Tonight is a huge night for the Cavaliers.

And it is a huge night for Cleveland.

But if history tells us anything – and it often times does – then it will also be a very challenging night.

For the second straight year, the Cavs will try to defeat the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 at Quicken Loans Arena to force a winner-take-all Game 7. The Warriors, up 3 games to 2, can clinch their second straight NBA crown with a win tonight. If they lose, Game 7 will be played Sunday night in Oakland.

The Warriors earned last year’s title with a Game 6 victory at Cleveland.

In 2007, the only other time the Cavs got to the NBA Finals, they were swept in four games by the San Antonio Spurs.

So tonight marks only the second time in franchise history – and in as many years — that the Cavs have needed a win to get to the league championship-deciding game.

There are two times when the Indians have been in a situation where they have needed to win to get to the league championship-deciding game.

In Game 6 of the 1997 World Series, the Indians, down 3 games to 2, beat the Florida Marlins to force a Game 7, which they eventually lost.

In Game 6 of the 1995 World Series, the Indians, down 3 games to 2, fell to Atlanta as the Braves won the title.

There are eight times when the Browns have been in a situation where they have needed to win to get to the league championship-deciding game.

When a victory would have put them into the Super Bowl, the Browns were beaten in the AFC Championship Game in 1986, ’87 and ’89 by the Denver Broncos.

Also when a triumph would have put them into the Super Bowl just before the NFL-AFL merger was complete, they were beaten in the NFL Championship Game in 1968 (Baltimore Colts) and ’69 (Minnesota Vikings).

When a win would have put them into the NFL Championship Game in the pre-Super Bowl days, the Browns defeated the New York Giants in an American Conference playoff game in 1950 and lost to the Giants in an Eastern Conference playoff in 1958.

Finally, in 1949, when a win would have put them into the All-America Football Conference Championship Game, the Browns defeated the Buffalo Bills in the semifinals.

Counting the Cavs’ 0-2 record, the Indians’ 1-1 mark and the Browns’ 2-6 record (they are 0-6 since 1958), Cleveland teams are a combined 3-9 in games when they needed to win to force a league championship-deciding contest.

So the Cavs will be trying to buck history. It won’t be easy.

But it wouldn’t be fun if it were easy now, would it?