[Rachel Martin:] Those Cleveland fans are waiting for their parade. But will they get it? Let's ask Mike Pesca. He is host of "The Gist" on Slate. Good morning, Mike.
[Mike Pesca, Byline:] Good morning. I mean, parade logistics are beyond my ken. I don't know. And of course, you got to predict if they win or lose. That's a thing in itself.
[Rachel Martin:] Oh, yeah, that. OK. So we're going to talk about that. But first, I have to take a moment to acknowledge that you are the father of two amazing young boys. And it's your day. It's Father's Day. And you're talking to us. So thank you for taking time.
[Mike Pesca, Byline:] Thank you for saying that.
[Rachel Martin:] So you going to watch the game with them later?
[Mike Pesca, Byline:] It the game tends to go long, but I have no problem ruining them for school tomorrow. So, yeah, why not?
[Rachel Martin:] Perfect. OK, to the task at hand no team has ever come back 3-1 to win the series. Can Cleveland do it?
[Mike Pesca, Byline:] You know, if you didn't know that much about basketball or the NBA, but you just knew maybe one thing about the Cavaliers, you'd say, well, I guess it all depends on LeBron James. And here I am to say it pretty much depends on LeBron James. But he has been so amazing. He leads both teams in points, assists, steals, blocks and is tied with his teammate Tristan Thompson in rebounds. On the Warriors side, Steph Curry is a great player. But, you know, he averaged 30 points a game, 30-and-a-half points a game in the regular season and is averaging, I should say, only 25. But that little difference or...
[Rachel Martin:] Yeah.
[Mike Pesca, Byline:] The difference Steph having a great game and Steph having a game that he has been having, which sometimes is only good that could be the difference in this series.
[Rachel Martin:] OK. Side question, perhaps, but I don't understand how the team with the biggest star in basketball, the Cavs, came to be the underdog in this contest. This is crazy.
[Mike Pesca, Byline:] I think we, of course, take LeBron James for granted. That's why I didn't get an MVP vote. But I should also say he's playing better in this series than maybe we've ever seen him play and pretty much better than we've seen anyone play, Jordan-esque. I mean, he's put back to back 40-point games. And when he has his such complete game, but when his jump shot is dropping and I don't know why it does the basketball gods either bless him or don't. When his jump shot is dropping, he is unstoppable. And that's why, for a 10-minute stretch, the end of the third, start of the fourth in Game 6, he was responsible with scoring or assisting on 35 of 36 straight points. And all he would do is score whatever he wanted to. Or when the entire team collapsed around him, he'd lob it to Tristan Thompson who would get a dunk. It was this unstoppable, unbelievable thing. Now we use unstoppable is the word we used to use for the Warriors offense.
[Rachel Martin:] Yeah.
[Mike Pesca, Byline:] And when I say used to, I mean in Games 1 and 2 in this series. So yeah, this is compelling. You know, the teams have scored the same number of points in the series. And yet, there's been no game within 10.
[Rachel Martin:] Wow.
[Mike Pesca, Byline:] So it's fascinating.
[Rachel Martin:] All right. So we'll end on the big question it's a big game. It's Game 7. That's always exciting. But this is bigger, right? Like put this in context for us. How big is this game?
[Mike Pesca, Byline:] You know, Rachel, obviously everything you talk on the show the election, terrorism it's all bigger. And this sport. And this is a game. But it's also a subculture. And the consequences of tonight will define this team, the Warriors, will define the player LeBron James. It's so meaningful to all of northeast Ohio. It's just this amazing opportunity. I'm more compelled by tonight's game than I have been for a game in 20 years.
[Rachel Martin:] Wow. There you have it. Mike Pesca of "The Gist" on Slate. Thanks so much, Mike.
[Mike Pesca, Byline:] You're welcome.
[Rachel Martin:] And you're listening to WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News.