Following two double digit loses in Oakland, Cleveland had some answering to do when they arrived back in Ohio. And they answered! LeBron James became “LeBron James” and took a more dominant approach to game three. With Kevin Love out of the lineup, the Cavaliers were without one of their key players. That didn’t stop Cleveland from jumping out to a commanding first quarter lead which they never let up from.
LeBron James shot the ball more than he did in game one or game two. Kyrie Irving played a key part in the win. He demanded the ball and made his shots count. J.R. Smith was back at it, hitting contested jumpers. Cleveland played like a team whose backs were against the walls. Game three for Cleveland was just as important as a game seven. It was a must win for them.
The Cavs were able to contain Stephen Curry. He ended the game with an un-Stephen like box score. Despite his 19 points, he had 6 turnovers, 3 assist and 1 rebound in 31 minutes. The glaring stat here…six turnovers!
At times it looked as if Curry had “checked out”. Most people who have played basketball can attest to times when they’ve “checked out”. For Curry, it’s the equivalent to having a bad day at work. You’ll have your days when you’re in the “zone” but there’s always the exact opposite to that.
We can lament on the fact that Curry had a bad game or praise the Cavs for their play in game three. They attacked on offense and their defense was the stingiest it has been in these three games. The Warriors couldn’t find the bucket early on while the Cavs were full on the home cooking. In this game the Cavs were just more prepared.
Draymond Green wasn’t the same person who went off for 28 in game two. He was unable to make the same moves, make the same passes and have the game tilted in his favor. For those who thought the series would be done in four games, you were very wrong.
It should be a rule: “If LeBron is healthy, you cannot write his team off.” Simple as that! Everyone saw what LeBron and his minions did last year in the finals without Irving or Love.
Cleveland essentially has been the black hole for sports. The Browns have struggled year after year. They are just getting from underneath the whole Johnny Manziel saga. The Indians have not been legitimate contenders for a while (correct me if I’m wrong). Cleveland’s last triumph in the sports world may have been when Shawn Porter beat Adrien Broner in an unanimous decision. With one game in the win column for the Cavs their fans have reason to be excited, but should not forget that it is a seven game series.
Expect to see Golden State come out much differently. Like I said previously, this series is about matchups. It seemed as if Richard Jefferson tapped into his New Jersey Nets days. He looked like the better fit in the starting lineup compared to Kevin Love. It would be interesting to see how head coach, Tyronn Lue, has his lineup for game four. Kevin Love will either be back or very close to returning. Do you stick him in the starting lineup or do you keep him out? That is the question.
Come, Friday June 10th at 9 pm each team will be faced with many questions which they’ll be responsible for answering to. The big questions being, Can Cleveland continue playing like they did in game three or will Golden State wake-up and shake off the jet lag?
Josh Blake Writes 