The same could be said about Kevin Love, who was 1 for 7 in Game 3 and also hit a hefty bunch in Game 4 like Irving, but Irving's looks for threes can take more time to develop, so it's probably more important that he has a good night rather than Love.
The Cavaliers had 86 points at halftime and led by 24 during a physical and at times poorly officiated game while handing the Warriors their first loss of the postseason.
It's been done on big stages in other sports, perhaps most famously by the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who strung together four wins over the New York Yankees to win the AL pennant on the way to their first World Series title since 1918.
"Historically against this team, when we don't answer that punch in the first six minutes, we put ourselves behind the eight ball", Stephen Curry said Friday.
If the Warriors hope to end this series on Monday night, they'll need to control the pace and run the floor.
Cleveland burned the Warriors on 24-of-45 shooting from 3-point range on Friday. "Let me get my money's worth if I'm going to get some techs".
That present will include Draymond Green, certainly the most vocal addition to Game 5 from a year ago.
Go ahead, back them into a corner. A year ago, Steph Curry's wife, Ayesha, accused the National Basketball Association of rigging games, and during Cleveland's Game 4 victory, Green's mom tweeted, "These OFFICIALS HAVE BEEN OFFICIALLY PAID!" adding multiple poop-face and money-bag emojis to her tweet. LeBron is now averaging a triple-double in the NBA Finals against arguably the most stacked team in the history of basketball. The Cavaliers responded with a record-breaking 49 point first quarter. Thompson was in beast mode with five points and 10 rebounds along with five assists while Smith had 15 points on three three-pointers with no turnovers.
It wasn't as if the Warriors were atrocious on offence in Game 4.
Lonzo Ball showed poor conditioning in Lakers workout
Many qualities have made the Lakers impressed with Ball, including his leadership potential, passing and scoring. It is worth noting that Gambadoro is from Phoenix, and was also the person that broke the Steve Nash deal.
Even in the Game 4 wipeout loss, Durant excelled.
With that being said, the Warriors have ridden Iguodala in the starting lineup to win a championship before. But despite that, the Warriors scored 116 points. Fans may question the wisdom of some of Draymond's emotional outbursts, but they can not question his dedication to his team nor his dedication to winning at all costs-even when he goes out of his way to draw the ire of his opponents.
Sticking with Pachulia at center would show the Warriors are more concerned about countering the Cavaliers than they are about focusing on themselves. But there is a sense that if the Warriors do not finish the Cavs Monday, they go back to OH finding the oxygen getting thin and the lungs starting to self-sear. Remember the game-winner in Game 7 last June?
Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving, who struggled in the first two games against the defense of Klay Thompson, played great in Games 3 and 4, hitting seven three-pointers in a 40-point performance in their Friday night win.
Kerr isn't one to try any insane wrinkle, especially after the team's first loss since April 11, especially since the Warriors still have a 3-1 series lead.
The bottom line is that Cleveland has gotten these Finals to 3-1, a familiar situation that must give them a little comfort. The longer this series drags on; the more commentators will have the opportunity to dismiss the dominance of the 2017 Golden State Warriors.
The visiting Cavaliers won game five with Green watching on TV from a luxury box in the baseball stadium beside the arena, awaiting a celebration that would never come. In the first half of Game 4, Irving almost matched that number, tallying 14. The Warriors will not have the first-ever flawless postseason, with thanks to the Cavaliers.
It's also unclear if the National Basketball Association will even allow its players to compete, which is just fine with Draymond Green.
"K.D.'s obviously an exceptional offensive player, exceptional player, and he's going to make big shots". That's right, a Game 5.
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