivered another epic performance in an elimination game and the Cavs saved their season for the second time in four days and are headed back to Oakland's Oracle Arena for Sunday's climactic game on the brink of history.
One more win and they'll become the first team to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals, and more importantly, give title-starved Cleveland its first major sports championship since Dec. 27, 1964.
"I want to win for sure," James said. "But I want to give everything I've got and we'll see what happens. We forced a Game 7. It's going to be a fun one."
The Warriors never imagined being in this spot. The defending champions, who powered their way to a record 73 wins in the regular season, won the first two games by 48 combined points. But MVP Stephen Curry and Co. have lost their touch, their poise and are in danger of their historic season — and a second title — vanish.
Curry was ejected from Game 6 with 4:22 left after he was called for his sixth personal foul, cursed at an official and fired his mouthpiece into the front row, striking a fan. Curry finished with 30 points, Klay Thompson had 25 and Draymond Green, back from a one-game suspension, had 10 rebounds.
On Wednesday, James called Game 7, "the two best words ever."
He'll live them once more, thanks to his spell-binding effort — he had a hand in 27 consecutive points in the second half — and put away the Warriors after they closed a 24-point deficit to seven in the final period. James scored 14 points in the fourth before checking out to a thunderous ovation in the final minutes as Cleveland fans chanted, "Cavs in 7!" and "See you Sunday!"
"At the end of the day I'm going to give my teammates everything I got," James said. "I'm going to give my coaching staff all I've got. And I'll be satisfied with the results."
In typical Cleveland fashion, there were some heart palpitations in the fourth. The Cavs built a 24-point lead in the third, and when J.R. Smith blindly dropped a lob pass to a trailing James for a dunk, Quicken Loans shook with noise and thousands of fans packing a plaza outside the building began thinking about where they might watch Game 7.
The Warriors, though, weren't done. On the anniversary of their title last season, Thompson made a pair of 3-pointers as Golden State, playing without injured center Andrew Bogut, closed the third quarter with a 25-10 run to pull within 80-71 entering the final 12 minutes.
But James, as he did while winning two titles in Miami, made sure those belonged to him and extended Cleveland's dream season.
Before taking the floor, James huddled his teammates in prayer the way he does before every game outside the locker room. He then offered some final words.
"Every possession counts. Every possession matters," he said. "No breakdowns."
The only things broken early on were the Warriors, who couldn't make an outside shot and were sloppy in the first quarter, when they fell behind by 22 while Curry sat on the bench with two fouls.
Down by 20 at the end of the period, coach Steve Kerr told sideline reporter Craig Sager, working his first finals: "Am I worried? 31-11? We got this."
The Warriors didn't get it, though, and now have to fight off a Cleveland team rolling like never before.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Kerr started Andre Iguodala for Bogut but he was coy about his choice, joking before the game about his decision being posted on the arena's scoreboard. "I told the person operating the Jumbotron to pick our starting lineup and that's what I'm going to go with," he cracked. ... Green and Thompson played in their 103rd game this season, the most in the NBA. That was also the highest total in the league a year ago, with Harrison Barnes getting to 103. ... Iguodala's start was his third of these playoffs. It was his first instance of consecutive starts this season. ... Kerr is one of 26 players in league history to win five titles as a player. He famously made the title-clinching shot for Chicago in the 1997 finals. ... Bogut's injury will take 6-to-8 weeks to heal, essentially knocking him out of playing for Australia in the Rio Olympics. "We'll re-evaluate it in a month," he said. "If I can get back on the court, we'll see. But as of now it's not looking good."
