In an interview before game three this week in the NBA finals, Cleveland Cavaliers’ star LeBron James did not mince words on what to expect from the Cavs in the series. “If you are looking for us to play, sexy, cute basketball then that’s not us,” James told the media.
The Cavs did not play sexy, cute basketball in game three of the NBA Finals, but they did enough to win 96-91, and are now two victories away from their first championship in the 45-year history of the franchise. James controlled the tempo, the team hit the boards and again the Cavs played tenacious defense against the top-scoring team in the NBA this year.
James was stunning again, with 40 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. His first six made shots came in the paint, as he backed his way in for lay-ups and short turnarounds. It was obvious that James, who has not shot the ball well from the outside in the playoffs, was determined to move into the paint.
James said afterwards: “I’ll do whatever it takes to win. I’m living in the paint. I did that tonight because that it what we needed tonight. I’ve never played where two all-stars were out. I know you guys hate to hear me elaborate about whatever it takes, but that’s all that matters right now.”
While the first two games ended in overtime with the teams splitting, this one was just down and dirty basketball. The Cavs imposed their will on the Warriors and never let up.
Aside from a 13-2 run which found the Warriors just down by one with about five minutes to go, the Cavs dominated and had a determination that was evident from the get-go.
And once again, the gritty and undrafted Aussie guard Matthew Dellavedova continued to play his game of diving for loose balls, hitting floaters in the lane, and hitting James on a crucial alley-oop fast-break dunk in the fourth quarter.
Golden State scored 37 points and shot just 34% from the field in the first half, and that bad start was just too much to overcome. The Cavs shut down the Warriors’ Splash Brothers, Klay Thomson and Steph Curry, in the first half, and the scoring duo had just nine points together at the half, and combining for just one of six three-pointers.
The Cavs had a seven-point, 44-37 lead at half time, but they went on a 13-2 run in the third quarter that gave them an 18-point lead (68-49). James and Dellavedova found their range in the third, scoring 13 and ten points respectively. Through the third quarter, Golden State had managed just 55 points.
The Warriors made several runs in the fourth – one being a 15-3 run – cutting the lead to three points at about the five-minute mark. But a key exchange came when Curry missed a three-pointer, and then Delladedova took the rebound on a fast break and tossed a lay-up to James. The lead was back to five. If Curry had hit that shot, the game would have been tied and the end might have been different.
Curry did hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to one, but Delladevova hit a falling down prayer shot from the lane that banked in, and he hit the foul shot for a stunning three-point play with 2:20 to go. James then cam back on the next possession after holding the Warriors scoreless, and hit a three with 1:40 left to stretch the lead to 87-80.
Curry said afterwards: “On the road we have to play free have fun and be the aggressors. We just have to stay sound fundamentally and especially not make mistakes down the stretch. LeBron is making some crazy plays … we just have to match their intensity.”
Delladedova finished with 20 points on 7-17 shooting. Curry scored 24 points in the second half to finish with 27.
The game was not pretty for the Cavs, and they did seem disjointed in the fourth quarter as they allowed the Warriors to score 36 points. James did miss 20 shots on 14-34 shooting. Maybe complacency set in after they got their big third-quarter lead. But every time the Warriors got within shouting distance, the Cavaliers gave the ball to James and he controlled the game. James scored 27 points in the second half, and 14 in the fourth quarter.
James now has 123 points in the first three games of the finals series.
But the game was won with defense on the part of the Cavaliers, and it was about blocking shots and diving for loose balls and putting bodies on bodies. The teams were close in rebounds (the Warriors led 46-43 there), they were equal in turnovers (14), and the Warriors had more assists (21-15). But the Warriors shot just 40% from the field, while the Cavs shot 46%.
Cavs coach Dave Blatt said afterwards that his team “just a group that plays as hard as they can. We had [the Warriors] broken – they didn’t break. We played the way we wanted to play, and it wasn’t always the best but I’ll take it every day.”
Blatt also called Dellevedova the “most Cleveland-like Australian you’ll ever seen. If you’re from Cleveland, this blue-collar town, you know exactly what I mean.”
James said: “It’s great to have someone out on the floor who is willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of the team.”
Andre Iguodala acknowledged that the Warriors had not played well. “Small things are really biting us in the ass,” he said. “Loose balls, they are getting all of them. We’re playing against a very good team that is very underrated.”
Steve Kerr, the Warriors coach, thought his team lacked something. “Steph never loses confidence. I just thought he lost a little energy, and, I don’t know, life,” he said. “We just need life from everybody, We need emotion from everybody.”
Game four will be in Cleveland on Thursday.
