Pharaoh Brown went to high school in Lyndhurst, Ohio, a half an hour outside Cleveland, and just like many other kids at Brush High School, he grew up rooting for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Well, while LeBron James and his hometown team are currently down 2-0 to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, Brown believes there's still hope for the Cavs.
But, like many others, the Oakland Raiders tight end believes that tonight's game – the first one this series in Cleveland – is critical.
"We definitely have to win tonight," said Brown. "Going down 3-0 is bad situation."
So, pray tell, how exactly do the Cavaliers try to limit a team that has one of the most-potent offenses in recent league history?
Brown has some thoughts.
"My take is, stick on Klay [Thompson] and Steph [Curry], and just let K.D. [Kevin Durant] play one-on-one, because he's going to get his," Brown explained. "Last game, Curry had [more than] 26, K.D. had over 25, Klay had 20, you're never going to win with them all over 20, and we need somebody on the bench to step up, hit some threes."
Brown, along with San Francisco 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead actually took in Game 2 of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena, and while the result of the game wasn't the one No. 81 was looking for, he was impressed by the energy of the stadium.
"It's Oracle, they're ripping the top off," Brown said.
Brown is a former Oregon Duck, as is Golden State Warriors forward Jordan Bell, but even though Brown said the two are friends, don't get it twisted, he's still pulling hard for the Cavaliers in this series.
"It's definitely the hometown before all that," Brown said with a smile. "It's kind of crazy seeing him [Bell] out there, it's like, dang, he was just in college last year, rookie year, already in the finals, and he's getting minutes."
Now, let's be honest, there's not many people at this point giving the Cavs a chance to recreate themselves, and give the Warriors much of a series; however Brown has a message for all those people, and he's not afraid to share it.
"I got the Cavs winning," Brown said. "If we win tonight, then we knot it up at 2-2. I got us winning the series, that's my prediction… I'm calling LeBron in seven, I'm just calling it. If we're undefeated at home, then we're winning it."
Time will tell if Brown's prediction holds true; tipoff of Game 3 is tonight at 6:00 PM PT at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
