The 2017 NBA Finals continue on Wednesday, June 7, as the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the best-of-7 championship series at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
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The dynamic duo of Kyrie Irving and LeBron James were outstanding in defeat – combining for 77 points and almost willing the Wine and Gold to the victory. Or, in many cases, give them just the jolt they need to put a game out of reach for good.
Kerr returned to the bench to a rousing ovation, waving to the fans while back on the sideline for the first time since Game 2 of the first round against Portland on April 19 because of pain issues stemming from complications after 2015 back surgery.
While the contract has been a steal for the Warriors, it was considered risky for Golden State at the time.
Irving shot 16-of-29, but missed his final three shots, all in the final 1:52. It didn’t matter. Kevin Love occasionally found his range while scoring 27 points.
Curry made all 14 of his free throws.
It’s not going to be the same in Game 3 of the National Basketball Association final Wednesday – the Quicken Loans Arena can sound like standing next to a roaring jet engine – but it’s going to be a somewhat intimidating place.
So maybe, just maybe, the Golden State Warriors are that good-and that special. He’s just 1 of 6 from the field, and for some unusual reason, one of the game’s most confident shooters has been hesitant to let his jumper fly. Should the Warriors stay healthy and together – and it would cost them enormously in salaries and taxes – they should be a title threat every year.
The Warriors went 36-5 at home in the regular season, and they haven’t lost at home or on the road in the playoffs.
I’m not 100% sure how to react to what’s now the most glaring image of game 2 of the National Basketball Association finals.
Last week, Cavs All-Star guard Kyrie Irving said he wished his time with Brown had gone better. And it’s pretty much James’ deck. Golden State is also one of the best defensive teams in the league making things very hard for their opponent. It gets your team fired up and it locks you back in to be competitive and not give your opponent an inch.
Game 3 was everything we hoped for – an amalgam of energy, competitiveness, all-world talent and hustle. But Cavs guard J.R. Smith doesn’t think it’s a foregone conclusion.
In addition to Durant, Klay Thompson scored 30 points and Stephen Curry had 26.
2-for-6 behind the arc to finish with eight points.
The Warriors grabbed more rebounds, 53-41, and with 34 assists, Golden State’s high-octane offense was more giving than the Little Sisters of the Poor.
He’s just going up against a better team. They’re beating their playoff opponents by an average of 16.9 points a game.
Dominating like no team ever has in the postseason, the Warriors look capable of anything – except another NBA Finals collapse. But behind Kyrie’s outburst, the Cavs reversed that trend on Wednesday – opening the second half on a 10-2 run and outscoring the Warriors by 11 in the period. His manipulation of the tempo, the way he attacked the Cavaliers defense, the highlights he produced – they did something for the Warriors and to the Cavaliers.
Then the Warriors nullified it all in a span of three minutes and nine seconds. Nothing encapsulated that better than one of the three moments that – besides James’s incredible block on Andre Iguodala and Kyrie Irving’s go-ahead 3-pointer – came to define Game 7 of the NBA Finals: Curry’s inability to get past Kevin Love when matched up one-on-one with him on the perimeter.
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“I’m not looking at this as Cleveland fired me twice, this is the time to get back at them or is there any extra incentive?” he said. I thought for the most part with the game plan that we had we tried to execute it as close as possible. “He’s been an awesome player in this league for a long time, and he senses this is his time, his moment, his team”.
