6-12-17 at Warriors

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Wrap-Up -- The Cavaliers dashed the Warriors’ dream of an undefeated postseason last Friday night at The Q, but they couldn’t keep them from the ultimate goal, as Golden State held off a determined Cavaliers squad to take the 2017 NBA title for the second time in three season.

The Wine &amp; Gold didn’t relinquish their title easily – rallying from a steep first-half deficit and staying within striking distance of Golden State throughout the second stanza.

But in the end, it was a case of too much Kevin Durant – with the angular superstar earning unanimous MVP honors in his first season with the Warriors.

Durant and LeBron James – who easily could’ve been named series MVP – waged an epic individual battle in the five-game series.

Durant averaged 35.2 points on 56 percent shooting – topping the 30-point plateau in each contest. LeBron led the Cavaliers in all major categories once again – becoming the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double in the Finals.

On Monday night, James led all scorers with 41 points – going 19-for-30 from the floor, leading both teams with 13 boards to go with eight assists, a pair of steals and a block.

James left everything on the floor in the finale – notching 14 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter as Cleveland desperately attempted to rally past the high-octane Warriors, who led by as many as 17 points in the first half.

For the series, the four-time MVP averaged 33.6 points on 56 percent shooting to go with 12.0 boards and 10.0 assists.

Just to illustrate what the Wine and Gold were up against in this game and the series – the Cavaliers shot 53 percent from the field in Monday’s defeat, forcing Golden State into 13 turnovers that Cleveland converted into 25 points while piling up 62 points in the paint.

The Cavaliers led by four, 37-33, after an action-packed first quarter, but the Dubs hit the gas in the second – utilizing a 22-2 run to turn a four-point deficit into a six-point lead.  And 8-2 Cavaliers’ run to close the half kept Cleveland competitive heading into the second stanza.

The Warriors couldn’t shake the Cavaliers after intermission – threatening to pull away throughout the second half. But LeBron’s layup to start the fourth period got Cleveland to within three – 98-95 – and the Cavs kept coming from there.

But the Dubs kept the heat on as well, and used a 14-6 burst late in the fourth to give themselves enough cushion to spend the final moments of the game celebrating their title – and the fact that they didn’t allow the Cavaliers to steal another Game 5 and send the series back to Cleveland.

”I broke down so I couldn't really finish my speech,” admitted Coach Lue after the loss. “A lot of guys cried because they wanted it bad. And that's all you can ask. If you give all your effort and all the fight and all the heart you got, it doesn't necessarily mean you're going to win, and that's what's tough about sports. I credit our guys. I thought they gave everything they had, and we fought, we competed, and we never gave in, but they beat us.”

Kyrie Irving followed up his 40-point outburst on Friday night with a 26-point effort in Game 5 – going 9-for-22 from the field to go with six assists and a pair of steals.

LBJ and Kyrie lead the way and Swish adds a spark with 25 points.

”This has been probably the longest year-and-a-half of my life, hands-down,” said Irving. “So just a test of will, a lot of individual adversity as well as collective adversity that leads all up to this moment. You don't come out on the successful side, still it's no time to wallow in any sorrows or anything like that, just congratulate the other team like we did and then we move on.”

J.R. Smith got hotter as the series progressed and saved his best for last – finishing with 25 points, going 9-of-11 from the floor, including 7-of-8 from long-distance in the loss.

”(We have to) try to even it up again next year,” said Swish after the loss. “Getting here isn’t enough, especially once you’ve been here already multiple times.”

Tristan Thompson also had his best outing of the Finals in Game 5 – tallying 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting to go with eight boards, three assists and a steal.

Kevin Love grabbed double-digit boards for the third time in the Finals in Monday’s loss – snagging 10 boards but struggling from the floor, finishing with just six points on 2-of-8 shooting.

Once again, the Cavaliers didn’t get much from their bench outside of Richard Jefferson. Jefferson and Kyle Korver were the only two reserves to score on Monday night – and they combined for just seven points compared to 35 by Golden State’s second unit.

The Cavs held Klay Thompson in check for the second straight contest, but Steph Curry bounced back in a big way – tallying 34 points on 10-of-20 shooting, going 12-of-15 from the stripe and leading both squads with 10 assists.

Turning Point -- One of the many dangers that go with facing the Warriors is their ability to turn a tight game into a blowout in a very short time.

The Dubs didn’t blow the Cavaliers out on Monday night, but they did turn a nip-and-tuck contest after one quarter into a catch-up situation for Cleveland all night after a second-quarter outburst.

The Cavs were razor-sharp after one quarter and extended their lead to eight, 41-33, on LeBron’s dunk early in the second. But Cleveland would hit just two field goals over the next six minutes and change while the Warriors proceeded to heat up.

When the smoke cleared, the Cavaliers found themselves down by 17 – needing a late second-quarter rally just to stay attached for the second half.

By the Numbers – .630 … J.R. Smith’s three-point shooting percentage – (17-for-27) – over the last three games of the 2017 Finals after going 1-for-6 from the floor, including 1-of-4 from deep through the first two contests.

Quotable – LeBron James, when asked the difference between him in the Finals now vs. his first experience in 2007 …

”I put in the work individually, in the film room, in my mind, my body every single day to prepare myself for whatever obstacle that this ball club entails. Does it always result in us winning? No. This is my third year here, and we haven't won every game. We haven't won every Finals, obviously. We lost two of them. So but like I've always told myself, if you feel like you put in the work and you leave it out on the floor, then you can always push forward and not look backwards.”

Up Next -- An offseason trying to figure out a way to return to the NBA Finals for the fourth straight year – and beat the Warriors when they get there.

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Warriors Pull Past Cavaliers, Reclaim Crown

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#CavsWarriors Game 5 Photos - June 12, 2017

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#CavsWarriors Game 5 Road Game Watch Party

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With Big Mo on the Wine &amp; Gold's side, Cavs.com's Sunshine Analyst checks in from The Bay ...

I’m an Optimist. I’m back in California. Let’s get busy, yes?

No, not Big Mo, the long-time and current driver of the War Rig – (which, by the way, broke several land-speed records hauling arse across the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah on our return trip; simian man-child, Joe Vitanza, bouncing around with the gear and luggage down below, laughing: “Oh what a day! What a lovely day!!”)

No, I’m talking about big momentum – shifting back the Wine &amp; Gold’s way after thumping the Dubs on Friday night at The Q. It’s a well-established fact that TheBron is completely superhuman at this point of the postseason, but now Kyrie Irving has gone atomic, as well – and there’s no putting that genie back in the bottle.

Are the Cavaliers still down, 3-1, in the series?

But I can tell you that in just the short time that we’ve been back here that these folks in the Bay Area are shaking in they boots.

They’re trying to project confidence – and I get that. But they know that the King and Co. smell blood. And that the bear hath been poked.

The Cavaliers rolled through the Eastern Conference with a watered-down Swish, but J.R.’s starting to look like himself again – combining for 10 triples in back-to-back double-figure outings. Tristian Thompson grabbed 11 boards through the first three games and snagged 10 on Friday night. Richard Jefferson flummoxed K.D. Deron Williams got off the schneid.

At the same time, Draymond Green came within a hair’s breadth of taking das boot and Zaza Pachulia was flirting with disaster his own self, stooping to below-the-belt tactics against the Shump.

Combine this with the fact that Coach Tyronn Lue said during Sunday’s pre-practice media session that his squad was being “too nice” to the Warriors in Game 4 and methinks you’re going to see a group bent on great vengeance and furious anger when they roll into Oracle Arena on Monday night.

What do all these pics have in common? Y'uns just have to read to find out ...
Photo by The Optimist

At this same time last year, you readers and I huddled up in this very column and I told you that winning the World Championship would be even better after being down in a 3-1 hole because it’ll be like winning THREE CHAMPIONSHIPS!!

Well, this year’s taking of the Whole Enchilada will, by all mathematical logic, be even better – with the Wine &amp; Gold needing to win four straight title games to repeat as Champs.

That all starts with one game at a time – this evening’s matchup in Oakland.

Before we get there, I’m afraid we’ve got our usual educational housecleaning to take care of – [strict orders from the PR boy-wonder, Jeff Schaefer] – and a heart-wrenching exercise that will likely leave you Cavalier fans full of P&amp;V for Game 5.

I can tell y’uns that this was a bad, bad Day in History.

I need you guys pumped for the ballgame and trust me, I’ve combed June 12 with a fine-toothed comb. And the best thing that happened on this Date was the Battle of Ballynahinch during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. And that was no picnic.

Today’s Birthdays are nothing to write home about either, even considering that they include our nation’s 41st President, George H. W. Bush, as well as Anne Frank, Marv Albert, Chick Corea, Jim Nabors – who had a lovely singing voice – and former Cavalier and all-around nice guy, Antawn Jamison.

I checked and no celebrities died of a great white shark attack, so today’s guest on Dead on the This Day and (maybe) Still Dead is the one and only Henry Hill.

On this day in 2012 – one day after his 69th birthday – Henry Hill, the legendary New York mobster-turned-informant finally went and got that great shinebox in the sky.

Did someone from Paul Cicero’s or Billy Batts’ gang ice him? Did his wife shoot him in the face after a nap? Was he found riddled with bullets in a pink Cadillac like Johnny Roast Beef or hung in a freezer on a meat-hook like Frankie Carbone?

Henry Hill died of a heart attack in Los Angeles with his girlfriend by his side.

I’d love to move past the Grim Reaper – with tonight’s Game 5 just hours from tip-off. But I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t ask the group to pause and honor the passing of the baddest Batman that’s ever been, Adam West, who passed away (also) in Los Angeles earlier this weekend at the age of 88.

Adam West was a mint Batman. He didn’t spend hours brooding over his folks in the Bat-Cave or jet off to the Far East to practice martial arts and find his chi. Hell, he didn’t even work out!

No, Adam West’s Batman was too busy fighting Jokers and Riddlers and Eggheads – not to mention getting down with multiple Catwomen.

With all that sweet 60s action, who the cuss had time to fight Superman?!

So to cap this weekend of mourning, I’d like to ask you to closeth thy cakeholes and to removeth thy hats and/or hairpieces in order to pause for this well-earned Moment of Silence™ …

What the Caped Crusader ever did to Golden State to deserve this fate, I’m sure I don’t know. But somebody’s gotta pay for Batman’s untimely demise, old chums. And I’m gonna pin it on the Warriors, just like the Rogues did with Cyrus back at the New York Gang Summit in Van Cortland Park.

"We got a second lease on life when the Cavaliers crushed Golden State on Friday night. Now the real work begins. Are you ready to make history once again?"

Before I book outta here, I have two closing messages today.

One is for tonight’s opponent, the said Warriors and their fans. The other is for you guys back in Cleveland and Cavalier fans worldwide.

To the Warriors – I’m thinking you’d better knock the Wine &amp; Gold out tonight. If you do, I say mazel tov on a wonderful season and on your second title in three years.

But if you don’t, and you allow TheBron and Kyrie and K-Love and Tristian to fight another day – and this series comes back to Quicken Loans Arena for Game 6 – that means you got Trouble with a capital “T” which rhymes with “C “and that stands for Cavs.

And that brings me to you Cavalier fans out there.

We got a second lease on life when the Cavaliers crushed Golden State on Friday night. Now the real work begins. Are you ready to make history once again?

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The Optimist in the NBA Finals

The defending NBA champion Cavaliers travel to Oakland on Monday night for Game 5 against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. Tipoff is at 9:00 p.m. (ET).

The Wine &amp; Gold aim to build momentum following their thrilling, 137-116 victory in Game 4 on Friday night at The Q.

CAVS TO DON BLACK JERSEYS.
        From where to catch all the action to Monday's game notes, Cavs.com has you covered.

The Cavs’ 137 points in Game 4 set a franchise playoff record and was the highest single-game total in a Finals game since the L.A. Lakers beat Boston, 141-122, on June 4, 1987.

Cleveland got off to a fast start in Game 4, outscoring Golden State, 49-33 in the first quarter, which is the highest-scoring quarter by one team in NBA Finals history (prior was 47 by Lakers vs. Boston in the third quarter on June 3, 1984; Game Three at L.A.) and in Cavaliers history (regular and post). The Cavs’ 49 points marked the highest-scoring first quarter in NBA postseason play and were two shy of matching the largest overall quarter in NBA Playoff history (51 by the Lakers vs. Detroit in the fourth quarter on March 31, 1962; Game Five, West Finals).

Also in Game 4, the Cavs rang up the highest-scoring half in NBA Finals history and franchise history (regular and post) when they outscored Golden State 86-68 in the first half.

Much of the Wine &amp; Gold's high-scoring came via the long ball. The Cavs have now made at least 20 three-pointers twice in this year’s postseason after nailing an NBA Finals record 24 three-pointers (including Finals record 13 in the first half) in Game 4 against Golden State. The Cavs also connected on 21 three-pointers in Game 3 of the First Round against the Pacers on April 20. In NBA Playoff
history, there’s only been 11 times a team has made at least 20 threes, and the Cavs have done it five of those times.

As hot as the Cavaliers were on Friday night, they know the task gets tougher as the squad faces another elimination game, this time at Oracle Arena where the Warriors are a perfect 8-0 this postseason.

Of course, heading to Oakland with a 3-1 deficit is nothing new for the Wine &amp; Gold, having completed the greatest comeback in Finals history in the exact same hole to claim last season's title.

If the Cavaliers hope to repeat history, they will have to find a way to contain Kevin Durant. The Warriors All-Star forward has scored 30 or more points in five of the last six games - including his last four - compiling averages of 34.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in the Finals.

Radio: WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 La Mega

For live in-game updates, follow @cavs, @CavsJoeG, @CavsFredMcLeod, @MrCavalier34, @CavsJMike, @ElalcaldeRafa and @chones22 on Twitter.

Status Update: (Warriors) - None to Report

LeBron James registered his 19th playoff triple-double (3rd of 2017 postseason) with 31 points on 11-22 (.500) shooting, a team-high tying 10 rebounds, a game-high 11 assists and a steal in 41 minutes. In this series, he is averaging a triple-double with 31.8 points on .540 shooting, 11.8 rebounds and 10.8 assists in 41.5 minutes.

With his first basket of the night, James moved past Michael Jordan (1,176) for the 3rd most points in NBA Finals history. Only Jerry West (1,679) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,317) has more Finals points. James also passed Jordan (1,643) for the most free throws made in NBA postseason history with his third make of the game. He also moved past Magic Johnson (8) for the most triple-doubles in NBA Finals history with 9.

Kyrie Irving finished with 40 points on 15-27 (.556) shooting from the field and 7-12 (.583) from beyond the arc, a postseason career-high seven rebounds, four assists and a steal in 41 minutes. Irving now has three career 40-point games in his playoff career, including two in the NBA Finals. His 7 three-pointers are a new postseason career-high and are tie for the the 2nd most in a NBA Finals game (record is 8 by Ray Allen on 6/6/10 at LAL). In the 1st half, Irving poured in a postseason career-high and franchise record tying 28 points (LeBron James 28 in 2nd H at IND on 4/20/17; LeBron James 28 in 1st H at BOS on 5/7/10), going 11-14 (.786) from the field and 4-6 (.667) from deep.

Kevin Love finished with 23 points on 7-14 (.500) shooting and a 6-8 (.750) mark from deep, five rebounds, two steals and a block in 29 minutes. Love has now scored at least 20 points in six games this postseason.

J.R. Smith tallied 15 points, including a 5-9 (.556) mark from beyond the arc in 29 minutes. In his last two games, Smith is averaging 15.5 points on 10-20 (.500) shooting and 10-19 (.526) from beyond the arc in 31.5 minutes.

If the Cavaliers can stay alive, they return to what promises to be a berserk Quicken Loans Arena for Game 6 on Thursday night. If history repeats and the series goes the duration – Game 7 goes down on June 18, Father’s Day once again, at Oracle Arena.FIND SEATS | SCHEDULE

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#CavsWarriors Game 5 Preview - June 12, 2017

The Wine &amp; Gold's Wise Man Looks at Cleveland's Road to the Repeat

On a veteran-laden team filled with consummate professionals, the squad’s true sage remains James Jones – the man they call “Champ.”

Like teammates, LeBron James, Kyle Korver and Dahntay Jones, this is Jones’ 14th season in the league. In exactly half of them – consecutively – he and James have reached the NBA Finals, including the title defense Cleveland currently finds itself embroiled in.

So, as the Wine &amp; Gold travel back to Oakland in a familiar situation as one season ago, Cavs.com continues our annual tradition of tapping into the thoughts of the team’s intellectual leader in Champ’s 2017 Finals Blog …

In my first entry, I said that we have to put zero stock in what we’d done in the past and treat this year’s Finals completely separately. And we have to keep that mentality, even with the series mirroring last year’s right now.

Evidently, we’ve come back from this deficit before. But it’s still a totally different team were facing in Golden State.

We’re pretty much the same this year, but with different experience. We’ve had a year of continuity, so I think that’s another year of trusty, another year of familiarity.

That makes it easier to go into an adverse situation like this and be confident that your teammates will respond and have the capacity to respond.

But I still say that it’s totally different; it’s nothing like last year, just because it’s two totally different teams.

I’m not going to say that Golden State’s not conscious of what happened last year. They’re conscious of it.

Everyone knows. They know: we know we came back from 3-1. And the way we did that last year was playing one game at a time.

But while everyone is thinking ‘3-1’ or ‘winning three straight,’ all we’re thinking is: win one game. Leave it all out there for one game – and let’s see what happens from there.

"As good as we were on Friday night, I still think we can hit another level. Some guys still have another gear they can get to."
James Jones

You saw it in Friday night’s Game 4 win.

I think, really, that game was an emotional game – and not just in terms of how hard guys brought it, how hard they played.

More important was how focused we were. I think in the first half we had three or four turnovers. We made our shots, we moved the ball. But more importantly, it was a focus to do the things were supposed to do offensively – limit our mistakes so that they can’t punish us in the transition game.

The situation we’re in reminds everyone that for some reason, this team seems to love and thrive on adversity. We play our best with our back against the wall.

I mean, if you look at our history, it’s accurate. It’s totally true.

I really can’t tell you why, to a man, that’s the case. But overall, I think it’s just because this group has a ton of pride.

But human nature kicks in at a certain point. We all know that humans have a tendency to relax when things are calm and to press when things are tight. And I think the build and makeup of this team is that guys thrive on that pressure. That pressure unlocks their talent.

And so when we’re under pressure situations, it’s like we’re a totally different team.

As good as we were on Friday night, I still think we can hit another level. Some guys still have another gear they can get to.

Guys that struggled earlier in the series came alive at The Q. It’s a sports cliché, but role players really do perform better at home during the postseason.

"We know we have to win. It’s that simple. That’s the only acceptable outcome for us. And we’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that happens."

One, you obviously have the crowd on your side. You’re in familiar surroundings.

But I really do think, in this league, unless you’re an elite team where every place you go, you’re the enemy, there are very few places where the atmosphere is contentious. You have a lot more experience at home in front of a crowd cheering for you and sending you a positive vibe.

Now, you’re in the playoffs where every visiting arena hates you – whatever role you fill with that team. And for guys who aren’t accustomed to that, something they haven’t dealt with a lot in their careers, it’s a different atmosphere and one you’re used to. And you have to adjust to that.

Road or home, we’re gonna need everything we can get from everyone on the floor, on the bench, from the folks who made the trip and our fans back in Cleveland.

We know we have to win. It’s that simple. That’s the only acceptable outcome for us. And we’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that happens.

And I really do believe that when this team collectively decides and determines that the outcome is the one we want – which is a win … we do it.

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Champ's 2017 NBA Finals Blog

clejgabriele

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General Manager David Griffin has always maintained that the Cavaliers are a team that feeds off adversity. As talented and accomplished as they’ve been, these Cavs are best when the chips are down.

“I don't like it,” LeBron James joked after Friday’s season-saving win at The Q. “It causes too much stress, man.”

Either way, the Wine and Gold have another tall order in 2017, facing a familiar Finals hole. But if they make history after climbing out of this one, it’ll truly be one for the ages – in any professional sport. That goal is a long ways off, but it starts on Monday night, when the Men in Black return to Oakland for Game 5 after going wire-to-wire on Friday night in Cleveland.

In Game 4, Tyronn Lue’s squad put on a record-setting offensive display – setting NBA and franchise records with 49 first quarter points and 24 three-pointers on the night. In the process, the Cavs ended Golden State’s dream of an undefeated postseason run and got themselves back in the series.

The Warriors haven’t lost a home game since March 8, but there’s no chance last year’s Game 5 isn’t on their minds – especially with LeBron and Kyrie Irving – who netted 41 points apiece in last year’s classic – coming into the contest on major rolls.

Cleveland has basically three Game 7s to win between now and next Sunday. But as J.R. Smith said after Friday’s win at The Q: “Ain’t nothin’ we ain’t seen before.”

In the first three games of the series, the Warriors’ backcourt had mostly outplayed Cleveland’s. But on Friday night, that took a sharp turn.

Kyrie Irving had a solid start to the series, struggled in Game 2 (as he did in last year’s Finals) and bounced back with a 38-point outburst in Game 3 and a 40-point explosion in Game 4. (In 2016, Kyrie’s progression through the first five games was: 26 points, 10, 30, 34, 41.)

On Friday night, Irving was nearly unstoppable in the second quarter, netting 17 points in the period and finishing 15-of-27 overall, including 7-of-12 from long-range to go with seven boards and four assists. The four-time All-Star was still stinging on Thursday after missing a go-ahead three-pointer the previous evening, and he took it out on Golden State from the opening tip – playing with a ferocity reminiscent of last year’s run.

Irving’s opposite – Stephen Curry – had his worst outing of the series in Game 4, finishing with 14 points after averaging 28.7 through the first three. The Cavaliers flummoxed the two-time MVP all night, holding him to 4-for-13 shooting, including 2-of-9 from beyond the arc.

Curry did hand out 10 assists, but the Cavaliers were finally able to keep him off the boards, snagging five rebounds after piling up 23 over the previous two games.

It’s been a difficult year both on and off the court for J.R. Smith. He returned from a thumb injury before the end of the regular season, but hadn’t found his rhythm in the 2017 Playoffs – netting double-figures just twice in the lead-up to the Finals.

Swish was very good on the defensive end and has drawn some of the postseason’s toughest assignments, but had attempted just 62 shots through the Cavs’ Eastern Conference run and six through the first two games of the Finals.

But things changed for J.R. when the Cavaliers came home. He got started early in both contests and stayed aggressive all night – looking again like the player from last year’s crucial Game 7 run, when he scored eight straight points to start the second half.

In Game 3, Smith was 5-of-10 from three-point range; on Friday night, he was 5-of-9, stringing together back-to-back double-figure games for the first time this postseason. And once again, he was a thorn on the defensive end, menacing both Curry and Klay Thompson.

After struggling in Game 1 and a red-hot run in Games 2 and 3 – Thompson, who’d gone 19-of-30 from the floor in the previous two contests, was 4-of-11 in Game 4.

Kyrie kept Thompson busy on the defensive end and if Smith is hitting his shot, that adds another dimension the Cavaliers didn’t have in the first two games of the series.

The series officially got interesting when LeBron James and Kevin Durant – two of the greatest players of this or any generation – got into each other’s grills at midcourt during Friday’s one-sided (yet highly-contentious) battle at The Q.

Of course, And as much as they both wrote it off as two high-level guys going at it, they both know that legacies are at stake this June – and these final games will rewrite the record books.

James has been spectacular throughout the postseason and is posting yet another incredible Finals performance – averaging a triple-double in the 2017 Finals: 31.8 points on 54 percent shooting to go with 11.8 rebounds and 10.5 assists through the first four games.

On Friday night, he continued his historic ascent, passing Magic Johnson with his ninth career Finals triple-double, finishing with 31 points, 10 rebounds and a game-high 11 dimes. The Warriors haven’t figured out a way to stop the four-time MVP through the first two rounds of the title trilogy – and he just piled up 70 points over two contests before heading back to Oakland.

Against any other opponent, James’ numbers would dominate. But K.D. has been every bit as good as the King – averaging 34.3 points so far in the series. Durant did most of his damage on the strip in Friday’s affair – going 15-of-16. From the floor, the Cavs held him pretty much in check, shooting 41 percent from the field, including 2-of-9 from long-range.

Among all the big-name, big-number performances in the 2017 Finals, Kevin Love, in a quiet sort of way, has had a very solid series.

Sidelined two years ago and bouncing back from a concussion that sidelined him for a game in last year’s Finals, Love has had some outstanding nights this year – including his 23-point effort on Friday night, going 6-of-8 from long-range, 7-of-14 from the floor overall.

In Game 1, Love grabbed a Playoff career-best 21 boards and finished with 27 points in Game 2. He came back down to Earth in Game 3 at The Q – going 1-for-9 from the floor – but Love still led Cleveland with 13 boards and both teams with six steals.

Love has found ways to contribute big and small through the first four games of the Finals, and he’s excelled in the first two games at Oracle. The Cavaliers will need a third if they hope to extend their season.

Draymond Green has had his hands full with Love, and he’s been a lightning rod again in this year’s Finals – dodging an ejection on Friday night as his squad fell for the first time in the postseason. Green’s all-around game has left a footprint on the series and he was very good again in Friday night’s Game 4 – finishing with 16 points and a game-high 14 boards. But the Cavaliers also saw that they can get under his skin.

The mercurial star was famously sidelined for Game 5 last year against Cleveland but won’t be this June. Should make for an interesting Monday night at Oracle.

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KeyBank Five Keys: Cavaliers at Warriors, Game 5

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Behind-the-Scenes from #CavsWarriors Game 5 Practice

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6‑12‑17 at Warriors