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Tristan Thompson: It's win or 'go to Cancun' for Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 tonight

Veteran center Tristan Thompson knows the Cleveland Cavaliers have to play with energy as they look to stave off elimination against the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena tonight.

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the brink of elimination in NBA Playoffs after falling to the Boston Celtics, 96-83, in Game 5 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden in Boston Wednesday night.

The lopsided loss was the Cavaliers’ third consecutive setback at TD Garden in the Eastern Conference Finals, and forced them into a must-win situation in Game 6 of the best-of-seven series at Quicken Loans Arena tonight.

“This is the first series I’ve been a part of where both teams play completely different on the road,” Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson said. “Go back home, backs against the wall. It’s kind of been our thing this whole year, so guys have to be ready. It’s all on the line. It’s win or go…go to Cancun.”

Despite having a better shooting percentage than the Celtics throughout Wednesday’s contest, turnovers, struggles at the free-throw line and missed three-pointers proved to be the Cavaliers’ downfall in the Game 5 loss in Boston.

The Cavaliers committed 15 turnovers. Also, the Cavaliers made just nine of their 34 attempts from three-point range and went 12 for 19 at the free-throw line. Conversely, the Celtics buried 13 of their 39 triple tries and made 21 of their 23 attempts from the charity stripe.

In addition to the turnovers, missed three-pointers and free throw woes, the Cavaliers were outhustled on the glass and outrebounded, 45-39, by the Celtics.

“We just have to pick each other up,” Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love said. “If we’re moving, just get that ball from side to side, and whether you miss or make it, that ball has energy. We just have to continue to pick each other up, and we just couldn’t find it.

“Now, we’re facing elimination and we’re going back home. I know that The Q is going to be as loud as it was here, and hopefully, we can push it back to a Game 7.”

Fortunately, the Cavaliers have returned home to play Game 6 in the friendly confines of Quicken Loans Arena, where the team is 2-0 against the Celtics and 7-1 over the first three rounds of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.

“I’ve never played in a series where home court seemed to matter so much,” shooting guard Kyle Korver said. “We’ve just played really bad in Boston, and they probably feel the same way with how they played in Cleveland. Thank God, we’re going home next, and hopefully, we’ll play better and force a Game 7. You never know what can happen.”

And while the Cavaliers will rely on their home-court advantage in Game 6, Thompson knows more needs to be done in order to force the Eastern Conference Finals to a deciding seventh game at TD Garden in Boston Sunday.

“It’s definitely frustrating just because we didn’t bring the energy,” Thompson said. “I didn’t bring the energy. At the end of the day, when this team is low energy, it’s definitely on me, so I take full responsibility for that. I know what’s at stake the next game.”

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