Welcome to Game 7, the battle for basketball's soul

Good morning. GAME 7! NBA FINALS! Let's basketball.

THE STAKES: Paul Flannery digs into the sky-high narrative stakes embedded in this Game 7, both for LeBron James and the whole Warriors program. In his final Sunday Shootaround of the season, he also looks at five non-marquee stars under the microscope and rounds up the best quotes about what's been happening in this epic series of less-than-epic games. Check it out.

NEED MORE HYPE? Someone made a Warriors-Cavaliers promo vid using an old Bob Costas Game 7 hype cut and "Roundball Rock." It's as glorious as it sounds.

EPIC: LeBron has been utterly dominant the last few games.

MESS OF THEIR OWN MAKING: Rodger Sherman on whether the Warriors can climb out of a hole they dug.

NO ABDICATION: Zito Madu on why LeBron should resist relinquishing his throne atop at NBA to Steph Curry.

SPEAKING OF WHICH ... The Cavs are clearly targeting Curry, whose defense hasn't stacked up well.

SCARYSON BARNES: Yep, Harrison Barnes is ruining the Warriors' best lineup. Sam Amick digs in a bit more on Barnes' sticky situation approaching a mighty interesting free agency.

Xs AND OH YEAHS: Zach Lowe breaks down potential adjustments and whatnot for Game 7. One of those adjustments: Harrison Barnes could start making shots and that would change everything! Make-or-miss league, right?

BAD MEDICINE: The Warriors have taken heat for spamming the Illegal Screen button on their gamepad all year. Turns out Tristan Thompson is now doing the same thing to great effect.

DARE TO BELIEVE: Ramona Shelburne writes that despite decades of heartbreak, the fans of Cleveland are ready to believe going into Game 7.

NOT JUST A BRO: Nice Bill Oram profile on Luke Walton, who will decamp from the Bay Area to L.A. on Monday (or sometime in the near future).

OH BOY: An oral history of the 2006 Finals, the last time a team came down from 0-2 to win the title.

NEW CHAD FORD MOCK DRAFT.

ONE SHINING PODCAST! Answering the biggest draft questions.

BY THE WAY ... Kevin O'Connor's draft guide is now out. Always a good read.

GREEN ROOM: The Vertical has the preliminary green room list for Thursday's NBA Draft. Looks like fewer guys than usual will be in there ...

GOOD GRAVY: The salary cap is now projected to be $94 million.

Alright, Game 7 is at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. We'll be here for you. Enjoy, and see you next time.