Cavaliers 96, Warriors 91 (Or There’s Always This Year)

2015-06-10 Off By Cory Hughey

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The first Finals game at The Q in eight years was a star studded affair. Rascal Flatts sang the national anthem, and Ohio sports legends Urban Meyer, Jim Brown, Mark Price, Jim Thome, and Larry Nance were in attendance. The boys in wine and gold didn’t disappoint as they led from the opening tip until the final buzzer sounded.

https://twitter.com/KJ_NBA/status/608448120993787906

Pace in the NBA, in its simplest term, is how a team wishes to determine the flow of the game. During the regular season, the Warriors posted a league leading pace of 100.7, and the Cavs finished 25th at 94.8. The pace thus far in the Finals has been 93.7.* Last night, the Cavs dictated their terms of the Finals to the Warriors and took a 2-1 lead in the series, with two of the next three games in Cleveland. The Warriors were held to a season low 55 points through three quarters. The Cavs methodical iso-heavy basketball gobbled up clock and limited Golden State’s transition game holding them to a season low 4 fast break points. The Warriors came alive in the fourth to the tune of 36 points, but it was too little too late.

J.R. Smith held back on his bad J.R. Smith moments in game 3, and provided 10 essential points off the bench on 2-5 shooting from downtown along with a pair of blocks. We are an inferno Earl game or two away from having a parade through the streets of Cleveland. This guy was the tax to acquiring Iman Shumpert. He was considered nearly untradeable six months ago and now he’s a top three scorer on a Finals team. Reputations are easy to earn, and he probably had a blast that us commoners can only dream about earning his, but he can rewrite every bad thing that’s ever been said about him in the next week.

I wanted to do an article on Shirley Gilbert’s (aka Nick Gilbert’s bubbe) keys to victory for the Finals and it just never happened, so I’ll sneak one in here. Shirley, you got your wish on this one. Tristan has been a Rob Ford level glutton on the boards during the Finals. Last night he gobbled up 13 rebounds total, including four on the offensive end. I doubt that he’s worth a max contract, and I’d probably still see what the market decides his value is, but he is invaluable to this team.

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David Blatt has received more criticism than any other coach in the league this season. During the playoffs he’s out coached golden boy Brad Stevens, defensive guru Tom Thibodeau, reigning coach of the year Mike Budenholzer, and the guy who was nearly his boss, Steve Kerr. David Blatt is two wins away from winning a title without his second and third leading scorers. Gregg Popovich, Phil Jackson and Rick Carlisle don’t have that on their resumes. Win or lose this series, Blatt will be considered an elite coach from here on out. His ability to adapt, and get his opponent out of their happy place is top shelf. Every player on this roster has bought in to playing their role, and that is an absolute reflection of good coaching.

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Yes Virginia, that’s THAT Mohamed Massaquoi and he’s on the money. Delly is the little Aussie who could. His fire, fight and determination is the absolute embodiment of Cleveland. If it weren’t for a visit to the Cleveland Clinic to treat his cramps, he would have had a podium game tonight. He smothered league MVP Steph Curry for three quarters and put up 20 points, five boards, four assists and a Cavaliers game high +/- of +13. Beyond his box score were his fulcrum plays that held the lead.

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You can quibble over shooting percentage and efficiency if you want, but this is the best series LeBron has ever played. Through the first three games of the Finals LeBron is averaging 41 points, 12 rebounds and 8.3 assists. For all of you Jordan finger waggers, that’s something his airiness never achieved. Today, LeBron is the leader we always wanted him to be during his first seven years with the Cavs. He’s mastered when to pull back and when to attack. His timing is impeccable. On the final play of the half he casually walked the ball up the court and kicked the ball to a wide open James Jones for a flair three from the corner. His athletic ability and experience are ships in the night that have joined for a jubilation rather than passing one another by.

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BOO: There’s not a lot to be upset about in this one. They did give up a 20 point lead that dwindled down to a single point, but they had the resolve to fight for the win when it got close late in the fourth…The Shumpert shoulder injury absolutely terrified me, but he fought through the pain and nailed a needed three.

YAY: On paper, this beaten down team has no business being in this series. They are because they have more heart. Players like Delly and Tristan simply have more fight in them than any player on the Warriors. They refuse to give up and they are an inch away on that Shump prayer shot from game 1, from being up 3-0 on the best team in the league…Mozgov has kicked the #*@& out of Bogut all series long…The Cavs need two more wins to hit the magic number of sweet sixteen, and two of the next three games are at The Q…If the Cavs are up 3-2 heading into game 6, I want the entire Gilbert clan wearing bow ties. It’s a silly wish, but I’m a weirdo and that’s what I want…The internet has given us so many great memes from this series, but this nugget might be the most entertaining sports related video I’ve ever seen. If you’ve already seen it, watch again. If you don’t watch Game of Thrones, that’s on you.

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*Courtesy of https://twitter.com/tomhaberstroh

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