The Warriors and Cavaliers meet with the media in Cleveland a day before Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
- As tremendous as the Warriors have been over the last two seasons under Steve Kerr, Game 3’s have been their kryptonite. The Dubs have lost Game 3 in each of the series they’ve played in this postseason, and were defeated in two of four Game 3’s on their way to the championship a year ago. The Warriors have lost those five Game 3’s by an average of 11.2 points, and that includes Golden State’s defeat at the hands of the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the 2015 NBA Finals. Obviously, those numbers are thrown a little out of whack due to injuries and a blowout or two, but there’s no denying that the Warriors, for whatever reason, have struggled in Game 3 relative to their performance in the rest of the series’. The Warriors have been on the road in each of those five losses, so home court advantage could certainly be playing a part, but if you ask Steve Kerr, that’s all irrelevant: “I don’t think there is a common denominator. We’ve just got to come out and play better.”
- While the Warriors’ Game 3 struggles may give pause for concern, it pales it comparison to the current plight of the Cavaliers, who find themselves down two games to none and in danger of finishing runner-up to the Warriors for the second consecutive year. Historically, the odds are not in Cleveland’s favor, but both teams have some experience to draw upon that could increase or decrease the angst with which they approach Game 3, depending on who you’re talking about. It’s been less than two weeks since the Warriors found themselves trailing 3-1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Golden State’s memory of their valiant comeback is still fresh in their minds. “We’ve been on the other side of a big comeback, and obviously have seen other teams do it as well,” said Stephen Curry. “So if there’s anything we know, it’s that it’s possible.” The Cavs, on the other side of the coin, can draw upon their own experience, both as a team and individually, to know that this series is far from over. Cleveland had Toronto in a 2-0 hole in the Eastern Conference Finals, before seeing the Raptors win Games 3 and 4 on their home floor to even the series. For LeBron James, it’s been awhile since he was on a team trailing 2-0 in a playoff series, but the last two times, they certainly weren’t an easy out. In 2007, the LeBron-led Cavaliers lost the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Detroit Pistons, before storming back to win the next four games of the series and advance to the NBA Finals. The next year, those same Cavs lost the first two games of a second round series to the Celtics before ultimately falling in seven games. Cleveland is in a deep hole and in dire need of a win to regain some traction in the series, and both teams involved know just how quickly the tenor of a series can change with a single game.
- Given the margin of victory for the Warriors in the first two games of this series, without looking at the box scores, you’d naturally expect that both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson had great games. However, that’s not been the case. It’s not that the Splash Brothers tandem has played poorly, but the Cavaliers have done a good job limiting their offensive influence. Unfortunately for Cleveland, they haven’t carried that defense over to the Warriors’ reserves, who have arguably been the difference in the series thus far. That’s fine with Steve Kerr, who is pleased with the play of his bench and could care less about who gets the credit: “We do feel like we’re not overly reliant on one player, even the MVP. So our depth has shown so far, and I’m sure we’ll have different players to continue to step up as the series goes on.”
- Speaking of the impact of the bench, the Cavs are banking on their own reserves playing much better at home than they did on the road. For whatever reason, historically, teams perform significantly better at home in the playoffs, particularly the players that come off the bench. Should that trend continue in Games 3 and 4, that would be a big boon to Cleveland’s chances, as their bench has been outscored by that of the Warriors’ 85-40 through the first two games of the series. For the Warriors, they’re aware of the challenge ahead of them, but there’s reason to believe their reserves might not be as hindered by the road as most other teams, mainly due to their collective experience. Andre Iguodala played tremendously in the 2015 Finals - regardless of where the games were being played - on his way to being named Finals MVP, and Shaun Livingston trailed only Curry and Iguodala for the team-lead in plus-minus in the Warriors’ final two road victories in that series. Iguodala and Livingston, in particular, aren’t your average bench players, a sentiment shared by Kerr: “I kind of look at those guys as starters anyway, really. Andre is playing 35 minutes and Shaun has been through everything in his life and his career. So I don’t think the road bothers him much.”
- With the vast array of stars involved in this series, it came as no surprise when the subject of Olympic participation came up at today’s media availability. Stephen Curry, who announced yesterday that he will not be heading to Rio this summer, insisted that his main reasons for sitting out are due to the wear-and-tear of back-to-back Finals runs, and his desire to be fully healthy and ready for the start of the next NBA season. Klay Thompson, on the other hand, fully intends on going for gold if selected to the national squad, which you’d have to assume is far more likely than not. “I hope to play for Team USA. I mean, it would be a great honor. Just thinking about the Olympics gives me butterflies just because that’s a dream I’ve always had as a kid,” said Thompson. When asked if he has any concerns about the Zika virus, Thompson didn’t sound overly worried, but, in a brief moment of humor, did add, “Mosquitos love me. I grew up in Oregon.” Olympic discussion aside, however, Curry, Thompson and the rest of the Warriors remain fully focused on the pursuit of their second consecutive Championship.
- That doesn’t mean the Warriors aren’t soaking in the experience, however. Virtual reality is a blossoming medium to give people experiences and perspectives previously unavailable, and sure enough, there was a VR headset on hand for the players to try out.
With media availability concluded, the Warriors now set out to make a 3-0 series lead a reality, indeed.
