Here are 7 things to know about Game 7:
Reverse the curse: Cleveland Curse. Mistake by the Lake. Factory of Sadness.
Take your pick. They all sum up Cleveland’s lack of a major sports championship (NFL, MLB, NBA) since the Browns beat the Baltimore Colts 27-0 on Dec. 27, 1964.
Since then the Browns, Cavaliers and Indians have combined to go 147 seasons without a championship. And often in gut-wrenching endings.
Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot and The Shot II all hold spots in Cleveland’s list of sports lowlights.
The Indians’ last World Series title came in 1948. They got close in 1995, leading the Florida Marlins 2-1 in the bottom of the 9th in Game 7. There’s no catchy name, but you know how it ends.
You know the sports fans are starved for a championship after giving Euclid’s Stipe Miocic a hero’s welcome after winning the UFC heavyweight title on May 14. The Lake Erie Monsters won the AHL’s Calder Cup last week.
Third time a charm?: In the NBA Finals, 32 teams have trailed 3-1. Three have rallied to force a Game 7. Zero have capped the comeback with a championship.
When the Cavaliers beat the Warriors 115-101 in Game 6 on Thursday, they joined the 1966 Los Angeles Lakers and 1951 New York Knicks as teams to even the series at 3-3.
Both the Lakers and Knicks lost Game 7. But the Cavs can take confidence that both games were close. The Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics 95-93. The Knicks lost to the Rochester Royals 79-75.
Game 7 is either going to end the curse in the most un-Cleveland way imaginable or continue the town’s misery in the most Cleveland-way possible.
Fab five: After consecutive 41-point efforts, Cleveland's LeBron James became the fifth player in NBA history to score 40 or more points in back-to-back NBA Finals games and first since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000. Rick West, Rick Barry and Michael Jordan also accomplished the feat.
James has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Cavs this postseason. He leads Cleveland in points (26.3), rebounds (9.5), assists (7.5), steals (2.4) and blocks (1.2).
Don’t expect a letdown from James in Game 7. In five Game 7 playoff appearances, he averages 34.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
His teams are 3-2 in Game 7 appearances, including 1-0 in the finals.
Home, sweet, home: If the Warriors need a confidence boost heading back to Oracle Arena, it's this: home teams are 15-3 all-time in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
The Seattle SuperSonics were the last team to win Game 7 and the NBA championship on the road, beating the Washington Wizards in 1978. The Boston Celtics have done it twice, beating the Milwaukee Bucks in 1974 and Los Angeles Lakers in 1969.
Golden State finished 39-2 at home during the regular season and are 11-2 at home in the playoffs.
The Warriors, 73-9 during the regular season, have not lost three straight games during the NBA’s regular or postseason.
MVP debate: James has dominated the NBA Finals. A win and he's guaranteed MVP honors.
A loss? With another stellar performance he’s still in the conversation.
Lakers great Jerry West is the only player to win the NBA Finals MVP while playing on the losing team. West – who averaged 38 points in the series – scored 42 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and had 12 assists in the Game 7 loss to Boston in 1969.
Step in the right direction: Cavs fans held their collective breath when guard Kyrie Irving injured his left foot in the second half of Game 6.
Irving, who was forced to out of last year’s NBA Finals with an injury, said he’s good to go for Game 7.
He scored 23 points, had four rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in Game 6 before the injury. He scored three points in the final 12 minutes after the injury.
That's the ticket: According to reports, the average price for a ticket to Game 7 was $2,792 as of Friday afternoon. The cheapest ticket found was $1,029.
Want to sit courtside? That’ll set you back more than $60,000.
Expect ticket prices to surge even higher prior to Sunday’s tip-off.
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