Kyrie Irving’s special 41-point display kept the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals vs. the Warriors, said LeBron James, who scored 41 himself.
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Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson, left, and Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston jump for a rebound during the second half of Game 5 of basketball’s NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif., Monday, June 13, 2016.
After the sting of failing to eliminate the Cleveland Cavaliers wore off, the Warriors could reflect and see they still are in good position in the NBA Finals.
I love all the hullabaloo over the Draymond Green suspension and how so many people seemed to get upset by the retroactive nature of it. “How hard you play, how locked in you are on the keys to get a victory, what the coaching staff put out for us”. “You don’t want to force up bad shots and there’s three or four shots now that I wish I could get back”.
Green was suspended by the National Basketball Association on Sunday for a fourth-quarter scuffle with James in Game 4, during which the league said Green “made unnecessary contact with a retaliatory swipe of his hand to the groin” of James. Thompson said James “got his feelings hurt”, Marreese Speights tweeted a baby bottle emoji and even Curry’s wife, Ayesha, got in on the act. Cleveland’s defense had something to do with the misses, but the bottom line is two more shaky shooting nights and Golden State is in trouble. One guy is not just going to make up what Draymond brings to the table. Ah, the beauty of debate: How much of 41-16-7 was Green’s absence?
Forty-one for James. Forty-one for Irving, making shots from everywhere like he was one of the Splash Brothers. The symmetry in score between the first and second quarters bore out in a similar flip of box score stats.
James and Irving combined to shoot 33 for 54, while the Warriors went cold and finished 36.4 percent from the field. Green often would lead those fast breaks, playing a point forward while Curry and Thompson spread out on the wings for 3s. But it’s been an up-and-down playoffs for Curry with injuries and inconsistent play.
Cleveland has stolen the momentum at this NBA Finals, Andrew Bogut might not be coming back, Draymond Green could be rusty and walking on eggshells trying to avoid more punishment and the Warriors only need to think back a few weeks to know a rally from 3-1 down is possible.
Alas, it would not last. He looked like he was going to lead his team to the title the way he carried them to these Finals, when he scored 41 points in a crucial Game 6 win at Oklahoma City.
On a chilly Monday night in the Bay Area, James got hot as a firecracker, as did teammate Kyrie Irving.
“‘Let’s go, ‘ Green yelled, according to a source”.
Team officials made the announcement shortly after Golden State lost Monday night Monday night 97-112.
“My only motivation is how can I be there for my teammates and my coaching staff”, James said. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving went off in spectacular fashion.
Although they are not the highest-scorers in this sample, efficiency and the other assorted contributions are what push LeBron and Kyrie into historic territory.
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The Warriors may have faith that with their full lineup they can beat the Cavs in Cleveland, particularly if Cleveland continues to rely exclusively on the talent of Irving and James.
