The Cleveland Cavaliers found their confidence when they were down 3-1 and seemingly headed out the door of the 2016 NBA Finals. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Talkin' about the Cleveland Cavaliers, who will play the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals on Sunday in Oakland.

1. Why did the Cavaliers lose the first two games to Golden State? Coach Tyronn Lue admitted his team wasn't quite ready for the Warriors style of play: "You can always prepare for them, but until you get between the lines and see how fast they move and how hard they cut -- you really can't get a gauge for it. Game 1 was a test for us, and Game 2 just kind of got away from us."

2. What Lue didn't say is the Cavs can be a very cocky team. They had the best record in the Eastern Conference at 57-25. They won 10 games in a row to open the playoffs. They lost two games in Toronto, then wiped out the Raptors in the final two games of the Eastern Conference Finals. As Lue said, they knew Golden State was good -- but lacked a true appreciation for "how hard they play."

3. Golden State played the Cavs twice in the regular season, winning both games. Both games also were under former coach David Blatt. The Cavs lost, 89-83, in Oakland on Christmas Day. They were routed, 132-98, in Cleveland on January 18.

4. Yes, the Cavs lost to the Warriors in the 2015 Finals in six games. But the Cavs also were without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, who were injured. No matter how the coaches tried to prepare them ... and how LeBron James warned them ... they didn't match the energy the Warriors had at home in those first two games.

5. In Game 3, the Cavs became serious. They destroyed the Warriors, 120-90. As Golden State forward Draymond Green admitted, "They imposed their will on the game."

6. That is what Lue has been preaching for months when he talks about "attacking ... playing physical." The Cavs are an athletic team with a lot of depth. As one member of the organization told me, "When we play all-out, not many teams can play with us. We need to do that all the time."

7. If the Cavs lose the title, they can point to Game 4. They were at home, and all the bad habits of stagnant isolation basketball returned. The Cavs had a 55-50 halftime lead. They looked ready to tie series at 2-2. But the Warriors put some pressure on the Cavs in the third quarter. That was the game where James and Irving took 33-of-38 shots in the second half. The Cavs lost, 108-97.

8. When the Cavs got on the plane to San Francisco (where the team stays) for Game 5, the coaches and James talked to a lot of the players. They stressed defense. They said they can be the physically superior team. Put bodies on players when driving to the basket. Be ready from the opening tap.

9. Then Green was suspended the day before Game 5. He is Golden State's best defender and most physical player. Looking back, that had more of an impact on the Warriors than first thought. Irving and James combined for 82 points in that game. With no Green and when Andrew Bogut suffered a knee injury in that Game 5 -- the middle was wide open. James and Irving took advantage of that in a 112-97 victory.

10. The big phrase now in basketball is "playing downhill." All that means is driving hard on a straight line to the basket. It's what Lue keeps asking of his players, especially Irving and James. When the Warriors have such a small lineup, it can be very effective.

11. Then came Game 6. Green was back, but seemed a bit timid -- at least by his standards. The Game 5 win in Oakland revived the Cavs. James is on a mission to do something a team has never done before -- come back from a 3-1 deficit to win The Finals. As one member of the Cavs told me, when James steps on the court with that scowling game face on, "We don't think anyone, anywhere can beat us."

12. The Cavs had a 31-11 lead after the first quarter, and that broke the spirit of Golden State. The Warriors did cut it to eight points in the second half, but the Cavs were never in real jeopardy of losing that game. The final score was 115-101, setting up a Game 7. Klay Thompson admitted the Cavs did "a good job of making us feel uncomfortable" in the first quarter. That was the goal of the Cavs, and it led to a lot of frustration with officials on the part of Golden State.

13. The Cavs were amused to see Stephen Curry frustrated with the calls from the officials. Curry fouled out and fired his mouthguard into the stands. He meant to hit the scorer's table. He was fined $25,000. Then coach Steve Kerr was fined $25,000 for ripping the officials after the game.

14. Kerr and Curry are known being as poised and rarely losing composure. But they did in that game. And the Cavs are hoping the pressure is building on Golden State.

15. As Warriors star guard Klay Thompson admitted: "We expected to win the NBA Championship coming into the season. It's either win the whole thing or bust for us. I mean, it's no fun getting second place. So it would be a great season, but at the same time to us, the players, we're so competitive, we'd feel like we failed. So that's all right. A lot at stake, but that's when we're going to rise up and be at our best."

16. As one member of the Cavs told me, just as the Cavs were surprised to find themselves down 3-1 in the series -- the Warriors are shocked that it's 3-3 with a Game 7 looming.

17. Klay Thompson added: "So it's no time to panic ... winner takes all in Oakland. I like the position we're in. But we can't discredit what Cleveland does. They're here for a reason ... They've got an all-time great (James), and they've got an incredible player in Kyrie Irving. Everybody knows their role. So we've just got to make them uncomfortable Sunday. Have appropriate fear. Respect them, but never fear them. We've beaten this team before..."

18. If it sounds like Thompson is trying to remind himself that the Warriors are supposed to be the better team, that's a good bet. Once they were down 3-1, the Cavs goal was to add pressure on Golden State with each win.

19. No one with the Warriors says it, but they know what it's like to be down 3-1 and come back and win a series. They did it to Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Finals. After winning three games and beating the Cavs in the first two games of The Finals -- well, the Warriors thought they'd soon be winning the title. They never saw this coming.

20. Kerr was claiming Curry should receive a break from the officials: "He's the MVP of the league. He gets six fouls called on him, three of them were absolutely ridiculous. He steals the ball from Kyrie clean at one point. LeBron flops on the last one. (Official) Jason Phillips falls for that flop. As the MVP of the league, we're talking about these touch fouls in the NBA Finals."

21. Of course, Kerr is right. In general stars do receive special treatment -- especially when it comes to fouling out of games. Curry had not fouled out of a game since 2013. James fouled out of a playoff game in 2012 and another in 2013.

22. James obviously wants to make a point by beating the Warriors -- and Curry. He correctly views himself as the best player in the NBA, regardless of Curry winning the last two MVP awards. The last two NBA Finals where the players have faced each other for 12 games, James has ruled. No one in the NBA can control a game in as many ways as James.

23. When James made a point of blocking Curry's layup, it was not simply to show his superiority. James wants to intimidate Curry and the Warriors when it comes to driving to the rim. Consistently losing to Golden State -- at one point, seven in games in a row before Game 3 -- was eating away at James. He took it personally. He does want the Warriors to fear him.

24. If the Cavs do win Game 7, it will be the first time Golden State has lost three games in a row since November, 2013.

25. A key will be how the game begins. Golden State will want to slap the Cavs with something like the 31-11 first quarter that the Cavs used to flatten the Warriors in Game 6. The arena will be insane, just as it was in Cleveland for Game 6.

Despite all their problems, the Cleveland Indans are a serious contender in the Central Division. But lack of hitting is catching up with them.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Indians entered the weekend in first place in the American League Central Division.

It's slim lead. They came home from a 4-6 trip that started in Seattle and ended in Kansas City. The Tribe lost the last three games to the Royals, a real bummer because they were sloppy and wasted some good pitching.

This is not a season where most things are going right for the Tribe. All-Star left fielder Michael Brantley is still recovering from shoulder surgery. Marlon Byrd (.270, 5 HR, 19 RBI) was helping in right field, then flunked a test for PEDs and is suspended for 162 games.

Yan Gomes (.167, 7 HR, 27 RBI), Juan Uribe (.217, 2 HR, 13 RBI), Bryan Shaw (5.63 ERA), Cody Anderson (7.48 ERA, injured) and others have under-performed.

Only Jose Ramirez, Josh Tomlin and Mike Napoli are having seasons that are considered far above expectations.

Yet the Tribe is in the middle of the race.

The Central Division appears to be very so-so. After Friday's walk-off win over the Chicago White Sox, the Indians are 36-30. Then came Kansas City (36-31), Detroit (34-33) and Chicago (33-34) among the contenders.

The division is wide open. It also makes you wonder if the Tribe will make a move for another hitter.

On the 10-game trip, they batted .202 (.171 with runners in scoring position). They were 1-of-19 with runners in scoring position in the three losses to the Royals.

The Indians started the trip at No. 4 in the American League in runs scored. They are now No. 7. Their 3.80 ERA is No. 3.

So they have enough pitching to win this division, but where can they find the offense?

That leads to some tough discussions for the Tribe. Do you trade Danny Salazar? Trevor Bauer? Carlos Carrasco?

Because of their contract considerations, their value is high.

The Reds wanted Salazar in a deal for Todd Frazier. Or they wanted Clint Frazier/Brad Zimmer. I'd have been tempted with the prospects.

Frazier (.202, .757 OPS, 19 HR, 44 RBI) has turned into a home run or nothing guy with the White Sox. I'd have hated to have traded Salazar for him.

Frazier is a free agent after the 2017 season.

Bauer has been very impressive lately. He is maturing. He is the pitcher who could bring a lot in return.

In 2011, GM Chris Antonetti traded two top prospects -- Drew Pomeranz and Alex White -- for Ubaldo Jimenez. He is will to make a big deal during the season.

He has lots of promising pitching prospects -- Mike Clevinger, Adam Plutko and Ryan Merritt are a few. T.J. House and Cody Anderson could draw trade interest, assuming they bounce back from arm problems.

Very curious to see if he'll do it again.

ABOUT CENTER FIELD

According to Fangraphs.com, the Indians have the American League's second-worst defense in center field. Only the White Sox ranked lower.

I know that rookie Tyler Naquin was having some defensive problems recently. There was a game where he called off Francisco Lindor on a short fly ball, but Naquin failed to make the play. Lindor would have had it easily.

There have been a few games where it seems balls have dropped between Naquin and right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall. It was a communication problem. As the center fielder, Naquin needs to take charge -- either make the catch himself or make sure Chisenhall knows the ball belongs to him.

Fangraphs.com has rated 19 American League center fielders who have played at least 200 innings. Naquin ranks last -- No. 19. Rajai Davis is No. 12.

A story by Ryan McCrystal on the website IT'S PRONOUNCED LAJAWAY takes a more in-depth look at the defensive failures in center. You can get lost in the numbers, but the message is clear.

Center field is a problem.

That's why the Indians are quietly looking forward to the return of Abraham Almonte, as I wrote last weekend. Almonte will begin playing minor league games on Tuesday. He can be called up to the Tribe on July 3.

Last weekend, I wrote about how Almonte has been staying in shape during his 80-game suspension for failing a PED test in spring training. Assuming he looks good in the minor league games, he is in the Tribe's plans. Last season, Almonte batted .264 (.776 OPS) with 5 HR, 5 triples and 9 doubles. He drove in 20 runs in 51 games.

In 2015, Fangraphs.com rated Almonte No. 7 among American League center fielders. He had replaced Michael Bourn, who was rated No. 14.

In case you missed it, Bourn was cut by Atlanta at the end of spring training. He signed a minor league deal with Toronto, but the Blue Jays soon cut him.

On May 10, Arizona signed Bourn. He is now playing quite a bit for Diamondbacks, batting .256 (.689 OPS) with 1 HR and 9 RBI.

ABOUT TYLER NAQUIN

The Tribe rookie hit three homers in three days against the Royals a few weeks ago.

Since then, he is 4-of-26 (.154) with 12 strikeouts.

This is not a big reason for alarm. Naquin has had exactly 100 official big league at bats heading into the weekend. Give him 30 hits, a .300 batting average with 4 HR and 10 RBI with a strong .836 OPS.

Anything above .800 for OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) is considered very good.

Naquin is not a power hitter. He had only 21 HR in 1,296 career minor league at bats. He turned 25 on April 24, and he's still at the stage where he can develop some power.

But the Indians like his smooth, line-drive swing. They don't want him becoming fixated on homers.

Naquin has been pressing in the field and at the bat. The Indians are in the race to win the Central Division and every game has real meaning. So he is learning the big league game under fire.

Nothing serious. His defense should improve. But he's dealing with some rookie trials right now.

ABOUT RAJAI DAVIS

I know the defensive stats for Davis are not kind to the 35-year-old veteran in center field. He had one miserable game where he lost two fly balls in the sun and cost Corey Kluber some runs.

But overall, Davis has been a good signing by the Tribe.

He entered the weekend hitting .250 (.724 OPS) with 7 HR and 26 RBI. He is 18-of-21 on stolen bases. He has shown the ability to steal a base under pressure when the opponents know he's going to run.

Defensively, he ranks above average in left field.

With Michael Brantley out indefinitely, Davis and the emergence of Jose Ramirez have really helped the Tribe's outfield situation.

IN THE MINORS

1. Greg Allen has emerged has an exciting prospect. He is batting .283 (.811 OPS) with 3 HR and 19 RBI for Class A Lynchburg. What has excited the Indians is the 23-year-old's speed. He is 33-of-36 in stolen bases. He's batting .406 in the last 10 games. He was named the "Best Defensive Outfielder" in the Tribe's minor league system by Baseball America. He was the Tribe's sixth-round pick out of San Diego State in 2014. The switch-hitter is a gifted athlete.

2. If Allen continues to play well, he could soon be moved up to Class AA Akron. The Rubber Ducks have two of the Tribe's top outfield prospects -- Clint Frazier and Brad Zimmer. Frazier is playing especially well, batting .301 (.895 OPS) with 7 HR and 32 RBI. The Tribe's first-rounder in 2013 is only 21, so those numbers in the Class AA Eastern League are very impressive. It's known as a pitcher's league.

3. Zimmer is hitting .233 (.832 OPS) with 10 HR and 38 RBI for the Rubber Ducks. He's stolen 21 bases in 30 attempts. and has been strong in center field. The 23-year-old was the Tribe 2014 first-round pick. Zimmer is showing real power and athleticism. The question the Tribe will be debating in July will be if it makes sense to promote Frazier and Zimmer to Class AAA, or allow both outfielders to have strong seasons at Akron.

4. Mike Clevinger has thrown 13 scoreless innings in his last two starts. He's 6-0 with a 2.70 ERA with Columbus. Clevinger made three starts with the Tribe, was 0-1 with an 8.79 ERA. You could see the good fastball and other pitches. The 25-year-old Clevinger was anxious during his first exposure to the Majors. He is a very good prospect for the rotation.

5. Clevinger becomes even more important because Cody Anderson is out for at least a few weeks with an arm problem. He seemingly came out of nowhere in 2015 to have a 7-3 record and 3.05 ERA for the Tribe. But this season, he was 1-4 with a 7.48 ERA. At Columbus, he was 0-1 with a 5.12 ERA. Anderson supposedly had an arm problem similar to those in 2014. He had an MRI and it showed no structural damage to the arm.

6. The Indians want to stack up the promising starters at Class AAA. That gives depth to their own rotation. It also gives them trade possibilities. Adam Plutko has been promoted from Akron (3-3, 3.27) to take Anderson's spot in the Columbus rotation. The Indians really like Plutko, who pitched on the same staff with Trevor Bauer at UCLA.

7. Also at Columbus are T.J. House (4-3, 4.85) and Ryan Merritt (4-5, 3.38). Both are lefties. House is still coming off arm problems that sidelined him most of 2015. He was 5-3 with a 3.35 ERA for the Tribe in 2014. Merritt threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings in his one appearance in Cleveland this season.

Rallying from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals could put the Cavaliers in the company of other unexpected feats.

The first 2 1/2 months of the season have not treated set-up man Bryan Shaw and catcher Yan Gomes well.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Do you have a question that you'd like to have answered in Hey, Hoynsie? Submit it here or Tweet him at @hoynsie.

Hey, Hoynsie: I'm watching the 8th inning of Tuesday's Tribe game against Kansas City. How much longer can Tito trust Yan Gomes and Bryan Shaw? Gomes has hit into three double plays in two games.  Shaw just blew another save. It's time to give someone else a chance. Whoever he chooses can't be worse. - Mitch Schwartz, Fairfield, Calif.

Hey, Mitch: I understand your frustration, but to make big moves like that you have to have replacements in mind. You can't hold tryouts when you're in first place.

As of now, Shaw and Gomes are the best Francona has. As he said after Shaw's blown save against the Royals, "You can't run away from guys."

Francona stands by Shaw

You saw that Friday night when Shaw pitched a scoreless eighth inning in the Tribe's 3-2 win against the White Sox. As for Gomes, as long as he's healthy, I think he's going to do some good things at the plate.

@hoynsie Dan, Seattle: I don't think I've ever seen Bauer throw better than he has the past three games. Think he's turned the corner?

-- Daniel Vela (@DannyCarlosVela) June 18, 2016

Hey, Daniel: I agree. After leading the AL in walks last year, Trevor Bauer is throwing a lot more strikes and really using his fastball, change up and curveball well. The curveball has been a great pitch for him.

His arm is strong and manager Terry Francona is letting him go deeper and deeper into games.

Hey, Hoynsie: With Juan Uribe out with a testicular contusion, who do you see as having the best potential to be called up - Giovanny Urshela or Yandy Diaz?  Who has the biggest upside? - Joel Brown, Powell.

Hey, Joel: As of now Uribe is still on the 25-man roster. If the Indians do make a move, I would think it would be Urshela. He was their starting third baseman for 81 games last season.

@hoynsie How do the Indians determine what level of minors to start their draft choices? Especially their top choices? (Lancaster)

-- Jack Davidson (@Revjack56) June 18, 2016

Hey, Jack: The high school draft picks usually report to the Arizona Rookie League in Goodyear, Ariz. The college draftees report to Class A Mahoning Valley of the New York-Penn League.

Hey, Hoynsie: Most Tribe fans have to be wondering what's wrong with Corey Kluber?  He used to be "lights out" most every game, but so far this season most of his outings have been lackluster. - Dale Brodt, Cedar Rapids, Ia.

Hey, Dale: Kluber certainly didn't pitch well against Kansas City on Wednesday night. He tied a career high with eight earned runs allowed on nine hits in five innings.

However, Kluber was 4-1 in five starts going into that game. He prepared for his start against the Royals by throwing a three-hitter against the Angels. To me he looks like a pitcher that's starting to find it.

@hoynsie Hey, Hoynsie -- Do you foresee the FO actually buckling down & signing a decent-caliber player if they're still in it come deadline?

-- Nathan (@WhatAreJixes) June 17, 2016

Hey, Nathan: Outside of Chris Antonetti acquiring Ubaldo Jimenez at the trade deadline in 2011, this administration has been conservative in deadline deals. We're talking Abraham Almonte and Marc Rzepczynski conservative.

I do think they'll try to improve the Indians' outfield and bullpen situation. Especially with Michael Brantley still on the disabled list.

Hey, Hoynsie: Do you think the Indians have any interest in Jose Reyes, now that he's been designated by the Rockies? He was due to move off shortstop at this stage of his career anyway, and with his arm he could play third or the outfield. Seems worth a look at the pro-rated minimum. - Matt G., Atlanta.

Hey, Hoynsie: Reyes didn't go to spring training and has played just a handful of games in the minors this season. These is no telling how long he'd need to get ready plus he's never played third or the outfield in the big leagues.

Then there is Reyes' domestic violence issues to deal with. If the Indians are going to add a player to help them this season, I think there are easier ways to go.

Reyes, to me, sounds like a long-term project, a player a team would sign with 2017 in mind.

@hoynsie Is Joba Chamberlain being promoted to setup man a possibility?

-- LAndy (@LAndyman_) June 17, 2016

Hey, LAndy: Chamberlain has pitched so it's possible he'd get a chance in the set-up role. But right now the job belongs to Bryan Shaw.

Hey, Hoynsie: I noticed that one of the Indians recent draftees was an Air Force Academy athlete - left-hander Jacob DeVries - taken in the 38^th round. Won't he be hard to sign, as he'll be a little busy elsewhere? - John Cornell, Fairview Park.

Hey, John: I asked the Indians the same thing and they said "we're working our way through that."

The Twins drafted and signed Air Force right-hander Griffin Jax in the third round of this year's draft. He'll pitch in rookie ball and then return to school to finish his education. After that he has a five-year hitch in the Air Force waiting for him, but there is a possibility he could do a two-year stretch and serve the rest of the time in the reserves.

Perhaps that's what the Indians are looking into with DeVries.

@hoynsie Any chance Cleveland adds anything other than a bullpen arm at trade deadline? Garret in Canton

-- Garret Price (@GMP_33) June 17, 2016

Hey, Garrett: I think there is a good chance that happens. There are always relievers available, some of them at a sensible price.

But if it came down to a choice between a reliever and a productive outfielder, I'd take the outfielder.

@hoynsie hey Hoynsie, Mike from Charleston, WV. Any fears that Brantley's shoulder might be another Grady Sizemore?

-- Mgsports (@mikegsports79) June 17, 2016

Hey, Mike: Sizemore had surgery on just about every part of his body except his shoulders. He underwent back, elbow and knee surgeries. The microfracture surgeries on his knees changed the course of his career.

Brantley is dealing with just one injury. It's a big one, but at least it's just one.

@hoynsie oswaldo Arcia ...not an immediate fit but for depth?

-- Chad Murray (@kabokid) June 17, 2016

Hey, Chad: Arcia has hit 40 homers in his big league career, 15 percent of them (six) have been against the Indians. His favorite home-run pitcher? Trevor Bauer, who he has gone deep against four times.

So if the Indians acquired Arcia, they'd probably sink his career faster than it's already sinking. Who would he hit home runs against?

The Twins designated him for assignment earlier in the week. It is not a good sign for a 25-year-old outfielder, who hit 20 homers in 2014, to be DFA'd by a last place team. Especially when that team signed and developed the player.

Still, the Twins did release David Ortiz. I would think the Indians would kick the tires on him if they get an opportunity. I know the Indians' pitchers would be happy to have him playing behind them instead of trying to get him out.

Moretti is the No. 11 offensive tackle in the country in the Class of 2017.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State football 2017 offensive line commit Jake Moretti suffered a knee injury at a Buckeyes camp on Friday that could cost him his senior high school season.

Moretti's injury was first reported by Eleven Warriors. According the report, the injury is believed to be a torn ACL.

The Arvada, Colo., product was in Columbus on Friday for the Buckeyes one-day position camp at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Moretti is a four-star prospect rated the No. 11 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 56 overall player in the 247Sports composite ratings.

He's been a member of Ohio State's top-ranked 2017 recruiting class since committing last July.

Moretti was invited to the finals of Nike's The Opening this summer.

According to the report, Ohio State plans to keep Moretti in the class, and he plans on enrolling early.

U.S. Open champion and golf Hall of Famer Johnny Miller had plenty to say about Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Miller's historic final-round 63 to win the 1973 Open at Oakmont. Watch video

OAKMONT, Pennsylvania -- Jordan Spieth might have choked at the Masters this year. Seve Ballesteros definitely choked at the 1976 British Open. Jason Day is no Clint Eastwood. And Tiger Woods never faced the kind of gritty competitors Jack Nicklaus did.

Those are just a few of Johnny Miller's thoughts about golf these days, and in days past.

"Let's not sugarcoat everything,'' Miller said.

No one ever accused Miller of sugarcoating anything.

But he will wax poetic about his historic 1973 U.S. Open, when he shot a record, winning final round of 63 at Oakmont Country Club, site of this week's 116^th Open.

He also says he should have shot a 62.

In a wide-ranging conversation with The Plain Dealer and a few other media outlets recently, Miller let fly the opinions that have made Miller, a Hall of Fame golfer, better known to this generation as one of golf's most controversial broadcasters:

On his bond with Jack Nicklaus:

"There was something there, and there still is. He's like my older brother, and he has a tendency to pummel his younger brother a little bit, but I can handle it. We spar a lot. We love fly fishing and fishing together and hanging out. Same family values -- big families. He's not too happy I passed him up with 23 grandkids with his 22. It's about the only thing I've beat him at. Of course, he has a great wife, and I do, too.

"Golf has been very good to both of us. I think Jack knows I really appreciate him and value his friendship and his example."

On what he learned from Nicklaus:

"He was a phenom. I copied that huge backswing, the way he took that huge turn and how he lifted his left heel, and how hard he hit the ball. Just everything he did.

In this June 17, 1962 file photo, Jack Nicklaus holds his trophies after winning the U.S. Open Championship at the Oakmont Country Club. (AP Photo, File)Paul Vathis 

"At first, I just watched. I watched how he went about his practice round, his pre-shot routine, how he squinted his eyes and how tough he was under pressure and his decision making; how he took apart a golf course when he hit it off the tee.

"He's really the first guy to not hit a driver off every par 4. He was the guy hitting 1-irons and 3-woods. Of course, he was a long hitter. I also watched how he would show 5, 6, 7 days early for a major when no one else was there. My dad taught me, if you want to be the best, you have to be willing to do what the other guy wasn't willing to do. And I saw the high priority he put on his family and how he didn't play that many tournaments.''

On playing against Nicklaus:

"If he wasn't in my era, I would have won more tournaments. But if you did win and beat Jack Nicklaus, it was like, 'Woo! Woo!' It was great.''

On Tiger Woods' competition:

"It was sort of out of balance when you had Tiger Woods. You had Phil (Mickelson), and you had Vijay (Singh). Those were the guys -- and Ernie Els a little bit. Tiger basically scared everybody else. They couldn't play on Sunday, and he would just scare them. They'd shoot 73 or 74 every time they had the lead and Tiger was there.

Tiger Woods holds the winner's trophy after his victory in the NEC Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio Sunday, Aug. 29, 1999. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)MARK DUNCAN 

"Tiger was an amazing player. But he really didn't have the tough guys. In my era, not only did you have Jack and Arnold and Billy Casper, but you also had (Lee) Trevino, who wasn't scared of anybody. You also had Hale Irwin, Raymond Floyd and Lanny Wadkins. Those guys, they couldn't wait to beat you on Sunday. They were great closers, and that's the rarest player in golf is the guy who is a great closer.

"I would say, even now, the great closers are few and far between.''

On players being too nice:

"It's a very rare player like a Trevino to go against a guy like Jack in a playoff in the U.S. Open and throw out the snake on the first tee, and work on ways to get to Jack, by talking too much and those kinds of things. We don't have that kind of player so much anymore. They're non-confrontational players.

"In my era, they were very confrontational. They'd just as soon as kick you in the shins as say hi. It's a little different now. It's a lot friendlier on tour. Guys are a lot better buddies. Before, guys were lone wolves, so to speak. It was a great era to play in, but I also would have enjoyed playing in this era.''

On Jordan Spieth at the 2016 Masters:

"When he hit it in the water twice on 12, I said, 'You have got to be kidding me!' What happened to him on the back nine, that will be tough for him to deal with. He'll have to overcome the thought on the back nine on a Sunday: 'Am I going to do what I did in 2016 on the back nine of the Masters?' He'll have to overcome that haunting that will come EVERY TIME he has to win a big championship.

"After he hit it in the water, and hit it in the water again, he said to his caddy, 'I think we're collapsing here.' So, it's interesting for a player to be that frank. I was always open about it, whether I did something great and also was the first guy to say I totally choked.

On Spieth and others choking:

"People used to say to me, 'Why is he talking about the yips and choking?' When I announced, they thought maybe I was being tough on the pros. But to me, handling the pressure was by far the most interesting part of golf. There's nothing else even close.

Jordan Spieth pauses on the 18th green before putting out during the final round of the Masters golf tournament Sunday, April 10, 2016, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)Chris Carlson 

"None of the announcers even talked about it. When I watched the Olympics, or watched the Super Bowl and the quarterback is totally choking, the announcers never say, 'You know, he might be nervous.' They don't want to do that, but to me that's the most interesting part of sports. What you like in a Jerry West or a Michael Jordan and you can take the ball and everybody is double-teaming you, and he says I'll put the dang thing up and they'll win by one.

"Let's not sugarcoat everything.

"It doesn't do any good to say a guy choked because it duck-hooked it out of bounds. You say, 'Here's why he's choking: Because he hasn't hit a hook in three weeks, and all of a sudden he duck-hooks it out bounds' -- like the wedge shot Spieth hit on 12, that he hit so fat that it barely got to the water. You think, 'Well, this guy has hit it fat before, where it hit the bank maybe and rolled back in the water.' Not laid the sod where it almost didn't get to the water, then you know a guy might be choking!"

On Seve Ballesteros at the 1976 British Open:

"It looked like he was going along great. I bogeyed the first hole and he parred it and was up by like three, and then he visited every sand dune on the course. I would say that probably he was choking, but a 19-year-old is supposed to choke at the British Open. That was the one time I could say somebody gave it to me. I shot a 66. I was a pretty good closer when I had a chance to win.''

On Nicklaus winning the 1962 U.S. Open, beating local favorite Arnold Palmer at Oakmont:

"It was pivotal, but it was very unpopular. You have to know Arnold Palmer wanted nothing more than to win the U.S. Open at Oakmont. I also did it to him in 1973 with my 63 on the last day.''

On beating Palmer at the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont:

"It was going to be his last hurrah. He had a one- or two-shot lead. He just missed a short putt on No. 11 on Sunday and thought at the had the lead, and he looked at the bottom of the leaderboard and looked at all these red numbers (birdies) by a guy named 'J. Miller,' and the late John Schlee (Palmer's playing partner that day) told me Arnie said, 'Where the (bleep) did HE come from?'

"He ended up losing again at Oakmont, the one he wanted most. It ended up being a huge confidence builder, not only for me, but for Jack in 1962, as a rookie, to beat Arnold in his back yard.''

On his 63 in the final round at the 1973 U.S. Open:

"For me, to shoot a 63 on the last day and doing it at Oakmont, that made it my most memorable round even more special than doing it at Baltusrol, or where all the other 63s have been shot.

In this June 18, 1973, file photo, Johnny Miller clenches his fist as he sank a putt on the 18th green at Oakmont to win the U.S. Open Golf Championship in Oakmont, Pa. In one of the greatest rounds ever played, Miller became the first player to shoot 63 at a major, making nine birdies on the final day in 1973 to rally for his only U.S. Open title. The U.S. Open returns to Oakmont, perhaps the most storied, and feared, championship golf course in America. (AP Photo/File)AP 

"I've seen pieces of it on video, and still remember every shot and every club and every putt, and my feelings.

"After the first three or four holes, I started gagging a little bit. I didn't usually gag tee-to-green. I would gag on the greens. I left it short on a couple 10 footers. I three-putted 8 from underneath the hole from 15, 16 feet after a 235-yard 4-wood, and that sort of made me go from a little bit choking to ticked off, to be honest with you, and that sort of made me get back on the horse and put the hammer down. That round wasn't all just peaches and cream and had a lot of interesting thoughts in my head.

"I was groomed to be a U.S. Open champ by my father, growing up at Olympic Club, where they hosted Opens, and Pebble Beach, where they hosted Opens. It was always about winning the U.S. Open. It had nothing to do with the PGA Championship; it had nothing to do with the British Open; nothing to do with the Masters. At that time, to an American, the U.S. Open was by far the most important tournament of the year. So, it's great to win that one."

On not shooting a 62:

"I don't have any regrets. The last two holes, I lipped it out on the top edge. It went down in the hole and came out again. So, you don't usually shoot a 63 with 29 putts. Nobody shoots a 63 with 29 putts, especially 8-under. There's been 7-unders shot in the U.S. championship, but no 8-unders. So, to shoot 8-under with 29 putts means you hit every green, plus the par 5s in two. So, that way, it was a near-perfect round. The average birdie putt was about 12 feet. I would have liked to have that putt on 18 that went down in the hole and came out. A 62 sounds pretty good.''

On what it's like returning to Oakmont:

"Sort of like a rock star, if you want to know the truth. I can't believe how people remember that round.

"In the bicentennial of golf, they gave out the awards for the best players in the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and then they gave out the award for the greatest round ever played. Up to that point, I always viewed greatness in four rounds, and what tournaments you won. As I got older, I started thinking, that's pretty cool. All the rounds everybody has played, from a hacker to a touring pro, for them to say that's the greatest round anybody has ever played, I started thinking -- dang, that's pretty cool.''

Henrik Stenson withdrew from the 2016 U.S. Open on Saturday, before he was to resume the second round at Oakmont Country Club.

OAKMONT, Pennsylvania -- Henrik Stenson, ranked seventh in the world, withdrew from the 2016 U.S. Open Saturday, before he was to resume the second round at Oakmont Country Club.

In a tweet, Stenson cited knee and neck "issues" and said he hoped to return to action next week.

Stenson began the tournament with a 1-under 69 in the first round.

However, he was on the verge of missing the cut after shooting 10-over through 16 holes of the second round Friday. The round was suspended by darkness.

He was 9-under overall and likely would have needed birdies on his last two holes to make the cut.

Golfchannel.com reported Stenson will return home to Sweden and play on the European Tour in Germany next week.

Minor neck and knee issues, nothing Major! Hope to be back in action next week! H

a Henrik Stenson (@henrikstenson) June 18, 2016

"It was good to be in (Meyer's) office," Gant said with a smile. "It was a big office, I have never been in there. It was just great to know I can go there if I wanted to. ... I'm happy obviously, excited that I could actually attend The Ohio State University." Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Dallas Gant of Toledo (Ohio) St. John's didn't come to Ohio State's one-day instructional camp on Friday with the direct goal of earning a scholarship offer. 

But the 6-foot-3, 201-pound linebacker prospect worked directly with Ohio State linebackers coach Luke Fickell and was clearly one of the camp's top performers. 

Now Gant has a chance to be a Buckeye if he wants. 

After the camp, Urban Meyer pulled the talented young linebacker into his office and informed one of the fastest-rising 2018 Ohio prospects an offer. 

"It was good to be in (Meyer's) office," Gant said with a smile. "It was a big office, I have never been in there. It was just great to know I can go there if I wanted to. ... I'm happy obviously, excited that I could actually attend The Ohio State University."

Gant hasn't yet been rated in the 247Sports composite rankings because he's a young prospect who hasn't yet been evaluated by every recruiting service. But 247Sports has him rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 43 overall player in the 2018 class. 

Now with an offer from the Buckeyes, Gant has about 10. He also has offers from Michigan State, Boston College, Iowa State, Kentucky, Rutgers and others. The Ohio State offer, though, will likely lead to an avalanche of new offers for Gant. 

That could start as early as Saturday when Gant is at Notre Dame's "Irish Invasion." He also plans to be at Michigan State on Sunday. 

But Ohio State has opened the door with Gant since offering him a scholarship, not to mention the valuable one-on-one time the linebacker had with Fickell during the camp. 

"It's a big impact," Gant said of the Ohio State offer. "I'm going to be up here a lot more and see the place, see if it's a good fit for me and go from there."

Although some critics still find fault with Kyrie Irving, the Cavs are not in Game 7 of the NBA Finals without him and have little chance to win it without a big game from him.

OAKLAND, California -- Kyrie Irving dribbles too much. He shoots first, passes second. Maybe third. Or whenever he can get around to it.

Like much else about Irving, the comment is true.

But.

Match-up with Curry

He has victimized Steph Curry, the sun around whom the Golden State Warriors' 3-point world revolves, to the extent that they had to put Klay Thompson on Irving.

The first two games of the NBA Finals were such Golden State routs that they shouldn't even pertain to the course of play now, as the seventh game is upon us.

But. In the last four games, Irving could fill a box car, not a box score, averaging 32 points on 50 for 95 shooting  and 12 for 25 at the arc. Three of them have been Cavaliers' wins.

The sugar fields

Irving even has a 21-to-10 assists-to-turnovers ratio in those games.

Still, critics say almost 24 shots per game are too many for a point guard.

But. As is the case with the rest of basketball, the point guard position is changing.

For the Cavs,  LeBron James handles the ball a great deal, too.

An old point guard named Jack McMahon, later the scouting genius behind the 76ers' championship team of 1982-83,  called ball distribution "passing the sugar."

Irving can be the cane field, a worker with a machete, slashing at the stalks, the refinery and the whole shebang.

From opponents' perspective, he is the guy with the machete.

A third teamer

Irving didn't even make the All-Star team this season. The best he's ever done on the all-league team was the third team in his first season with James.

But. He only played 53 games this season after rehabbing the broken kneecap he suffered in the first game of the Finals against the Warriors last year. That cost the Cavs any realistic chance to win it all.

He has carried the anger over the hand he was dealt into this Finals, promising to "play with a rage."

Irving and James

James will probably be the NBA Finals' Most Valuable Player if the Cavs upset the Warriors Sunday in the seventh game.

James has had two straight 41-point games. Irving joined him with 41 in one of them and backed him with 23 in the Cavs' second straight elimination game victory Thursday night.

The comparison between them is between apples and oranges, though. Or maybe linebackers and scatbacks.

James is a huge, 6-8 hybrid player with enough muscles to have been sculpted, not born.

Irving is a trickster with spinning shots at the rim and the best crossover dribble since Allen Iverson.

James is No. 1.

But. Let us not fail to give 1A his due.

The triumph of the individual

Irving's biggest achievements have been individual ones. He was the MVP of the 2014 All-Star Game, an event which is becoming a mockery of basketball. It is a funhouse mirror that turns self-aggrandizing players into monstrous distortions of teamwork.

Irving won the 3-point shootout at the All-Star Game in 2013.

But.  Curry was in the field.

Ball hogging?

Devotees of the set shot have been appalled at how often Irving alone touches the ball, eating up shot clock seconds at times, at other times going straight at the Warriors on a "94 Solo" (the length in feet of the court), like an arrow to a target.

But. Relentless aggression is what coach Tyronn Lue wants from him.

"The people who say that about Kyrie never played basketball," said veteran Richard Jefferson.

Latitude in shot selection comes with greatness. In some cases, latitude is necessary for greatness. Steve Kerr, the Golden State coach, never met a shot by Curry or Thompson he didn't like.

Were we too close to recognize it?

Irving has enjoyed a  bigger reputation nationally and internationally than locally. The Cavs did not win in the three years in which he was the focus of the offense, despite his Rookie of the Year award in 2011-12.

But. Irving was the MVP of the basketball World Cup in 2014 for the gold medal-winning American team.

Jonas Valanciunas, Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, Boris Diaw, Ricky Rubio,  Nicolas Batum, J.J. Barea, Luis Scola, our very own Matthew Dellavedova, our once very own Anderson Varejao and other NBA players were on opposing teams

On Team USA were such enthusiastic shot-takers as James Harden, Derrick Rose, DeMar DeRozan and that Curry guy.

Uncle Drew

Part of Irving's national popularity in the past was his Uncle Drew character in television commercials. Uncle Drew was once a star, now reliving his glory days on the playground.

The last glory day in Cleveland was in 1964. Sunday will be the second time in 52 years that a Cleveland team needs only one victory for a championship. The last was the 1997 Indians.

Irving's final day of rage will dawn soon. If glory comes with it, nobody will complain.

World No. 5-ranked Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose and Hideki Matsuyama missed the cut at the 2016 U.S. Open on Saturday.

OAKMONT, Pennsylvania -- Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose and Hideki Matsuyama were among the big names who missed the cut at the 2016 U.S. Open on Saturday at Oakmont Country Club, where a compressed schedule and a quicker course crumpled several of the world's best golfers.

McIlroy is ranked third in the world and Fowler fifth. Number 7 Henrik Stenson was on the verge of missing the cut and withdrew, choosing not to tee off Saturday morning with two holes remaining in his second round. Rose is ranked 10th.

The cut was 7-over par 147 and above.

That's exactly where five-time major winner Mickelson (74-73) landed. He played 34 holes Friday after much of Thursday's play was washed out. He came back to par his final two holes Saturday morning, but it wasn't enough.

Four-time major champion McIlroy (77-71) appeared in good shape until he unraveled with a second-nine 40 Saturday. He shot 31 on the back nine after teeing off Saturday morning at No. 10. But a double-bogey on 3, a bogey on 6 and a double on 9 greased his skids. He needed a chip-in on 5 to make par. McIlroy won the Open in 2011.

The third round is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. with threesomes starting at the first and 10th holes. It is unlikely to finish Saturday.

When Mickelson finished his round, he felt he would make the cut.

"I actually thought I played really well, except I let four or five par putts kind of slide, and all of a sudden I'd be 2 over and right in it,'' Mickelson said. "You can't do that here because you don't have those birdie opportunities to offset it, offset those mistakes.''

Mickelson has not won a U.S. Open and has six runner-up finishes. He also missed the cut at the Masters.

Rose, who has missed time recently with a back injury, goes home after shooting 72-76-148. A 40 on the back nine of the second round was his undoing.

Johnson leads: Dustin Johnson, who played 36 holes Friday, sat idle Saturday morning and afternoon. He began the day with the lead among finishers at 4-under, and still had it as the second round finally ended just after 2 p.m. Saturday.

Chasing: Just off the lead is first-round leader Andrew Landry (69-71) at 3-under.

Sergio Garcia, 2015 Bridgestone Invitational champion Shane Lowry, Gregory Bourdy and Scott Piercy were at 2-under.

Garcia is among the most successful golfers in the world who has never won a major. Bridgestone was Lowry's lone career PGA Tour win, and the Irishman finished his second round strong Saturday with a bogey-free 33 on the tough front nine.

Lowry, known for his short game, could be a man to watch the last 36 holes.

"My putter feels good in my hands as well. I'm happy with the way my game is going into this afternoon,'' he said.

Westwood, Furyk lurking: Veterans Lee Westwood and Jim Furyk were at 1-under. Westwood was 5-under and 1-over during the first two rounds. He headed into the third round 1-under with a birdie on 11.

Furyk won the open in 2003.

Fowler flops: Fowler's miserable play continued. He went home 11-over and missed his third straight cut.

Spieth struggles: Jordan Spieth had four bogeys in a nine-hole stretch, but recovered with a nice birdie putt on 16 and was 4-over with a pair of 72's

Day grinds: Jason Day, who had been battling a cold, played 12 holes at even par and was 5-over.

"There's so much golf to be played, and I've got to be patient,'' he said.

Bourdy slips: Frenchman Gregory Bourdy led briefly at 5-under and was at 4-under until a double-bogey on 18. His approach rolled back down the green into the fairway and dumped into a divot. His wedge was too fat and went about 10 feet.

Amateur update: Spanish amateur John Rahm made the cut at 5-over.

After a first-round 69, University of Texas amateur Scottie Scheffler opened the second round with a double-bogey and shot a 78. He missed the cut.

Els out: Two-time champion Ernie Els, who won when the Open last was played at Oakmont in 2007, finished 10-over with a pair of 75s.

Matsuyama drops: Matsuyama's 78 left him at 12-over.

Here are the lineups and the pitching matchup for Saturday's affair between the Indians and White Sox at Progressive Field.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here are the lineups and the pitching matchup for Saturday's affair between the Indians and White Sox at Progressive Field.

Pitching matchup: RHP Danny Salazar (7-3, 2.19 ERA) vs. RHP James Shields (2-8, 5.45 ERA)

Lineups

Indians

1. 1B Carlos Santana

2. 2B Jason Kipnis

3. SS Francisco Lindor

4. DH Mike Napoli

5. LF Jose Ramirez

6. 3B Juan Uribe

7. RF Lonnie Chisenhall

8. C Yan Gomes

9. CF Tyler Naquin

White Sox

1. SS Tim Anderson

2. RF Adam Eaton

3. 1B Jose Abreu

4. LF Melky Cabrera

5. 3B Todd Frazier

6. C Dioner Navarro

7. 2B Brett Lawrie

8. DH Avisail Garcia

9. CF J.B. Shuck

The Indians and White Sox will continue their three-game series on Saturday evening at Progressive Field. Get scoring updates and participate in a live chat as the clubs square off.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians and White Sox will continue their three-game series on Saturday evening at Progressive Field. Get scoring updates and participate in a live chat as the clubs square off.

Game 67: Indians (36-30) vs. White Sox (33-34)

First pitch: 6:10 p.m.

Broadcast info: SportsTime Ohio, WTAM 1100, Indians Radio Network

Pitching matchup: RHP Danny Salazar (7-3, 2.19 ERA) vs. RHP James Shields (2-8, 5.45 ERA)

Fact du jour: The White Sox are 10-24 since a 23-10 start.

LeBron James is from Akron and wants badly to win a title for Cleveland, but it has little to do with the city's 52-year championship drought.

OAKLAND, Calif. - LeBron James and I once lived on the same Akron street.

In the North Hill neighborhood of the city, which is about 37 miles south of Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, where James plays basketball now, LeBron and I both lived for a time on Woodward Avenue.

We don't know when, exactly, or even if our stays were simultaneous.

I'm 35, he's 31, and he moved around so much as a child from apartments and houses in Akron that he doesn't know the year in which he stayed on Woodward.

My parents, sister, and I moved to the cushy, Akron suburb of Tallmadge in 1988. As you may have guessed, James and I took very, very different life paths from our days on Woodward. We ended up working in the same space, he the worldwide superstar, leader of the Cavs and mega millionaire and me his chronicler for cleveland.com.

For months, as he's steered the Cavs through the regular season and playoffs and into Game 7 of the NBA Finals, for the life of me I haven't been able to understand why he sidesteps virtually all questions about what it would mean for him to be the one primarily responsible for ending Cleveland's 52-year major professional sports championship drought.

How can it be, LeBron, when you say "I don't put that type of thought on the game," as you did Saturday before the Cavs' last practice of the 2016 season?

ESPN just made a movie about us - called it 'Believeland' - about how cursed Northeast Ohio has been when it comes to sports. You were born there, and if you and the Cavs win Game 7 over the Warriors, you will have broken the curse. It's a story so good, and Clevelanders have had such rotten sports luck for so long, it's hard to fathom it could actually come true.

I didn't understand James' reluctance. We're from the same street. Why don't we see this the same way?

The street, courtesy of Google maps.Joe Vardon, Cleveland.com 

Now, standing at Game 7's doorstep, I understand him. Winning a championship for Northeast Ohio is incredibly important to him, but not for the decades of Cleveland sports misery that he could end.

It's about being from somewhere, sometimes having little in common other than the city on your birth certificate, and being able to share something that transcends sports, economics, politics and demographics. Winning is familial.

It's a bond that can bring together anyone who ever lived a day on Woodward Avenue in Akron, Ohio.

"Sports in general, it just has more of an emotional tie than anything in life," James told me Saturday.

Joe Vardon, Cleveland.com 

I was born on Sept. 6, 1980, to two working parents who are still married today. We lived on Oakland Avenue, a block away, when I was born, and then on Woodward until we flew to the suburbs.

My dad still owns a small fence company in Akron. My mom quit her job to be at home with my sister and I, and then went to undergraduate and graduate school to become a school psychologist.

What does all this mean for me as a Cleveland sports fan? It means I was 6 when John Elway cut out the hearts of the Browns in the 1986 playoffs with The Drive, and 7 when Earnest Byner fumbled away another chance to go to the Super Bowl. I remember siting on the carpet floor of our Woodward house, two-stories tall with ivy-covered brick, crushed to the point of tears.

I remember my dad taking me to Municipal Stadium in 1989, watching Bernie Kosar and Webster Slaughter light up the Cleveland sky. I was permitted to kick Steeler and Oiler fans as they walked past us toward the aisles, so long as it looked like an accident.

I was 9 when Michael Jordan buried "The Shot" over Craig Ehlo to knock the Cavs out of the Eastern Conference first round in 1989. Watching Ehlo and Mark Price, and, yes, now-Warriors coach Steve Kerr, play for those Cavs teams at the Richfield Coliseum was a common thing for me and my family. The arena was just up the road.

And of course I will always remember sitting down the left-field foul line, upper deck, at Jacobs Field in 1995, when the Indians clinched their first-ever Central Division championship.

I'll never forget sitting, devastated, as a 17-year-old senior in high school on a friend's couch when Jose Mesa blew Game 7 of the 1997 World Series.

If you're at all like me, and most of you reading this in the Cleveland-Akron area are, this was your childhood. This is why we feel a bond. We've lived a life of sports misfortune, together.

Now, let's look at James.

He was born Dec. 30, 1984, to Gloria James. He never knew his father. The James family moved from block to block in Akron for years. They struggled to pay rent. James missed school. He eventually went to live with more affluent family friends so he could have some order and his mother could get her life on track.

Joe Vardon, Cleveland.com 

His story is well known. But what's it mean for him as far as being a fan of Cleveland sports?

James was too young to love those Browns teams of the 1980s. When he was 6, for the 1991 NFL season, the Browns were 6-10. They'd make the playoffs just once before moving to Baltimore.

The 90s in the NBA belonged to Jordan. The Cavs were still very good then, especially early, but that same, short drive from Akron (OK, Tallmadge too) to see them play at Richfield Coliseum was not available to James.

And Indians games at Jacobs Field? With 455 consecutive sellouts and the secondary ticket market demanding big dollars - forget it.

"You know what probably would've made me a Browns fan and a Cavs fan and an Indians fan? If I was actually fortunate enough to go to the game, or I was actually fortunate enough to have cable and watch them," he said. "I never saw them play."

James now goes to Browns games and occasionally wears a No. 23 Indians jersey with "King James" on the back, but that's more because it's the right thing for him to do politically.

In his younger days, James said, Jordan was on NBC and his Dallas Cowboys - with Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith - were on network TV. His favorite baseball team (though, to be fair here, baseball isn't really James' sport) was the Yankees. They won championships in 1996, '98, '99, and 2000 - his formative years.

Yes, the Indians were great then, too, going to the playoffs every year and to the World Series in 1995 and '97, but, again, the socio-economic challenges James faced cut him off from the access to Cleveland someone like me enjoyed.

"When I started playing sports, you've got to think, I started playing sports in '92, it was the Bulls and it was the Cowboys," James said. "As a kid you see success, you're like I'm going to model myself after those guys, so Jordan, Emmitt Smith, Primetime (Sanders), all those guys. I wasn't fortunate enough..."

Then he trailed off.

On Jan. 17, 1988, Denver's Jeremiah Castille, on ground, looks for a loose football after stripping it from the hands of Cleveland's Earnest Byner (44) during the closing minutes of the AFC championship game in Denver. Mark Duncan, Associated Press

At the start of the 2016 Finals, James was asked how he minimizes the "pressure" to win one for Cleveland, given his personal history.

"I don't really get involved in the whole pressure thing," he said on the eve of Game 1. "I'm a statistic that was supposed to go the other way, growing up in the inner city, having a single-parent household. It was just me and my mother. So everything I've done has been a success."

James doesn't have the visceral connection to Cleveland sports history because he wasn't connected to it as a child like we were. Are there children who grew up poor like he did who today love the city's pro sports teams? Of course there are. But you can understand why it didn't happen for him.

James also knows that at least some in Northeast Ohio have such an affinity for the Cavs because of him. Just as others are still struggling to forgive him for what he did. Yes, he knows his hands aren't clean when it comes to Cleveland's sports misery.

He left the Cavs in the summer of 2010. He won championships - two of them - with the Heat, while Northeast Ohio carried on with its suffering.

"It can be like a marriage and a divorce," he told me. "There is so much emotion and pain that can come up when it doesn't go well, but the joy and the love (from winning) can you bring you together."

I didn't get to ask James if he was talking about his departure from Cleveland for South Beach. But the analogy fits.

James is enjoying arguably the Finals of his life. He leads both the Cavs and Warriors in nearly every major statistical category, and scored 41 points each in games 5 and 6.

James stands on the precipice of history. He is one game from leading the largest comeback in NBA Finals history to win a championship for the franchise he once scorned and the geographical region of his birth.

He wants to win not because it's been so long for the city, but for the people who've suffered during the losing. The people like him, the "statistics" who grew up poor. Also, the people like me, born to two parents who could afford to put him through an expensive liberal-arts college.

And for all the people in between. The people from Akron, from Cleveland, who call Northeast Ohio home.

"It's something that people can bond over, it doesn't matter the background," James said. "It's what can bring you together, help you forget your differences for a little while.

"Look, I'm here, I'm still here, and I have an opportunity to do something special. That's all I can ask for."

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers get their wish -- Game 7 against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tonight, the 2016 NBA Finals move back to Oakland for the deciding Game 7 between LeBron's Cavaliers and Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors. Many thought this series would be quickly decided when Golden State went up 2-0 and then 3-1, but the Cavs fought back to tie it.

The way that the Cavs tied it, with Curry losing his cool, Andre Iguodala hurting his back and LeBron dominating, could make even the most hardened Cleveland fan start to believe, against all odds, that maybe the Cavs can end Cleveland's 52-year-old major championship drought.

Not only win, but do it by beating the team with both the unanimous MVP and the best regular season record ever on their home floor.

Crowquill, by Plain Dealer artist Ted Crow, appears three times a week on cleveland.com.

The Cleveland Cavaliers face the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night for the Larry O'Brien trophy in Oakland, Calif. This guide provides the stories and stats leading up to Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - An unprecedented comeback against the NBA's winningest team in one season.

That feat can be completed tonight as the Cleveland Cavaliers challenge the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. A win gives Cleveland its first major sports championship in 52 years, and this guide provides the stories and stats leading up to the season's final game.

Game 7 will begin at 8 p.m. at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. ABC will televise it with WTAM 1100-AM and LA MEGA 87.7-FM (Spanish) providing radio coverage. Fox Sports Ohio will carry pregame and postgame shows.

THE SERIES (tied, 3-3)

Game 1: Golden State 104, Cleveland 89

Game 2: Golden State 110, Cleveland 77

Game 3: Cleveland 120, Golden State 90

Game 4: Golden State 108, Cleveland 97

Game 5: Cleveland 112, Golden State 97

Game 6: Cleveland 115, Golden State 101

Game 7: Cleveland at Golden State, 8 p.m. Sunday (TV: ABC, Radio: WTAM 1100-AM, LA MEGA 87.7-FM)

GAME 7 PROJECTED LINEUPS (with series averages)

Warriors starters: PG Stephen Curry (23.5 points, 4.0 assists, 34.4 minutes), SG Klay Thompson (20.5 points, 34.1 minutes), SF Andre Iguodala (10.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 33.5 minutes), PF Harrison Barnes (9.2 points, 32.1 minutes), C Draymond Green (13.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 38.6 minutes).

Warriors key reserves: PG Shaun Livingston (8.3 points, 21.9 minutes), SG Leandro Barbosa (9.2 points, 14.9 minutes), PF Anderson Varejao (1.2 points, 6.5 minutes), C Festus Ezeli (2.3 points, 8.3 minutes).

Cavaliers starters: PG Kyrie Irving (27.3 points, 4.3 assists, 2.3 steals, 38.3 minutes), SG J.R. Smith (10.3 points, 37.0 minutes), SF LeBron James (30.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 2.7 steals, 2.2 blocks, 40.9 minutes), PF Kevin Love (8.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 25.6 minutes), C Tristan Thompson (10.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 32.3 minutes).

Cavaliers key reserves: SF Richard Jefferson (6.3 points, 23.8 minutes), SG Iman Shumpert (2.5 points, 18.1 minutes), PG Matthew Dellavedova (2.7 points, 7.6 minutes), PF Channing Frye (0.5 points, 8.3 minutes).

Out: Warriors C Andrew Bogut, knee sprain (3.2 points, 2.0 blocks, 12.0 minutes).

LOOKING AHEAD

Here are stories from cleveland.com and other newspapers and websites covering the NBA Finals. 

Vardon: LeBron's reasons for winning for Cleveland are different than yours

Pluto: Pregame scribbles on pressure that's on Golden State

Lue expects big game from Love

Livingston: Gauging Irving and the Cavaliers' chances

James' outside shot is why he's better in these Finals

Pluto: There should be no excuses from Warriors

LeBron finally embraces dark side, and it's because of Curry

Shaw's Spinoffs: Cavs look to finish them

Will Kerr's criticism of refs affect Game 7?

Poll: Win or lose, should James be MVP?

WATCH PARTIES

LeBron James' alma mater to host party

Outdoor party sells out in about a minute

So did party inside The Q

Fan petitions for Progressive Field watch party

Watch party tickets listed at $750 on Craigslist

HISTORY LESSONS

LeBron, Cavs and Finals by the numbers

Memorable, forgettable officiating moments from 2016 playoffs

Other improbable sports achievements

Pluto: Biggest game in team history, 25 scribbles

How to complete a historic comeback

WHAT ELSE IS BEING WRITTEN

* Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal provides 25 thoughts, including LeBron James, mouthguards and Game 7.

* LeBron James continues "The Mission" to deliver a championship, writes Beacon Journal columnist Marla Ridenour.

* A long, frustrating walk prepares Golden State for Game 7, writes Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.

* Back problems or not, Andre Iguodala says he will be ready for Game 7. The Warriors forward is receiving "around the clock" treatment, writes Jimmy Durkin of the Bay Area News Group.

* Despite his Finals record, Sports Illustrated's Michael Rosenberg writes LeBron's greatest is unmatched on the stage.

* A courtside NBA Finals ticket went for $49,500 on StubHub, breaking a record for that company. Game 7 prices are nearing the cost for Super Bowl tickets, writes A.J. Perez of USA Today.

* Ten reasons from the San Francisco Chronicle's Kevin Lynch on how the Cavaliers beat the Warriors in Game 6. Also, here's a look from the Chronicle at Game 6 by the numbers.

Fedor's five observations from Game 6

* The fix isn't in, but conspiracy theorists make Game 7 must-watch TV, writes Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News.

* Stephen A. Smith's First Take rant on Ayesha Curry included Savannah James. Curry fired back on Twitter. Here's the details from Mike Matvey of the New York Daily News.

* The San Francisco Chronicle's Ann Killion gives a Bay Area account of Stephen and Ayesha Curry under fire.

* On his wife, Stephen Curry said: "I might have to cut off the Wi-Fi at my house."

* Sports Illustrated examines why Harrison Barnes does not deserve a max contract this summer.

* A cab ride with Jack gives a glimpse into what it's like for Cleveland fans leading up to Game 7 and the pessimism from a 52-year championship drought.

GAME 6 IN REVIEW

LeBron's 41 points lead Cavaliers to 115-101 victory

Seven statistics that explain the outcome

Vardon: LeBron's legacy nearly complete

Pluto: Cavaliers can make, defy history by winning title

Shaw: James redefines 'Hero Ball'

ESPN on ABC broadcast takeaways

Breaking down shot charts

Attacking Curry a consistent recipe

Nine soundbites after Game 6

Irving says his foot is good for Game 7

LeBron's new 'chill mode' on doorstep of third title

Curry, Kerr each fined $25,000

Comparing newspaper front pages, webpages after Game 6

AROUND THE LEAGUE

* The salary cap is projected to reach $94 million, exceeding earlier predictions, writes ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

* ESPN reports the New York Knicks have had internal discussions about making a trade for Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose.

* Earlier in the week, Stephon Marbury said he would not return to the Knicks "at gun point." He also had advice for LeBron James in this New York Daily News story by Daniel O'Leary.

"He can play past 40: he's the strongest player in the NBA by far but he doesn't use all of his power," Marbury told the Daily News. He added James "needs some more moves now that he's getting older."

* Thursday's NBA Draft marks the 15th anniversary of when the Bulls rolled the dice on Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune takes a look back.

* Amid The Finals, Chicago and Detroit swapped low-profile big man Cameron Bairstow and Spencer Dinwiddie. K.C. Johnson of the Tribune writes it's more likely that Rose and Jimmy Butler remain with the Bulls.

* Back to the draft. Sports Illustrated has Duke's Brandon Ingram going to Philadelphia at No. 1 in its mock draft roundtable.

Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on Twitter (@mgoul) or email (mgoul@cleveland.com). Or log in and leave a message below in the comments section.

The Golden State Warriors are under all the pressure in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. Can the Cleveland Cavaliers take advantage of that?

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Scribbles in my Cleveland Cavaliers notebook before Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals vs. the Golden State Warriors in Oracle Arena:

1. Now there's something I didn't expect to write a week ago: Scribbles in my Cavaliers notebook before Game 7. A week ago, the Cavs were down 3-1 in this series preparing to play Game 5 in Oakland on June 13. I thought the series would end right there. But two games and two Cavalier wins later -- it's Game 7.

2. I know I'm rationalizing, but I'm starting to think the Cavs might be in better shape for this game than I originally thought. Golden State coach Steve Kerr is working very hard to keep the pressure off his players. Why? Because they are feeling the pressure of being the first team to blow a 3-1 lead in NBA Finals history.

3. If the Warriors lose, they will always be known as the team that set an NBA record with 73 regular season victories, but squandered a chance to win a second title in a row. It was interesting to read through all the transcripts from Saturday press conferences, lots of good stuff.

4. Kerr said: "Remind yourself we get to play basketball for a living... We get paid a lot. We have fun. There is some heartbreak. There is some joy, and everything in between. It's a pretty good deal. We're among the luckiest people on Earth, win or lose Game 7."

5. More Kerr: "Nothing changes other than what some people write. A big part of being a prominent athlete these days is being able to shrug your shoulders and say: 'Oh, well. Somebody I don't know wrote something bad about me.' It's not the end of the world."

6. More Kerr: "It helps when you've got guys who are grounded and who understand that there's a lot more to life than what somebody writes about your reputation and your legacy and all that stuff."

7. More Kerr: "If you don't feel pressure in a Game 7, you're probably not human. I told our guys that. Of course they're going to feel pressure. Of course there's going to be some anxiety. But how lucky are we to feel that pressure? You could play on a lottery team your whole career and just make a bunch of money and go watch playoffs every year."

8. From Stephen Curry: "I need to play my best game of the year -- if not my career -- because of what the stakes are... That doesn't mean score 50 points, though. That means controlling the tempo of the game, knowing when I need to push the envelope and doing it within the schemes that we're used to as a team."

9. It's a different sport, but the lesson applies. Former Indians pitcher Orel Hershiser had some outstanding games in the postseason. He told me that it was not about "rising to the occasion." It was about "playing your normal game" in high-pressure situations. The pressure tended to drag others down -- perhaps because they tried to do too much.

10. With that in mind, I love how LeBron James answered a question about this game "defining the legacy of your career." James said one word -- "No."

11. More James: "I came back for a reason. That is to bring a championship to the city of Cleveland, to northeast Ohio and all of Ohio and all Cavaliers fans in the world. That's been one of my goals. But I don't add too much pressure on it. I go out and trust what I've been able to do, the work I've put into it, my teammates have put into it.

12. James refuses to let anyone define him, especially since he left for Miami in 2010. He has become tougher mentally, more mature emotionally. This is his seventh trip to the NBA Finals. He has lost four times. Other than 2011 (his first year with the Heat when they were upset by Dallas), he has not played poorly on a team that should have won The Finals.

13. James should have been the MVP of the 2015 Finals, even though the Cavs lost. And he should be MVP again, regardless of what happens in Game 7. James leads everyone from either team in this series in scoring, rebounding, assists and blocked shots.

14. James is from Akron. He knows the history. That's why he told reporters: "If we win and we take care of business, that's something that our city hasn't had in a very long time. So that's the obvious. You don't need me to sit up here and talk about it."

15. Cavs coach Tryonn Lue: "LeBron is just LeBron being LeBron. We know he's very capable of being special every single night. He's been special for us."

16. More Lue: "I'm just happy and just pleased with our team's composure. We've been resilient, and being down 3-1. (We kept) fighting and continuing to play the right way. Our guys are up for the challenge. So we're just going to enjoy this moment and we're up for the challenge."

17. After six games, the two teams have each scored 610 points. Hard to believe, even all the lopsided scores. But it's 610-610. Dieter Kurtenbach of foxsports.com came up with a very basic stat that I've missed. When the Cavs have scored 100 in the playoffs, they are 15-0. When they are under 100, they are 0-5. Watch the scoreboard.

18. I like this from Kyrie Irving: "As a competitor, this is what you want to be a part of. I've been very repetitive in saying that, but this is everything that we've all dreamed of. Being in the position that we were down 3-1, and now tying it up and having a chance to play against a great team in Game 7 and for the whole world to be watching."

19. I bet the TV ratings for this game will break records.

20. Prediction? I'm not making one. I wrote a column saying I don't want to hear any excuses from Golden State "when the Cavs win." I'd love to see it. I also can see a way the Cavs will win, especially if Golden State's role players such as Harrison Barnes continue to miss open shots.

21. According to ESPN, most sports books have the Warriors as a 5-point favorite in this game. I'm not surprised. The Cavs are trying to make history.

22. Bottom line: If the Cavs win this game, a strong case can be made that it's the greatest comeback in the history of the NBA Finals. Not just because of being behind 3-1, but due to the team they are facing and where the game is being played. The Warriors lost two regular season games at home in 2015-16. That's 39-2. The Cavs are trying to beat them for the second time in four games at The Oracle.

23. I can't recall the last time I so looked forward to covering an event and I do love the Cavs being underdogs. That would make winning a title even more special.

1964 NFL title: Cleveland Browns 27, Baltimore Colts 0; the game story by Chuck Heaton as it appeared in the following day's Plain Dealer.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The last time a major pro sports team in Cleveland won a championship, Jim Brown ran for 114 yards, Lou Groza kicked two field goals and the Cleveland Browns shutout the highest scoring team in the league in defeating the Baltimore Colts to win the 1964 NFL title.

Long-time Browns beat writer Charles "Chuck" Heaton, in his account of the Dec. 27, 1964, game, described it as "what well may be the best performance ever in the sparkling history of this football club."

The star for the Colts' powerful offense, John Unitas, was held to 95 yards passing, completing 12 of 20 attempts. Meanwhile, Gary Collins caught three touchdown passes from Frank Ryan for the Browns.

Here's is Heaton's complete game story, as it appeared in the following day's Plain Dealer.

Browns Capture Crown, 27-0

There can't be any doubters left this morning.

The Browns are the National Football League champions after what well may be the best performance ever in the sparkling history of this football club.

They stifled the Baltimore Colts, highest scoring team in the league this season, 27-0, before 79,544 on a windy, chilly afternoon at the stadium yesterday.

Underdogs by seven points at the kickoff, the Browns put 17 points on the board after a scoreless first half. And they added 10 more in the final quarter as visiting press box "experts" shook their heads and Baltimore rooters packed their bugles away and headed for the exits.

This was a Browns' team that decided it would prove something. And the players, who soon will be wearing rings designating them as the best performers in pro football, did it with a tremendous team effort.

View full sizeBrowns fans mob quarterback Frank Ryan he leaves field after the 1964 championship game in Cleveland Stadium.Special Collections, Cleveland State University Library

Gary Collins set a title game record with three touchdown catches in one game. Frank Ryan, a quarterback who has arrived, threw those three passes in paving the way to the Browns' fourth NFL crown.

AND LOU GROZA, who'll be celebrating his 41st birthday soon and has been on three other NFL title teams, kicked field goals of 42 and 10 yards.

Jim Brown established the needed ball control by carrying 27 times and gaining 114 yards. The fullback, usually a quiet man but bubbling over as he accepted congratulations, also caught three important passes.

These fellows were great and so was the offensive line but full measure of credit must go to the defense. It had given up plenty of yardage this season and the players had been reading and hearing that John Unitas, the Colts' fine quarterback, would find soft pickings.

UNITAS, a very unhappy fellow in the dressing room, completed 12 of 20 passes but for only 95 yards. His longest was a 23-yard effort to Ray Berry and it came in the first quarter.

A passer usually worries about avoiding blitzing linebackers or defensive backs. John's trouble came primarily from the up-front four - Bill Glass and Paul Wiggin at the ends, Dick (Little Mo) Modzelewski and Jim Kanicki at the tackles.

This quartet wasn't highly regarded in some quarters but it overpowered the Baltimore line and forced Unitas to hurry his throws or run himself. The strong rush was demonstrated early with the quarterback being forced to carry the football on his first four aerial attempts.

Kanicki, who had big troubles early this season, did a masterful job of controlling Jim Parker, and the former Ohio State star is regarded as the top offensive lineman in the game.

View full sizeLou Groza shows his kicking style in 1966.Dudley Brumbach, Plain Dealer file photo

WITH THE LINE working so well, the linebackers were able to aid the defensive backs who played what Bernie Parrish, the cornerback and signal caller, described as a "crowding defense."

This strategy worked so well that the Colts' deepest penetration was to the Cleveland 19 in the opening seconds of the second quarter. Then Bob Boyd juggled the pass from center and Lou Michaels didn't even get the chance to kick the ball on the field goal call.

That was the closest the Colts, who wilted completely as the Browns exploded in the third quarter, came to scoring.

The Cleveland defense came through with two interceptions by Vince Costello in the second quarter and Walter Beach in the fourth period. Modzelewski and Wiggin also pounced on Baltimore fumbles to halt threats.

DESPITE THE FACT that he had a hand heavily encased in a cast, Galen Fiss played what must be the finest game of his career. The captain and linebacker from Kansas made tackles that rattled the teeth of fans in Row Z.

And if there was any doubt about this defensive showing being a team effort it was dispelled in the jam-packed Cleveland dressing room. You'd congratulate Larry Benz and he'd mention Jim Houston. Houston would mention Ross Fichtner and Ross would mention Vince Costello.

So it went right down the line.

THAT ABORTIVE field goal try by Michaels was the only scoring chance either team really had the first half. Paul Warfield held to one catch by the double teaming of the Colts, slipped on a Ryan aerial intercepted by Don Shinnick at the Baltimore 10.

Then came the start of the second half and the Browns, aided by a strong northeast wind at their backs, took charge. They forced a Baltimore punt and when the attack was halted, Groza lofted his 43-yard field goal. It was his eighth field goal in NFL playoffs.

The Cleveland defense shut off Unitas again and took over the ball on the Browns' 32. Jim Brown gained four yards and then turned the left corner and galloped 46 yards to the visitor's 18-yard line.

Ryan, who wound up the joyous afternoon with 11 completions in 18 attempts for 206 yards, immediately fired to Collins for 18 yards and the touchdown.

Chuck Heaton, right, covered the Browns for decades. Here, he poses with Leroy Kelly in 1994 after Kelly's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Kelly invited Heaton to be his presenter for the Hall of Fame ceremony.Curt Chandler, Plain Dealer file 

CLEVELAND followers at this point decided that an upset was in the making. They were sure moments later when Ryan again hit Collins. Somehow the flanker came out clean, with defensive backs Jerry Logan and Boyd pounding their helmets in frustration.

Gary took the ball about the 15 and could have sauntered into paydirt to complete the 42-yard touchdown pass.

Groza's second extra point completed the third-period uprising but the Browns were at the Baltimore 14 as the last quarter started. Warfield's lone catch took the ball to the one but three smashes by Jim Brown failed to dent the tough Colts' defense.

SO THE TOE hiked the margin to 20-0 with a field goal. Three touchdowns and the extra points could have won for Baltimore with time left but that Browns' defense wanted a whitewash.

Cleveland again took the football and Ryan, instead of playing conservatively, went to the air. And Collins made a tremendous grab of a long pass for 51 yards for the touchdown that finished off the rout.

Gary, the third-year flanker from Maryland, finished with 130 yards for his five catches.

STATISTICS don't always tell the story but in this 32nd annual NFL title bout, they gave a clear picture. The Browns made 339 total net yards to 171 for the vaunted Colts' offense. They piled up 20 first downs to 11 for the Maryland club.

And perhaps most importantly of all, the figures show that Blanton Collier's team was able to establish and maintain ball control.

The Browns had the football for 41 rushing plays as compared to 25 for Baltimore, overall it was 60-45. It was almost perfect execution of the game plan with that superb defense holding the fort until the offensive probing produced results.

AND IT WAS Jim Brown's 46-yard dash, a sweep of left end and cutback to the middle behind fine blocking, that first loosened up the Baltimore defense in the third period.

Now it's on to the Pro Bowl game, to be played a week from Sunday in Los Angeles, for some of the Browns and Collier. Others soon will be going to homes far from Cleveland.

All are expected back at Hiram College for training next summer.

And as we said in our Christmas Day column to the team - "Good luck in the College All-Star game."

LeBron James was determined to break the cycle of single-parenting at an early age and Chris Haynes explains why.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Being a father means so much more than just planting a seed and producing children.

Cavaliers forward LeBron James realized that before he ever dreamed about one day playing in the NBA. To live up to that title means a man is providing, nurturing, loving, supporting and most importantly being actively involved in the lives of the kids he's created.

Single-parent homes are common throughout our society, but it also continues to be a prevalent issue in the African-American community. The fatherless child epidemic has resulted in gangs, early pregnancy, drug abuse, incarceration and death. It becomes a reckless cycle that endures from generation to generation.

James says he doesn't know much at all about his dad. He doesn't know his height, his history or his whereabouts. During his upbringing in Akron, he wrestled at night with the fact that he had no knowledge of an individual responsible for bringing him into this world.

The few friends who did have fathers roaming the homes, he gravitated toward that stability, that structure, that lifestyle. His mother, Gloria, did the best she could in trying to play a dual role while working endless jobs to keep a steady paycheck. Although she was a teen mom when James was born, she was equipped with the street sense and and knowledge of how to survive and stay afloat.

It was a unique trait of hers, but for James, it broke his heart knowing that his dad should have been relieving her of some of those duties.

"It was tough, man," James told me in an exclusive interview. "It was tough at times, but my mom, she kept it so real. She was like my mother and my father at the same time. When I was growing up at times, on Father's Day, I would write my mother a card, wishing her Happy Father's Day. She was all I had."

The four-time MVP has more now.

At 31, James has a beautiful wife Savannah, and together they've created three bubbly children: LeBron Jr. (12), Bryce (9) and daughter Zhuri (1). How did James obtain this way of life? Typically, a cycle repeats itself because the man doesn't know any better. All he knows is the struggle and loving affection of his mother.

"Just breaking the mode, that's all," James said. "I wanted to be a part of the statistics that breaks the mode of fathers running out on their kids. That was something that I obviously went through and I knew from Day 1 that wasn't going to be me. So, to have a family and be there for them and be there on a day-to-day basis is important. I know I travel a lot but I'm a staple in the household and it means a lot to me and I know it means a lot to my kids."

The pain James' mother endured contributed to him taking fatherhood seriously. Once he was able to understand what his mother went through, at an early age he took it upon himself to fill some of those voids.

"I think when I came kind of became the man of the house I started getting really responsible at the age of 8," he said. "I had to be there and do things that probably a father would do. Obviously not to that magnitude because I wasn't a grownup and I didn't have responsibilities, but I had to handle myself and make sure I wasn't a problem to my mother so she didn't have to have extra things going on in her head, because she had a lot on her plate already."

And although James had good intentions, his mom would let him know in a heartbeat when he was stepping out of place.

"Hell yeah, I heard it from her," James said with a laugh. "She'd say, 'Boy, you ain't grown.' I heard that many times."

James defied the odds. Breaking the cycle of single-parenting takes something deep inside that convinces you that enough is enough. History won't repeat itself in this family.

One person can make that huge of a difference. Fatherhood is a beautiful fraternity, and it's something that will always be in high demand. Happy Father's Day to all the real fathers out there.

"The best part of fatherhood is seeing your kids in you. The stuff that you used to think you could get away with. The things you thought you were sneaking away with and now you see your kids trying the same thing and I be like, 'I've been there, boy. I know what you're trying to do. I used to try that. Don't try to fool me. I know exactly what's going on.'

"So that's a pretty cool thing and also just seeing the different personalities from Zhuri, to Bronny, to Bryce, it's almost like leading a team. You can't lead them all the same way. They all have different personalities even though we're all growing up in the same households; you have to be able to command them differently. That's a challenge, but it's pretty cool."

Here are the lineups and the pitching matchup for Sunday's series finale between the Indians and White Sox.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here are the lineups and the pitching matchup for Sunday's series finale between the Indians and White Sox.

Pitching matchup: RHP Carlos Carrasco (2-2, 3.40 ERA) vs. LHP Carlos Rodon (2-6, 4.28 ERA)

Lineups

Indians

1. CF Rajai Davi

2. 2B Jason Kipnis

3. SS Francisco Lindor

4. DH Mike Napoli

5. 1B Carlos Santana

6. LF Jose Ramirez

7. 3B Juan Uribe

8. C Yan Gomes

9. RF Michael Martinez

White Sox

1. SS Tim Anderson

2. RF Adam Eaton

3. 1B Jose Abreu

4. LF Melky Cabrera

5. 3B Todd Frazier

6. C Alex Avila

7. 2B Brett Lawrie

8. DH Avisail Garcia

9. CF J.B. Shuck

The Cleveland Cavaliers will have the chance to win their first NBA title in franchise history when they play Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. and the game will be shown on ABC. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers will have the chance to win their first NBA title in franchise history when they play Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. and the game will be shown on ABC. On radio, it will be simulcast on WTAM 1100 and 87.7 FM (ESP). 

Game 7 can be viewed online via WatchESPN. 

The Cavaliers, who were once down 3-1 in the series, will try to become the first team in NBA history to win the championship against those odds. They have won two straight games against the Warriors, with the most recent win coming on Thursday night, 115-101. 

In the win, LeBron James once again led the way, scoring 41 points to go with 11 assists and eight rebounds. It was his second consecutive game scoring at least 40 points. Kyrie Irving added 23 points on 7-of-18 from the field. 

The Warriors were led by Stephen Curry, who scored 30 points before fouling out with 4:22 remaining in the game.

The Warriors shot 33-of-82 (40.2 percent), the second straight game being held below their postseason shooting percentage of 45.7 from the field.

Golden State will once again be without starting center Andrew Bogut, who also missed Game 6 with a knee injury. Swingman Andre Iguodala is expected to play despite fighting through back tightness during Thursday's loss. 

Catch the coverage from before the game; join in the live chat starting at tipoff; and stick around for full postgame coverage. For all Cavs information, be sure to check out cleveland.com/cavs.