Golden State trailed by only 51-43 at halftime, but Cleveland went on a 19-5 run to start the second half and James’ 3-pointer put the Cavaliers ahead, 70-48. With all of that now in play in the NBA Finals, fans have to be waiting for Game 4, but the real question is when Warriors vs. Cavaliers Game 4 will be played.
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He stood tall, and so did the Cavaliers.
James all but guaranteed a victory after calling Wednesday a “must-win” game and a “do-or-die” situation as no National Basketball Association team has ever rallied from a 3-0 deficit.
On their home floor, where they have been dominant all postseason, the Cavs recovered from a 33-point loss in Game 2 and yanked their season from the brink of disaster following back-to-back blowouts in the Bay Area. Now they just need to figure out Love’s status, and, if he’s ready to play, how much he’ll impact the team’s plans going forward. “It was a good flow, a collective team win”.
Are Love-less Cavs better without their big man? Harrison Barnes scored 18 and Klay Thompson 10 for the Warriors, who had won seven straight over Cleveland – the first two finals games by a combined 48 points – and came back to the birthplace of rock and roll looking to party like they did after winning the title in Quicken Loans Arena previous year.
Down two games to none to the mighty Golden State Warriors, the inspired Cavs came out looking a lot like the group that had gone 7-0 at home in these playoffs. James and Kyrie Irving must score early and often in order for Cleveland to persevere. “We got the ball up the floor with great pace”.
Curry didn’t offer any excuses, but the two-time MVP hasn’t been himself so far in this series. He had a couple of tough games and I thought his play kind of mirrored their team’s play. So I don’t think that had anything to do with it.
J.R. Smith (20 points, 5/10 three-pointers) and Tristan Thompson (14 points, 13 rebounds) also played their best games of the series, while Jefferson took advantage of his increased minutes to add nine points and eight rebounds.
Prominent US media identities Bill Simmons and Skip Bayless were among those calling on the Cavs to move away from Love.
If Love is cleared to play in Game 4, what role will he have? Kyrie Irving chipped in 30 points and game-high eight assists.
It only takes one game to completely change everything, though.
And if you saw his eyes when he got to the podium afterward, you would presume Curry is more than braced for this.
The win for the Cavaliers sees them edge closer in the series after being simply blown off the court during the first game, now trailing two games to one.
“He did not start the game well – turned it over, got beat back door, and he was not his usual self”, Kerr said Curry’s game Wednesday. “Chances are pretty good he’s going to have a good game”.
“Follow my lead from the beginning!” he screamed.
He’s been no match for Green, who scored 28 points in the Warriors’ 110-77 Game 2 stomping. Portland fell behind 2-0 and won the next four like the Heat; Boston needed seven to finish the job after starting out down 2-0 against the Lakers. “He was a gentle giant”, Kerr said. “This is how it is. But it didn’t make sense to me”. “I know my teammates consistently want me to do that, possession by possession, whether it’s getting downhill or shooting jump shots or whatever it is”. He stuck his knee out, too.
Curry was beaten on two back cuts early in the game and was benched by Kerr.
“I’m disappointed that I didn’t do anything to help my team win tonight”, Curry said.
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This team isn’t all about the MVP and proved it in Games 1 and 2, but Curry is the leading edge, and he was boring and ineffective on Wednesday, probably Curry’s worst playoff performance since Games 2 and 3 against Memphis last season. The other was in 2005 between the Spurs (who won the first two) and the Pistons (who won Game 3). He is averaging 13 points per game and shooting 40 percent from the field this series. James finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Only Michael Jordan (109) and Kobe Bryant (88) have more.
