There will be a Game 7.
This is the prediction of Dabawenyo basketball fans when the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers square off in Game 6 of the NBA Finals today, Philippine time.
Cholo Elegino of the Sports Development Division of the City Mayor’s Office (SDD-CMO) said the Cavs stand a huge chance of tying the series in Game 6 since they will have a home court advantage while their head coach David Blatt may make necessary adjustments to control the pace of the game.
“The Cavs should be the one dictating the tempo and pace of the game. They should slow it down so that GSW will lose their transition game and so they could use Mozgov and let LBJ rest,” Elegino said in the vernacular.
Best Center-Davao coordinator Michael Chad Bouffard, meanwhile, said the Cavaliers could extend the series to a deciding Game 7 if they could rotate the ball more and not focus on Lebron James alone.
Ateneo de Davao University (Addu) athletics director Noli Ayo also a predicts a Cavs win saying that they will do a better job in slowing down the Warriors up-tempo style of basketball while James will continue with his dominance.
Davao Jones Academy boys basketball team head coach Rael Diaz, on the other hand, said: “I have a strong faith that there will be a Game 7. It doesn’t matter where the games will be played. I think what the Cavs should do is to be more focused on their team coordination. They need to be united and they should play as one.”
Diaz added that James can’t do it alone that is why the role players of the Cavaliers should also do their part.
But for SDD-CMO chief William “Butch” Ramirez, he sees a Warriors close out in Game 6. But if the Cavs would like to increase their chance of extending the series, he said James should continue to perform and lead while Matthew Dellevadova “should stick to Stephen Curry like a leech and stop him.”
Ramirez added that Cavs coach Blatt should also use his bench players effectively.
City Mayor’s Office basketball team guard and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s executive assistant Christopher “Bong” Go, for his part, said the Warriors will close it out in Game 6 although he wants the Cavs to win.