Moments later, they got involved chasing a rebound, and each was called for a foul.
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After being handed their worst loss in more than two years, the Golden State Warriors bounced back to down the Cleveland Cavaliers and move one win shy of completing a dream title run.
The Warriors took a 29-28 lead into the first break, with Curry and Harrison Barnes scoring eight points each, but Cleveland wrestled their way back into the game with a strong second half, taking a five-point lead into half-time. Two minutes later, Steph Curry would convert a crafty layup off a backdoor cut to help the Warriors finish the third with a two-point lead, 79-77. “He struggled the first three, but tonight he was our guy”.
But for the second straight year, the Cavs, who trail 3-1 in the series, are on the brink of falling short against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. “We answered the bell”.
“My mindset is let’s get one”, James said, hoping to force a sixth game in Cleveland on Thursday.
And Curry got back to being Curry.
“He doesn’t have the size and the strength to dominate a game physically, so he has to dominate with his skill”, Kerr said. Great stories. And no one cares to go there because this country relishes, as everyone does, they relish winners.
The Pistons would drop the series in seven games, losing on the Spurs’ home floor when the National Basketball Association used a 2-3-2 format.
As for the Cavaliers, their failing to show up in the fourth quarter is the same movie Cleveland fans have been viewing for more than a half-century.
“He’s a freight train out there”, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of James. “Sooner or later it’s going to happen”.
But a source told McMenamin that Love’s chances of re-entering the starting lineup for Monday night’s Game 5 could hinge on whether Warriors forward Draymond Green is suspended for his altercation with James during Game 4.
“Our offense did stall a little bit in the fourth quarter… we started settling a little bit for the three-point shot when we kind of got down, which obviously we’ve got to do a better job of that”, James said. He’ll likely be blamed for yet another setback, even though he’s averaging 24.7 points, 11 rebounds and 9.3 assists in this series. He averaged 6.5 free throws per game in the regular season, his lowest since he averaged 5.8 in 2003-04, his rookie year. “And you can nearly touch it but you can’t get there”. “We got tangled up”. Their arrival was a welcomed relief for the Warriors, who had managed to bury the Cavs in the first two games despite minimal production from their two stars. Golden State’s number was padded by intentional fouling in the final minutes. After Irving’s third game eruption and Cleveland’s thirty point victory, it was clear that the Eastern Conference Champions would not go down without a fight. In Oklahoma City, Klay Thompson hit a postseason record 11 three-pointers.
“You know, like I said, as a competitor, I love going against Draymond, and I’m all about going out there and leaving it out on the floor”, James said.
James said he and his teammates reviewed video of a sequence where it appeared that Green hit the four-time NBA MVP in the groin area. In the second half, Irving and James totaled 33 of the Cavaliers’ 38 shots. The Warriors now lead 3-1 and head home. I still say those Larry Bird-led Celtics are the greatest team ever, while the Bulls had the best player to ever play the game, but Golden State deserves to be mentioned with those great teams.
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Cavaliers: Love came off the bench for the first time since 2010 with Minnesota.
