Cavs crush Warriors to cut Finals deficit to 2-1

A loss would’ve meant nearly insurmountable odds; a victory makes it a series.

There’s also merit to the notion that Curry’s very bad play in Game 3 of the Finals overshadows any and all lineup issues. The narrative has gone from suggesting there’s nothing James and the Cavaliers can do against one of the best teams of all time to stressing the importance of home-court advantage. The ball movement stopped and although the Warriors could never erase the gap, they did win the quarter 27-18, turning a 17-point lead at the end of the first into an 8-point lead at the half.

ESPN highlighted that Game 3 did not play out in favor of the Warriors with Warriors coach Steve Kerr recognizing that the team was really outplayed by the Cavaliers.

Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut had a awful ordeal with a concussion earlier this season and it left him with some strong opinions about the process Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love is now going through as he recovers from one.

When looking at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 120-90 dismantling of the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the National Basketball Association finals, one can not be blamed for immediately placing the responsibility for the victory on the key character who was absent.

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 past year. He scored 28 points in the Warriors’ 33-point victory at home in Game 2.

Opposite LeBron, the versatile and mercurial Draymond Green finally cooled down after killing Cleveland through the first two contests.

The NBA’s best team all season, who won the first two games of the best-of-seven series by a combined 48 points, suffered a humiliating 120-90 loss on Wednesday at the hands of a much more aggressive Cleveland Cavaliers team. “It’s our job to just hold on until he can get back”. They’re going to need him at some point in the next two games if they want to remain competitive.

Last season, in two regular season games during 2014-15, Love owned an Offensive Rating of 129 against the Warriors and a Defensive Rating of 109.

Either Steph or Klay or both are going to hit shots in game four.

The Warriors’ nightmare start included shooting 2-for-11 from the floor, missing their first seven 3-point tries, and four turnovers. I didn’t do anything about it or play my game.

I have a sneaky suspicion that Cleveland will win Game 4 on Friday night. Rather than standing around and letting James operate 1-on-1 – or 1-on-5 in most situations – the likes of J.R. Smith set screens on the ball to open up lanes to the basket. Other than Draymond, the Warriors’ most effective center in Game 3 was Harrison Barnes, who put in a solid effort in stretches as a super-small 5.

After their epic performances in the last series, the Splash Brothers have been noticeably cold in the NBA Finals.

The answer will unfold over the next few games – beginning with Friday night’s matchup at The Q. The bulk of the Warriors’ traditional big men were rendered ineffective in Game 3, so Kerr will have the the team going small more often.

The league’s MVP was mostly MIA, scoring 19 points – two in the first half – on 6-of-13 shooting. The unit played with a frantic (in a good way) pace that left the Warriors dizzied early on. Check out his ideas to get you through the finals while making your love last through the season.

Cleveland treated it like a Game 7. That’s when James and Irving rallied around the other member of Cleveland’s Big 3. Although that implies that they ever looked completely comfortable with Love playing against the Warriors.

In 25 minutes of play this series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State’s starters have been outscored by 22. The Cavs countered with Thompson, Frye and even an early run for Timofey Mozgov. After all, we learned one thing from LeBron James when he bolted the Cavaliers in 2010 to win NBA Championships with the Miami Heat: “If you can’t beat em, join em”.