And the Cavaliers are probably celebrating that. Teams in the National Basketball Association are strictly covered by the salary cap and endorsements rake in most of the greenbacks for the players.
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With the Cavaliers’ season two games away from another disappointing finish, the expectation entering Game 3 will be for James to come out aggressively in an attempt to take over the series, similar to the way he did in last year’s Finals. “I hate to be the one to say it, but he has to step up”.
When my good friend and fellow colleague, Joel Norman, pitched this story idea I was all for it. Love is yet to find his rhythm in the series and now he is already dealt with another problem.
The Cavaliers have their work cut out for them after losing the first two games of the series by a combined 48 points, which is the largest point-differential through the first two games in NBA Finals history. Didn’t that go out the window 20 years ago when the Jordan Bulls won 72 games and won the first of three consecutive championships?
CLEVELAND (AP) – Kevin Love remains in concussion protocol and uncertain for Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
A Cavs spokesman said in an e-mail that Love was on the team’s flight from San Francisco to Cleveland.
Love immediately fell to the floor and grabbed his head as play continued.
“We have guys who are capable of getting really hot quickly”, Thompson said. I’m not going to tell you today. Probably with a sense of desperation. Sometimes shots go in, sometimes they don’t. We know we’re playing against a great team.
The loss of Love is another blow to the Cavs, who have been outclassed by the defending champion Warriors as Golden State appears in complete control of the series. The 1969 Boston Celtics, 1977 Portland Trail Blazers and 2006 Miami Heat all lost the first two games of the finals on the road before winning the title – the Celtics doing so in seven games, the Blazers and Heat getting it done in six. Of the previous 31 teams to lose the first two games in the NBA Finals, 28 have lost the series. We’re down 0-2. But, are we down 0-2, or did they protect home court and now we have to protect home court? “We know we’ve got to play a lot better in order to get this series turned around”, Cavaliers star LeBron James said. Draymond Green asked. “We never played them”. He was healthy for all of the Cavs’ Game 1 loss, and the Warriors were up when Love was hurt in Game 2.
Love might be gone again.
Andrew Bogut had four of his five blocks – Golden State had nine overall – in the first 7:15 and received a standing ovation when he came out with 3:50 left in the first. The same can be said for Irving who’s a much better shooter at home. “We have to take care of the basketball a little better”.
That’s nearly an obligatory sentiment, though. Knowing that Love is progressing and maybe even playing goes a long way in removing that cloud.
Fact is, they’ve won seven straight over the Cavaliers now, often in dominant fashion.
“I’ve talked to older players that played in his era who said, ‘M.J. wasn’t that good, ‘ ” Iguodala said Thursday. So it’s a do-or-die game for us, and we understand that. We’re going to come in and give everything we’ve got and leave it on the floor.
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“It’s a trap to think that we’ve figured things out and that we have the flawless formula to beat Cleveland and they have no chance in the series”, Curry said.
