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Key: Backs Against the Wall
If ever the cliché of taking one game at a time made sense, it’s tonight for the Cavaliers – who are faced with an 0-3 hole in the 2017 Finals after dropping a heartbreaker in Game 3 at The Q.
The Wine and Gold made NBA history last June, becoming the first team to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win the Championship. They face an even taller order now, as no team has ever won a Playoff series (0-126) after being down, 3-0.
The Warriors are also trying to make some history on Friday night – attempting to become the first NBA team to go undefeated through an entire postseason run – winning all 15 Playoff games, 30 of their last 31 outings overall.
On Wednesday night, the Cavaliers finally reversed their third-quarter curse, outscoring Golden State by 11 points in the period and taking a seven-point edge early in the fourth. They led by six when J.R. Smith splashed home a three-pointer with 3:09 to play, but the Warriors outscored Cleveland, 11-0, over the final stretch to take the 118-113 win at The Q.
After cruising through the Eastern Conference bracket in 13 games, the Wine and Gold have to win one game to stay alive. If they can do that, they’ll head back to Oakland in the same situation as last June.
Key: Star-Struck
In the short time since Game 3 wrapped up, as much has been made about the time LeBron James spent on the court as he did in the two minutes when he took a break.
The four-time MVP logged nearly 46 minutes of work on Wednesday night, leading both teams with 39 points – his 12th 30-point night of the postseason – going 15-for-27 from the floor, including 4-of-9 from long-range, adding 11 boards, a game-high nine assists, a steal and a blocked shot.
By now, most readers know that the Cavaliers were +7 with LeBron on the floor and -12 with him off it. The Cavaliers need James in the game against the Warriors’ relentless attack, but there’s also a concern that the 12-time All-Star will be gassed down the stretch. Coach Lue will have to work that delicate balance again on Friday night.
Put simply, Kevin Durant has been the best player in the series so far – punctuating that point with the clutch three-pointer that he drilled with 45 seconds to play in Game 3.
Durant has topped the 30-point mark in all three games so far – averaging 34.0 points on 56 percent shooting in the Finals.
Key: Changing of the Guard
The Cavaliers aren’t out of time in these Finals, but the clock is definitely ticking.
That being said, it was a welcome sign to see J.R. Smith shake out of his funk on Wednesday night – posting his best scoring night of the 2017 Playoffs. In Game 3, Swish finished with 16 points, going 5-of-10 from beyond the arc in the loss.
Unfortunately for the Wine and Gold, that’s been the biggest contribution by anyone outside the Big Three through the first three games of the series. Tyronn Lue maintained before the contest that he wasn’t going to make a change in his starting lineup and Smith made the move pay off.
But as good as Smith was on Wednesday night, his opposite number has taken huge leaps since struggling in the series opener.
Klay Thompson struggled mightily in Game 1 – going 3-for-16 from the floor, finishing with six points. But he’s been excellent since then – going a combined 19-for-30 from the floor – including 10-of-18 from long-range – over the past two contests.
Key: Like He Drew it Up
Although he was very good in Game 1 and warmed up in the second half of Game 2, the Cavaliers were waiting for Kyrie Irving to have a breakout performance in the 2017 Finals.
They got that and more on Wednesday night – with Irving going off for 38 points, notching 16 of those in the third quarter, finishing 16-for-29 from the floor overall, adding six boards and three assists in the loss. Irving was 6-of-6 from the stripe in Game 3, but 0-of-7 from beyond the arc – including his three-point attempt with 25 seconds remaining that would’ve given Cleveland back the lead after Durant’s dagger.
On the other side of the matchup, Steph Curry has been his deadly self from the perimeter – averaging 28.7 points per, shooting 48 percent from long-range and going a perfect 19-of-19 from the stripe.
But where Curry has been surprisingly effective through the first three games is on the boards – where he’s snagged 29 boards, including 23 over his last two outings. The two-time MVP is enough of a headache on the perimeter; having to mind him in the paint has been an order the Cavaliers haven’t been up to so far.
Key: Bench Trial
If the Cavaliers are going to have any chance to extend the series, they’re going to need better production from their bench.
Through the first three games, Richard Jefferson has been the most consistent contributor – combining for 16 points through the first two before struggling in 15 minutes of work on Wednesday.
Kyle Korver has tallied eight points in each of the last two games of the series, but he hasn’t found his stroke from deep yet in the series – going 3-of-12 from long-range in his first Finals appearance. His fellow Finals neophyte – Deron Williams – has had an even more difficult time, going scoreless on 0-11 shooting through the first three games.
Iman Shumpert has been solid on the defensive end but hasn’t contributed much in the way of scoring and Channing Frye has seen just 11 minutes in the series so far.
For Golden State, it’s been the usual suspects – Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston – doing the majority of the damage without having to put up monster numbers. JeVale McGee has been solid in spurts and David West is still a physical presence in the low-block.