This series is a rubber match between the Cavs and Dubs as they have split the previous two Finals matchups. After the Warriors signed Durant on July 7, upstaging the Cavs’ championship, James told Sports Illustrated he set his alarm for 5 a.m. and started working out at a West Hollywood, Calif., gym at 6.
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Steve Kerr continues to deal with complications from a back surgery but hopes to be ready to coach in the NBA Finals. My teammates did a great job of keeping us in the game, building the lead.
After the game, James commented on his performance with, “I had a tough game, period”.
Kerr updated his own health status in an 11-minute interview with reporters, saying he’s still unsure whether he will coach Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Cavaliers on Thursday night, though it sounds unlikely. No active player is close to James and the guy is only 32 and still going strong. Adding to his great offensive ability, Durant has been averaging 7.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks.
Plus, LeBron has reached the point in his career where the hurdles he has left to climb are bigger-picture than just one series or one season. He was fighting a flu bug. In seven NBA Finals appearance, James only managed three successful finishes and it’s imperative to make four this Season 2016-17 if only to erase the bad memories embedded with the four frustrations.
In Game 3 against the Spurs, McGee scored a postseason-best 16 points, all in the first half to get Golden State going as Zaza Pachulia sat out with a bruised heel. Durant shifts the balance of power in favour of Golden State. While LeBron has been incredible, he has gotten plenty of help. Draymond Green and Kevin Love should present a fun defense-offense matchup while Klay Thompson will look to take on each one of Cleveland’s perimeter defenders. The 14-time All-Star and 2-time Olympic gold medalist is often heralded as the greatest basketball player of all time.
Despite making it to the top of the basketball world past year by virtue of overcoming a 3-1 deficit and toppling the Warriors, the Cavaliers are still viewed as the underdogs heading into the Finals. “We’re trying to take what they took from us past year”.
James elected not to talk about the Warriors following the game, choosing instead to celebrate a third straight conference title in Cleveland and his seventh consecutive Finals trip. They’re going to look to build on this sound foundation now and find themselves in a terrific position to improve, based upon their #1 pick in next month’s NBA Draft, cap space, good young assets and future picks. However, chasing that mark might have worn them down and contributed to some playoff struggles.
During Games 3 and 4, he traveled to San Antonio and remained around.
When Golden State added Kevin Durant to a team that won a league-record 73 games the previous season, they became more than just the odds-on favorite to win the 2017 championship. Alex Rodriguez, Grayson Allen, Colin Kaepernick – whether the reasons are justifiable or just silly – fans who dislike these players actually want them to go away. He has a huge wingspan. “It’s special to see when you take the path that they’ve taken to get to this moment”. When Curry is hitting on all cylinders, the Warriors are virtually impossible to beat and his scoring average of 28.6 outclasses Irving in the playoffs. Many considered his absence the turning point as the Warriors squandered a 3-1 series lead.
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According to NBA.com’s John Schuhmann, the Warriors have been the best first- and fourth-quarter team in these playoffs.
