We have a series on our hands. The LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers took an early lead in the first quarter that they weren’t about to let slip away. Unfortunately for residents of the Bay Area, it was a tale of two halves that led to Golden State’s demise. Although The Warriors looked promising and poised for a comeback at the end of the first half despite being down big almost immediately, all hope quickly faded as the third quarter began.
With Steve Kerr opting out of his patented “Small Ball” lineup to begin the second half, the Cavaliers quickly took notice and capitalized. Out-rebounding The Warriors 52-32, The Cavs finally meshed for the first time in this series on both sides of the ball. With Cleveland coming together and Golden State simultaneously falling apart, the combination meant an impending loss for The Dubs from tipoff. No rim protection, lazy on-ball defense, and miscommunications coupled with sloppy passes and unorganized offensive sets was the thesis in Game 3 for the reigning MVP’s squad. After an embarrassing 30 point blowout in Game 3, Steve Kerr will look to reverse tide this Friday night.
What couldn’t the Cavaliers do tonight? With the entirety of the starting lineup finishing the evening in double digits (disregarding Richard Jefferson’s 9), a spark of hope appeared for the first time in this year’s NBA Finals in Cleveland. LeBron James went off with a performance reminiscent of his 2015 Finals with a dominant 32/11/6 stat line, adding a slew of highlights in the meantime. Kyrie Irving snapped out of his slump as he was good for 30 scores, an abnormally high 8 assists, and a few ankle breakers to group into his notable day. While the bench didn’t show up until garbage time, headline-maker J.R. Smith handed 5 three’s to that total on his route to a clutch 20 point game. 82 million dollar asset Tristan Thompson gave us a preview as to what The Cav’s front office saw when agreeing to that egregious contract with his 14 point/13 board outing.
Things weren’t so uplifting on Golden State’s side. The seemingly sole bright spot was Harrison Barnes who went 7-11 for 18 and secured 8 off the glass. All-Star backcourt Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson continued their ever-present struggles while linking up for just 29, a tally shy of Curry’s regular season scoring average. Even after returning to the competition from a leg injury early on, Thompson failed to contribute. Curry turned the ball over a total of six times to stack on misfortune to their poor shooting night. Draymond Green posted a modest 6/7/7 line but encountered problems down low on D. With little bench production, it’s easy to see why this one wasn’t close.
With the series fighting back 2-1 as it stays in Cleveland for Game 4, can The Cavaliers turn things around? Or will the Splash Brothers counter with a shooting clinic for the ages as they so commonly have? Catch the next installment of The NBA Finals this Friday Night at 9 p.m. EST.
Check out LeBron James having no regard for the poor rim’s family below:
LEBRON JAMES PUTS DOWN THE BIG ALLEY-OOP SLAM! #Cavs #ALLin216
(via @clippittv)pic.twitter.com/HcyoDnDErS— NBA On Def Pen (@NBAOnDefPen) June 9, 2016
