>> mark: greatness is on display and we are all witnesses. j.r. smith with the lob in transition. the finish by james. continuing to make plays. offensively. we saw previously with andre iguodala had his number. this was a strip early in the series. instead, shields it, protects it, fades away. knocks down the shot. and getting it done defensively. against curry. the blocked shot. that's not enough. the staredown, the talking, letting him know, energizing his team. >> mike: like so many of the all-time greats, the sustained excellence, sometimes you take for granted. oh, he has another 36-10-8 game. but facing elimination for the second straight game, lebron james turning in a spectacular performance. and a time-out had to be called as it was close to a five-second count. >> jeff: the cavaliers struggled with this baseline out of bounds defense the entire series. that time, extremely

well-defended. >> mike: the cavaliers and their fans celebrating one of the all-time greats, who, for the second straight nba finals, putting up absolute staggering numbers. including tonight, very close to a triple-double, and more importantly, for the cavaliers, on the verge of forcing a game

seven on sunday night back in oakland. klay thompson gets away. stripped by fouled by j.r. smith. that's the last thing cleveland wants to do is to start stopping the clock and putting the warriors at the free-throw line. >> jeff: i think klay thompson's done an excellent job mixing it up here in the second half. attacking the basket. and getting himself to the free-throw line. >> mike: he was 3 for 12 at one point. now 24 points, 9 of 21. shaun livingston will come back in. and iguodala will go off. festus ezeli checks in. and barbosa will take a seat. barbosa, excellent job off the bench. >> jeff: what a series he's had. didn't play in one gail. and just ready and making shots.

giving them a great boost off the bench. th >> mike: thompson misses his third free throw of the night. tristan thompson gets that deflected rebound. and a foul on curry. and curry is going to get hit with a technical. he throws his mouthpiece after foufling out of the game. >> jeff: it hit a fan, mike. >> mike: steph curry apologizes to the fan, but lost his temper. first time he's fouled out since december 2013. and then gets hit with a technical four with 4:22 remaining. the frustration setting in.

curry finishes with 30 points. it has been a roller coaster ride in these finals for curry. and the crowd delighting in his exit. curry's going back to the locker room. i'm not sure if they threw him out, which, you can do on one technical or he's just going out because he's fouled out. trying to get word from the officials. so, irving shoots the one-shot technical. he thought he got all ball. and then got in front of james and that was -- it was that second contact that they called.

and you rarely see curry lose it like that. and he was ejected on the one technical. 13-point lead, still a little over four minutes remaining. what a turnaround in these nba finals. >> jeff: and that was a tough sixth foul call. >> mike: that's first ejection of curry's career. j.r. smith! they are celebrating here at quicken loans arena. and offensive foul called on klay thompson. tristan thompson with another fine play. >> mark: you talk about a

center, closing out to a knockdown shooter. under control, getting back into the picture -- does not commit the foul. clearly the contact, as klay thompson elevates into the body of tristan thompson. he is an elite defender. >> mike: and james taking time off. draymond green trying to force -- and he's called for a reach-in foul. five fouls on draymond green. frustration for the defending champs here in cleveland. >> jeff: and green, it may be a wise time to take him out of the game. he -- >> mike: he's two technicals shy of getting a suspension. so, if he gets hit with two quick technicals here, he'd be suspended for game seven. again, the limit in the

playoffs, once you hit seven, it's a one-game suspension. he currently has five. already been suspended for exceeding the flagrant foul point total. chants of "mvp" for a four-time mvp. a virtuoso performance from one of the all-time greats. festus ezeli. short on the jump hook. gets his own rebound. back out to green. barbosa fouled by tristan thompson. and they wave it off.

foul came before the shot attempt. they're in the penalty, so, barbosa will shoot with 3:23 remaining and an 18-point cleveland lead. as it looks like we will have a game seven on sunday night at oracle arena in oakland. after the first two games of this series, two dominant victories from golden state. many thought it would be a quick series. then, after golden state won game four and went up three games to one, same feeling was felt. ba back-to-back per fperformances for the cleveland cavaliers. and they are on the verge of tying it up three games apiece. game seven will be sunday night. tipoff shortly after 8:00. our coverage will begin with nba countdown at 7:30 eastern. they just showed kyrie irving on the big screen with a huge applause.

>> mark: steve kerr getting his guys out of the ball game. if i'm ty lue, i do the same thing. >> mike: james has played all but three minutes. mcadoo's in the game. james jones gets off the bench. he's going to come in. james finishing touches on a magnificent performance! 41 in back-to-back finals games. barbosa. knocks it away. pass inside to ezeli. that won't go. tipped out. taken by j.r. smith.

>> mark: cavs want to commit a foul to get guys out of the ball game. >> mike: and they do. celebration under way here in cleveland. the cavaliers in their final home game of the season will force a game seven. >> jeff: but the warriors, still, this is what you work all season for, the regular season. everybody has, well, should you try to win in the regular season? yeah. they've had a historic regular season, they get the final game at home. they have a great home court advantage. and they'll be a heavy favorite. >> mike: mozgov, mo williams, james jones all set to check in. >> mark: they're discussing the foul. lebron james fouled shaun livingston. festus ezeli going to the line. referees pick up on it.

livingston must come back into the ball game to shoot these free throws. >> mike: when the cavs fell behind three games to one in the series, the number is, no team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a finals. of the 32 teams, and this is the 33rd, who are trying to attempt that, only two prior to this have even forced a game seven. as lebron james will get a much deserved ovation. another dazzling performance when facing elimination. last player to have back-to-back 40-point games in the finals was shaquille o'neal. 16 years ago. >> mark: coach makes the right point. if you're the warriors, you've earned the right to have a game seven in your building. the energy in that building is

going to be incredible. and it's going to be an awesome game seven for both of these teams. >> mike: that will be the second consecutive game seven for golden state. remember, in the conference finals, they were trailing three games to one and wound up winning game seven against the thunder on their home floor. mo williams. this crowd absolutely delirious. what a way to say good-bye to your fans in your final home game. mcadoo inside. and much like game three, it was right from the opening tip. if you are just tuning in late, the score after the first quarter was 31-11. warriors with their lowest scoring quarter of the season. james and the cavaliers, their defense was smothering. their offense, great ball movement. and after that, unbelievable

start, the closest golden state could get was seven points. >> mark: if you're steve kerr, he's talked about it all along as we look at draymond green. it's their defense. you can say the shot-making and all of that, the series against okc turned around when they began to get stops defensively against the thunder. and the problems that they've had in this series is when cleveland scored, big numbers. >> jeff: and that's a big concern because of iguodala's health right now. he's been the primary defender, obviously, on durant and now on james. and his health is imperative going into game seven. >> mike: we said at the top, many fans and long-time cleveland residents and native, as clark throws it in. said going into tonight, it was

the biggest game in franchise history. well, they've pulled off a brilliant performance when they needed it most. dellavedova off the glass. and again, the change in venue. you get that extra day. mo speights drills a three pointer. final minute. well, we'll have, for the 19th time, a game seven in the nba finals. in the previous 18, the home team is 15-3. and, again, the cavaliers will have to go into a building where the warriors were 39-2 and lost twice in the playoffs, as speights hits another three pointer. but they have so much confidence

going back there after winning game five at oracle and, obviously, this tremendous victory here tonight. nobody has left this building. dellavedova. and the warriors will dribble it out. a wire to wire victory for the cleveland cavs. back-to-back wins when facing eliminati elimination. and their hopes for that first franchise title still very much alive. 41 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, four blocked shots and you see the list, back-to-back 40-point games in the finals. again, just staggering numbers from lebron james. >> jeff: look at that list. all-time all-time greats.

>> mike: and a dejected klay thompson goes back. >> mark: you know, mike, that's the double standard. i love klay thompson. if somebody else walks out back there, we question. >> mike: and there's the buzzer. game seven, sunday night in oakland. another dominant performance from the cavs, and we still have not had a close game in these finals. lebron james, making sure of that. with a victory tonight. he's with craig sager. >> craig: well, lebron, facing elimination, obviously doesn't phase you. back-to-back 41-point games. tonight, they got back in the game, you went on that 18-0 run

personally, you had 18 straight points by the cavs. coaching staff that put me in position to be successful. just try to do whatever it takes to help us win. we're going against a very, very great team. and we can't allow ourselves to make mistakes and we have -- we still have to clean up some things. even in game seven. we still have to clean up some things. but we gave it our all tonight and got the victory. >> craig: steph curry was unanimous mvp during the regular season. in this series, you have dominated him statistically. you also frustrated him. the first ejection of his career. how driven are you to reclaim -- >> he's a great player. let's not get that mistaken. they're the best team in the league for a reason. they were 73-9 for a reason. home court throughout the whole playoffs for a reason. and, you know, a lot because of him. you know, if not all. if you add in klay, draymond and the rest of that group, but -- we're a team that's driven, as

well. and we got some guys, we got a lot of pride and love the moment. even though we're a young group, we have guys that love the moment and i do for sure. >> craig: well, this was the last game, either way, here in cleveland for the season. you'll come back and clean out your locker or you'll come back to the biggest celebration cleveland and northern ohio has seen in over 50 years. how do you handle the impact you have not only in the game of basketball, but this region? >> at the end of the day, you know, i'm going to give everything i got. i'm going to give the coaches everything i got in game seven and i'll be satisfied with the results. you know, obviously, i want to win, for sure. that's my ultimate goal. but i know i'm going to give everything and we'll see what happens. it's going to be a fun one. >> craig: when you guys were down 3-1, everybody talked about, no team had ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a championship. what changed with your team? what did you notice what did you learn? >> hey, man, records are meant to be broken. at the end of the day, we're a team that's been persevering all

year. the outside noise, you know, everything, and weapon just -- it was like, hey. at the end of the day, let's just go out and play and see what happens. and we've been able to beat a great team to force a game seven. and i can't wait. >> craig: congratulations. great performance. very pleased to be here to witness it. >> oh. first of all, i'm going to ask you a question. how in the hell are you going to go 30-plus years without making a finals game. that don't make no sense. much love and respect and i'm happy i was able to be here with you. >> craig: thanks for entertaining me. back to you, mike. >> mike: thank you, craig. two nba legends, craig sager and lebron james. an extraordinary performance from james. as the cleveland cavaliers, trying to keep their hopes alive for this city. 52-year drought waiting for a championship.

they are one win away, but quite a challenge to get that one win coming up on sunday night. back-to-back 41-point games in elimination games in the nba finals. more to come from cleveland, we'll wrap things up as the cavaliers win game six.

>> mike: late night tonight. mindy kaling and meghan trainor join kimmel. and on the west coast, it's oprah with jimmy on "game night." as the crowd celebrating outside the quicken loans arena. and certainly through the streets of downtown cleveland, their cavaliers win back-to-back games and force a game seven in the nba finals. the final score, the cavaliers,

115, the warriors, 101. the 2016 nba finals tied at three games apiece. so, for jeff van gundy, mark jackson, doris burke, and so honored once again to have craig sager. our producer tim recocorrigan, director jimmy moore and our outstanding abc crew, mike breen saying so long from cleveland. and thanks for watching abc, home of the nba finals. we'll see you at game seven. ♪ if you are champion ♪ show me you a champion ♪ the real champions ♪ prove that they're champions >> the nba finals. game seven. sunday, on abc.

proposals to tax soda have failed in 30 city ands and states. proponents are celebrating a huge win tonight and it could pay off in $91 million of new revenue next year. or might it all fizzle out? with opponents likely headed to court. it is thursday night, and the the big story on "action news" tonight is 13-4. that was the vote to approve the new beverage tax today.

philadelphia city council. "action news" dann cuellar has the 0 complete story. >> council president clark. >> ayes 13, nays are 4. [ cheers ] >> reporter: and with that, philadelphia became the first major city to have such a tax. for mayor jim kenney, it was a hard fought victory with comprising with members of city council. >> this is a terrific day, but this is just the beginning of the process. it certainly was a long road to get here, but this is the beginning of the process of changes the narrative of poverty in our city. >> reporter: mayor kenney says the 1 1/2 cent per ounce beverage tax will generate $386 million over five years money that will largely go to fund pre-k programs for kids and to rehab rec centers and libraries but it was not without acrimony. the beverage industry fought bitterly against it. >> we're obviously very disappointed. 58% of philadelphians oppose this tax because they know that it will hurt working families.

>> reporter: and small business owners like this bodega near temple university worries the new tax could destroy their livelihoods. >> business is going to decline because of the soda. a lot of it -- a lot here sells sodas. the fridge is always empty so -- so it's going to be horrible. it's going to be harder to sell soda and it's going to be harder to keep the business running. >> reporter: and workers at the coca-cola company in juniata say they're for the kids but argue the tax will hurt their jobs. >> yes, every child should have the opportunity. however, not on the backs of hardworking philadelphians and one industry. >> reporter: the beverage industry vows to fight the new tax in court arguing it's unconstitutional. but mayor kenney says they're ready for that. >> they spent a long time twisting the facts of that whole debate on television with millions of dollars and that wasn't effective. so we'll fight the next fight when it comes. >> reporter: mayor kenney says he will sign the measure into law on monday. but the city will not begin to start collecting the new tax in

-- untile january. we're live here at city hall. i'm dann cuellar, "action news thousands of union workers authorized a walkout on july 1st. [ chanting ] >> local 54 members say they will picket at ballies, ceasar's, harrah's and the tropicana if a new contract isn't reached by the end of this month. they already have approved a strike at the trump taj mahal. the union said it made concessions in 2011 when casinos were struggling and now the revenues are improving. they say they want better pap p. president barack obama came to orlando today to pay his condolences to a grieving city. and at a private meeting, he would tell the survivors of last sunday's attack and the families of the victims that he is inspired by their courage and that he feels their pain at the

loss of so many young lives. with vice president biden at his side, obama said this. >> so today, once again, as has been true too many times before, i held and hugged grieving family members and parents and they asked, why does this keep happening? and they pleaded that we do more to stop the carnage. >> for obama, that means adopting a

>> no. one person was injured in a house fire late tonight in the over-brook section of philadelphia after putting out the blaze on the 1600 block of north 62nd street, firefighters discovered a 57-year-old man was second-degree burns to his arms, legs, and head. at this point, there is no word on a cause. philadelphia police plan to charge a driver with dui after a

car struck a 16-year-old girl tonight. it happened at rising sun and bly avenues had the longdale section of the city. authorities say the teenager may have suffered a concussion and a broken arm. charges for an alleged burglar and the man who chased him down and shot him. it started with a car break-in at the woodland manor apartments in morrisville, bucks county early this morning. the car owner saw it, grabbed his gun and hayed the sus -- chased the suspect according to police, leading to this crash on bridge street. surveillance video obtained by action news shows the driver shooting twice at the fleeing suspect hitting him in the arm. the suspect is in custody, underwent surgery for a shattered elbow. the beauty shop on bridge street suffered damage in the crash. new castle county police have now charged a teenager in connection with the assault of a 13-year-old girl in hoch essen,

delaware. mira bye has seven stitches in her eye after being struck by a cinder block. she was skateboarding in her neighborhood when she says a group of children surrounded her. she said the whole thing started as a fight over presidential politics. >> imus like, why are you doing this? this is so unnecessary. if you guys are mad at me, you could just talk to me. there's no reason to be calling me names, cussing me out, and blocking me from skateboarding. that's just unnecessary. >> one juvenile has been charged with thru third-degree assault, a misdemeanor. police tell "action news" it is still an active investigation. chester residents had a chance to voice their concerns about the police department, that during a community listening session tonight at widener university. it would have been good if more people had shown up. it comes as part of a federal review currently being conducted by the u.s. department of justice examining officer-involved shootings, police policies, and criminal

assist. pennsylvania spca says charges are pending after a raid on a house full of cats, that in the frankford section of philadelphia. agents acted op a tip tonight to the animal cruelty hotline discovered 17 cats and a first floor apartment. two other cats were dead. on the third floor in a different apartment, agents found 16 cats, half of them kittens. those feellines were willingly signed over to the spca. all the animals are being cared for until they are deemed healthy enough to be adopted. we have an update to the story we brought you last night on a mayfair family stolen vehicle. philadelphia police have recovered the dodge durango that was used to transport 8-year-old john web to his doctor's appointments. he has screenral palsy and relies on a walker pops or a -- or a wheelchair. the s.u.v. is damaged and several items are missing.

detectives are still searching for the person who stole it. the philadelphia school reform commission tonight approved the new policy in the rights of transgender students. guide lines call for students to be addressed by the names and pronouns corresponding to their chosen identity. they may use locker rooms and restrooms of their gender identity and dress accordingly. the policy will also have schools using gender-neutral language when quhuncating with students and their parents. the phoenixville area school board have approved the redistricting of its elementary school zones. the boundaries need to move because the district is building a new early learning center and elementary school. many parents were opposed to this plan because it means their children will have to change schools. but the board decided to keep children who were close to graduation in the schools they have been attending. we began to tell you this story at 6:00 tonight. the story of a 19-year-old who took a big leap today toward fu