The NBA Finals

Game 3

Golden State Warriors 118 Cleveland Cavaliers 113

The Golden State Warriors came into Cleveland remembering what happened last year in the NBA Finals when they also took a 2-0 lead into Cleveland only to eventually lose the series, so they were determined not to repeat that. Meanwhile, the Cavs were looking to last season as an opportunity to get back into this series.

The Cavs came out blazing, shooting 60% from the floor in the first half, yet they still could not shake off the Warriors, who lit up the court from behind the 3-point line. Once again Klay Thompson had a huge night, scoring 30 points including shooting six buckets from behind the 3-point arc. But the Cavs would stay close thanks to Lebron James and J.R. Smith, who finally awoke from his offensive slumber and scored 16 points, all but one from beyond the 3-point line. Nevertheless, the Warriors took a six point lead into halftime.

But the Cavs would come storming back in the third quarter, thanks to Kyrie Irving who scored 16 of his 38 points in that period, eventually getting the Cavs a seven point lead. Yet as it appeared each time the Cavs were ready to blow the game open, Golden State would make that huge defensive stop or a clutch shot to keep it within striking distance. Kevin Love struggled from the field, scoring just nine points, but he made up for that defensively, grabbing 13 rebounds and making six steals. Lebron James scored a game high 39 points while falling just short of a triple double, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out nine assists.

But once again down the stretch the Cavs had no answer for Kevin Durant, who scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter as well as making a few key rebounds. It was his three pointer with 45 seconds remaining in the game that put the Warriors up for good. The Cavs had a couple chances to retake the lead or time the game, but Lebron James drove the lane only to dish out a 3-point attempt to Kyle Korver who missed, and after another two points from Golden State, Kyrie Irving took an ill-advised fadeaway jumper from long distance that also missed, and the Warriors would grab the rebound. The last nail on the coffin came when Andre Iguodala blocked a Lebron James jumper that Lebron was unable to corral before stepping out of bounds. Stephen Curry finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. Draymond Green got into foul trouble again, limiting him to just eight points, but he still grabbed eight rebounds and dished out seven assists. Tristan Thompson though was held scoreless and played only 23 minutes.

The Golden State Warriors now look to make history in game 4, not only looking to potentially sweep The Cleveland Cavaliers but also become the first team in NBA history to go through the postseason undefeated.

Golden State leads series 3-0.

Horrible, HORRIBLE play-calling down the stretch. See what happens when you go for threes instead of taking it to the basket? And I don't know what Kyrie was thinking on that fadeaway.

namepeace said:

Dasein said:

Agreed.

And, dynasties are good for sports. The Warriors play a beautiful game of basketball even though I like to root against them. But, here are last years' games one and two scores:

104-89 Warriors
110-77 Warriors

. . . and we all thought the series was over, until game three went:

120-90 Cavaliers

So, let's wait and see! Yet, if I'm General Manager Griffin, I'm trying to figure out a way to get Jimmy Butler onto my squad for next year.

Dynasties are good for sports when they have rivals with reasonable chances of beating them. Most every great dynasty had at least one. By signing KD away from OKC, they eliminated a rival.

Butler wouldn't be a bad pickup, if they coukd get some competent perimeter defenders as well.

The series won't be over until GS takes a game in CLE. But GS has lost only 4 games in 3 months. The Cavs are going to have to beat them at least twice in the next 3 days to make this a series. I don't expect lightning to strike twice.

Get out the BROOM........

It don't look too good.

Namepeace and NY are right, and the rumor mill is already churning out LBJ will be in Los Angeles
in 2018.

The refs did everything they could for the Cavs......and GS still WON!

Dasein said:

It don't look too good.

Namepeace and NY are right, and the rumor mill is already churning out LBJ will be in Los Angeles
in 2018.

Late in the 4th quarter, LeBron needs to be more selfish, especially when Green has 5 fouls. But he doesn't have that Jordan/ Bird/ Isiah/ Kobe take-your-heart mentality.

Still, some of his teammates have to take the blame too. Jordan's guys (Paxson, BJ, Kukoc, Kerr) hit their shots when Jordan got them open looks. LeBron & Kyrie had little help. What are they supposed to do, play 48 minutes?

I was actually upset when the Knicks got rid of Shumpert. I missed his hustle & energy. But man, his game has not progressed at all. Dude has no outside shot. And Deron williams is a bum. Everyone on GS can make shots....folks forget how good Iguodala is. West can hit too!

LeBron's not going anywhere. Big rumor I'm hearing is Paul George going to Cleveland. That would be a big help, but I don't know how that'll happen.

Graycap23 said:

The refs did everything they could for the Cavs......and GS still WON!

This refs thing is getting old, Gray.

GSW shot 24 FTs.

CLE shot 25.

uPtoWnNY said:

Dasein said:

It don't look too good.

Namepeace and NY are right, and the rumor mill is already churning out LBJ will be in Los Angeles
in 2018.

Late in the 4th quarter, LeBron needs to be more selfish, especially when Green has 5 fouls. But he doesn't have that Jordan/ Bird/ Isiah/ Kobe take-your-heart mentality.

Still, some of his teammates have to take the blame too. Jordan's guys (Paxson, BJ, Kukoc, Kerr) hit their shots when Jordan got them open looks. LeBron & Kyrie had little help. What are they supposed to do, play 48 minutes?

I was actually upset when the Knicks got rid of Shumpert. I missed his hustle & energy. But man, his game has not progressed at all. Dude has no outside shot. And Deron williams is a bum. Everyone on GS can make shots....folks forget how good Iguodala is. West can hit too!

LeBron's not going anywhere. Big rumor I'm hearing is Paul George going to Cleveland. That would be a big help, but I don't know how that'll happen.

CLE's supporting cast looks strong on paper, but completely unreliable in practice. They can't defend the perimeter onslaught that GS has, like you said, they've got 3 of the best shooters in history PLUS 3-4 players (Dray, West, Iggy, sometimes Livingston) that can hit perimeter shots.

As for LeBron to LA, he would need CP3 and George, plus a shooter or two in LA (Clips or Lakers) to take out GSW, and the chances of that are low.

Perhaps Paul, Melo and Bron are finally considering joining forces in LA and adding Paul. That's still a pipe dream, but I'd hope that would be in the purple and gold.

I *still* doubt it will be enough. That's how good the Warriors are.

Graycap23 said:

Get out the BROOM........

It's over. We're watching for history tomorrow.

Like the Lakers did from '84 to '85, the Warriors fixed their rebounding issues from '16 to '17. Even Steph got double-digit boards last night. That's the difference. That ignites their offense.

Tristan Thompson gets my vote for LVP. Sad to watch him in this series.

[Edited 6/8/17 11:53am]

uPtoWnNY said:

Dasein said:

It don't look too good.

Namepeace and NY are right, and the rumor mill is already churning out LBJ will be in Los Angeles
in 2018.

Late in the 4th quarter, LeBron needs to be more selfish, especially when Green has 5 fouls. But he doesn't have that Jordan/ Bird/ Isiah/ Kobe take-your-heart mentality.

Still, some of his teammates have to take the blame too. Jordan's guys (Paxson, BJ, Kukoc, Kerr) hit their shots when Jordan got them open looks. LeBron & Kyrie had little help. What are they supposed to do, play 48 minutes?

I was actually upset when the Knicks got rid of Shumpert. I missed his hustle & energy. But man, his game has not progressed at all. Dude has no outside shot. And Deron williams is a bum. Everyone on GS can make shots....folks forget how good Iguodala is. West can hit too!

LeBron's not going anywhere. Big rumor I'm hearing is Paul George going to Cleveland. That would be a big help, but I don't know how that'll happen.

I don't like talking about features of the game that cannot be quantified, like "heart," and "chem-
istry," and "taking over the game," but LBJ does appear to be reluctant to put his head down and
play with that singular devotion to wresting fate from the hand's of destiny into his own like MJ
and Kobe did.

NP is right; if the Cavs are going to play with the Warriors next year, they'll need some long peri-
meter defenders and another scorer. And you're right about everything else.

namepeace said:

uPtoWnNY said:

Late in the 4th quarter, LeBron needs to be more selfish, especially when Green has 5 fouls. But he doesn't have that Jordan/ Bird/ Isiah/ Kobe take-your-heart mentality.

Still, some of his teammates have to take the blame too. Jordan's guys (Paxson, BJ, Kukoc, Kerr) hit their shots when Jordan got them open looks. LeBron & Kyrie had little help. What are they supposed to do, play 48 minutes?

I was actually upset when the Knicks got rid of Shumpert. I missed his hustle & energy. But man, his game has not progressed at all. Dude has no outside shot. And Deron williams is a bum. Everyone on GS can make shots....folks forget how good Iguodala is. West can hit too!

LeBron's not going anywhere. Big rumor I'm hearing is Paul George going to Cleveland. That would be a big help, but I don't know how that'll happen.

CLE's supporting cast looks strong on paper, but completely unreliable in practice. They can't defend the perimeter onslaught that GS has, like you said, they've got 3 of the best shooters in history PLUS 3-4 players (Dray, West, Iggy, sometimes Livingston) that can hit perimeter shots.

As for LeBron to LA, he would need CP3 and George, plus a shooter or two in LA (Clips or Lakers) to take out GSW, and the chances of that are low.

Perhaps Paul, Melo and Bron are finally considering joining forces in LA and adding Paul. That's still a pipe dream, but I'd hope that would be in the purple and gold.

I *still* doubt it will be enough. That's how good the Warriors are.

I wonder if Stern was still commissioner of the league if he'd let the Durant to Golden State
move even happen in the first place.

This squad is going to be scary for the next three or four years and I will enjoy rooting against
them!

Dasein said:.

I don't like talking about features of the game that cannot be quantified, like "heart," and "chemistry," and "taking over the game," but LBJ does appear to be reluctant to put his head down and play with that singular devotion to wresting fate from the hand's of destiny into his own like MJ and Kobe did.

Problem is . . . LBJ has to expend so much energy keeping them in games for the first 45 minutes. More than Kobe or MJ did. He's scorer AND facilitator, and 23 and 24 didn't always have to be both (neither for that matter did BOS33 or LAL32).

Remember, at their height, MJ would often defer to his big men, his shooters, or Pip to establish a lead early. Then MJ would take over to hold or extend the lead.

Kobe had Shaq and a solid supporting cast -- then later, Pau and Odom and a good supporting cast -- to build leads or stay close, and he could close (though Kobe's rep as a closer is a bit overstated from this Laker fan's persoective).

LBJ doesn't have anyone outside of Kyrie that can handle the baton until the anchor leg. He had that in MIA.

namepeace said:

namepeace said:

Dasein said:.

I don't like talking about features of the game that cannot be quantified, like "heart," and "chemistry," and "taking over the game," but LBJ does appear to be reluctant to put his head down and play with that singular devotion to wresting fate from the hand's of destiny into his own like MJ and Kobe did.

Problem is . . . LBJ has to expend so much energy keeping them in games for the first 45 minutes. More than Kobe or MJ did. He's scorer AND facilitator, and 23 and 24 didn't always have to be both (neither for that matter did BOS33 or LAL32).

Remember, at their height, MJ would often defer to his big men, his shooters, or Pip to establish a lead early. Then MJ would take over to hold or extend the lead.

Kobe had Shaq and a solid supporting cast -- then later, Pau and Odom and a good supporting cast -- to build leads or stay close, and he could close (though Kobe's rep as a closer is a bit overstated from this Laker fan's persoective).

LBJ doesn't have anyone outside of Kyrie that can handle the baton until the anchor leg. He had that in MIA.

It's a goddamn shame that LBJ, if he doesn't kowtow and join the Spurs or Warriors (if you can't
beat 'em, join 'em, eh?), will have his legacy as being the greatest basketball player of all time
(and he is, in my opinion) plagued by overall shitty general manager-ship.

Wake me up when the Warrior's win the Championship. I'll crack open a Samuel Addams and raise my glass.

namepeace said:

Dasein said:.

I don't like talking about features of the game that cannot be quantified, like "heart," and "chemistry," and "taking over the game," but LBJ does appear to be reluctant to put his head down and play with that singular devotion to wresting fate from the hand's of destiny into his own like MJ and Kobe did.

Problem is . . . LBJ has to expend so much energy keeping them in games for the first 45 minutes. More than Kobe or MJ did. He's scorer AND facilitator, and 23 and 24 didn't always have to be both (neither for that matter did BOS33 or LAL32).

Remember, at their height, MJ would often defer to his big men, his shooters, or Pip to establish a lead early. Then MJ would take over to hold or extend the lead.

Kobe had Shaq and a solid supporting cast -- then later, Pau and Odom and a good supporting cast -- to build leads or stay close, and he could close (though Kobe's rep as a closer is a bit overstated from this Laker fan's persoective).

LBJ doesn't have anyone outside of Kyrie that can handle the baton until the anchor leg. He had that in MIA.

Exactly.....that's why I laugh at all the haters who keep trying to compare LeBron with Jordan. It's as silly as comparing Jordan to Wilt.

Jordan was the best 2-guard in NBA history. His main role was to score, to be the scoring assassin. He had Pippen, Grant, Rodman, Pax, Kukoc, etc. to do the other stuff. Kobe is the closest I've seen to Jordan.

LeBron is a unique 3, a combination of Magic & Oscar, only built like a linebacker. He's more facilitator than closer (although he tries at times but isn't consistent). He'd rather make the smart basketball decision and get the ball to an open teammate. Problem is, his guys aren't getting it done. Kevin Love missed a layup last night - Korver a wide-open three...WTF isLeBron supposed to do?

Durant looks a lot better playing with 3 All Stars who share the ball than he did in OKC with Westbrook jacking up wild shots.

uPtoWnNY said:

phunkdaddy said:

uPtoWnNY said:

Exactly.....that's why I laugh at all the haters who keep trying to compare LeBron with Jordan. It's as silly as comparing Jordan to Wilt.

Jordan was the best 2-guard in NBA history. His main role was to score, to be the scoring assassin. He had Pippen, Grant, Rodman, Pax, Kukoc, etc. to do the other stuff. Kobe is the closest I've seen to Jordan.

LeBron is a unique 3, a combination of Magic & Oscar, only built like a linebacker. He's more facilitator than closer (although he tries at times but isn't consistent). He'd rather make the smart basketball decision and get the ball to an open teammate. Problem is, his guys aren't getting it done. Kevin Love missed a layup last night - Korver a wide-open three...WTF isLeBron supposed to do?

Durant looks a lot better playing with 3 All Stars who share the ball than he did in OKC with Westbrook jacking up wild shots.

I for the life of me can't figure out why people keep bringing up Jordan as though basketball began and ended with him. He's been retired for 20 years. Jordan isn't walking through that door. Sit around and drink your beer and talk about Jordan's glory years while watching ESPN Classic because I'm ready to shoot the next MF that bring Jordan up while Bron,KD, and Curry are what's happening now. As for the Finals itself, LeBron has bought his gun to the fight but it ain't enough. Kyrie and Love fought as hard as they could but there is nothing else to like about this squad. They can't defend the Warriors for 48 minutes. The Cavs keep trying to go to the next man but the next men the Cavs have just aren't good enough. The Warriors have the most cold blooded shooters in the game. Curry is about the only player in the game that can ignore an open man under the goal for an easy 2 points and drill a 3 pointer. Just sick shit man. He will go down as the best 3 point shooter in the history of the game. The Cavs need to get a couple of defenders and a post option to compete with the Warriors next season. Have to see how offseason goes. Hopefully younger squads like Philly and Milwaukee will make some noise in the East next season. [Edited 6/8/17 17:26pm]

Yea, its time to move on. Our some will end up like Fred Williams. Still wearing tight polyester pants, open shirt, and some gold chains.

Its a miracle Cleveland won the Chamopionshipl ast year. Every era has it stars, we should enjoy these.

uPtoWnNY said:

namepeace said:

Problem is . . . LBJ has to expend so much energy keeping them in games for the first 45 minutes. More than Kobe or MJ did. He's scorer AND facilitator, and 23 and 24 didn't always have to be both (neither for that matter did BOS33 or LAL32).

Remember, at their height, MJ would often defer to his big men, his shooters, or Pip to establish a lead early. Then MJ would take over to hold or extend the lead.

Kobe had Shaq and a solid supporting cast -- then later, Pau and Odom and a good supporting cast -- to build leads or stay close, and he could close (though Kobe's rep as a closer is a bit overstated from this Laker fan's persoective).

LBJ doesn't have anyone outside of Kyrie that can handle the baton until the anchor leg. He had that in MIA.

Exactly.....that's why I laugh at all the haters who keep trying to compare LeBron with Jordan. It's as silly as comparing Jordan to Wilt.

Jordan was the best 2-guard in NBA history. His main role was to score, to be the scoring assassin. He had Pippen, Grant, Rodman, Pax, Kukoc, etc. to do the other stuff. Kobe is the closest I've seen to Jordan.

LeBron is a unique 3, a combination of Magic & Oscar, only built like a linebacker. He's more facilitator than closer (although he tries at times but isn't consistent). He'd rather make the smart basketball decision and get the ball to an open teammate. Problem is, his guys aren't getting it done. Kevin Love missed a layup last night - Korver a wide-open three...WTF isLeBron supposed to do?

Durant looks a lot better playing with 3 All Stars who share the ball than he did in OKC with Westbrook jacking up wild shots.

You and NP and Huey pretty much have this thread on lock. Good work and I enjoy reading your
posts and theirs too; I'm learning about the game I like to watch.

It was a great finals so far, but Tristan Thompson has been somewhat quiet......maybe the Kardashian curse is real eg. Game 1: 0 points, 4 rebounds Game 2: 8 pts, 4 reb Game 3: 0 pts (0-for-1), 3 reb.

[Edited 6/8/17 20:49pm]

double post.

[Edited 6/9/17 9:13am]

Graycap23 said:

namepeace said:

This refs thing is getting old, Gray.

GSW shot 24 FTs.

CLE shot 25.

Lebron had at least 5 fouls that were ignored last night. It is getting old, because no other player in NBA history gets the calls he gets....and he still going to be 3 - 5 in the Finals. The goat my arse......

You've been watching the NBA too damn long NOT to know that fouls don't get called on superstars. That's a given! MJ wasn't called for fouls in any given game. Bird wasn't. Magic wasn't. Kobe wasn't.

Methinks thou doth protest too much regarding the GOAT issue. Everyone knows he's not. The Spurs and Warriors are going to take care of that. There's only 1 Finals I'd hold against him -- 2011 vs. DAL. Other than that, he's got a solid resume for the top 10, perhaps even top 5. That's great enough.

namepeace said:

Graycap23 said:

namepeace said: Lebron had at least 5 fouls that were ignored last night. It is getting old, because no other player in NBA history gets the calls he gets....and he still going to be 3 - 5 in the Finals. The goat my arse......

You've been watching the NBA too damn long NOT to know that fouls don't get called on superstars. That's a given! MJ wasn't called for fouls in any given game. Bird wasn't. Magic wasn't. Kobe wasn't.

Methinks thou doth protest too much regarding the GOAT issue. Everyone knows he's not. The Spurs and Warriors are going to take care of that. There's only 1 Finals I'd hold against him -- 2011 vs. DAL. Other than that, he's got a solid resume for the top 10, perhaps even top 5. That's great enough.

When u ignore fouls like the last one on Igudola...........it is a slight to the game.

I've manage to stop watching MLB and the NFL. The NBA is next if they keep this nonsense up.

How are players supposed to compete with the "best" player in the NBA when the refs allow him to travel, offensive foul, carry, and defensive foul with no calls while u can't breath on him for the exact same plays? No player is NBA history gets the noncalls that Lebron recieves. Are u telling me that I'm wrong???

Sigh . . .

It is well known that NBA superstars who transcend the game get preferential treatment from the
refs, so that players like Michael Jordan can exchange blows with another player and not get tossed.
I watched Jordan get away with basketball murder all the time growing up watching the NBA on
NBC during the 80s and 90s.

And we all know that refereeing players who are just too damn big and fast and athletic for their
position, like Shaq, and Wilt, and LeBron, are difficult to officiate and get beat up all the time by
opposing players.

Here comes the greatest comeback ever in NBA history . . . or not.

The NBA Finals

Game 4

Golden State Warriors 116 Cleveland Cavaliers 137

The Golden State Warriors came into this game not only looking to clinch the NBA title but also make history as the first team to go undefeated in the postseason. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers were simply trying to survive and extend this series to one more game, not wanting to be swept on their own home floor. While the Cavs' big three of Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love have made an impact in this series, their supporting cast has been MIA in this series, and if they had any chance of winning this game and extending the series they needed to make their presence felt or else face a long offseason.

The Golden State Warriors have dominated the NBA this year from beyond the 3-point line, but in this game the Cavs exploded from beyond the arc. They came thundering out of the gate and never let their foot off the pedal, even as the Warriors tried to keep up. The Cavs hit seven 3-point shots in the first quarter en route to an NBA record 49 points in that quarter. Even so, the Cavs led by just 16 points, and it seemed it would only be a matter of time before the Warriors would come back to make this competitive.

But the Cavs would not allow this to happen in this game. The Warriors would come back to within 11 points a few times, but the Cavs would go on a 3-point barrage to keep Golden Staste at bay. They would shoot an NBA Finals record 23 three-point shots, seven of them by Kyrie Irving, who scored a game high 40 points while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out four assists. Lebron James had a triple double, scoring 31 points, dishing out 11 assists, and grabbing 10 rebounds. Kevin Love added 23 points while J.R. smith added 15 points on five 3-pointers. Tristan Thompson made his presence felt in this game, scoring five points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out five assists.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 35 points while Drayomd Green scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. However, he was also involved in some questionable officiating, as he appeared to have earned two technical fouls by the middle of the third quarter which should have ejected him from the game. but the first technical foul was apparently charged to Steve Kerr, yet the official scorer listed that to Draymond Green. Stephen Curry struggled in this game, scoring just 14 points on 4 for 13 shooting from the floor, while Klay Thompson also struggled. scoring 13 points on 4 for 11 shooting from the floor.

Golden State leads series 3-1.

[Edited 6/9/17 21:34pm]

728huey said:

The NBA Finals

Game 4

Golden State Warriors 116 Cleveland Cavaliers 137

The Golden State Warriors came into this game not only looking to clinch the NBA title but also make history as the first team to go undefeated in the postseason. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers were simply trying to survive and extend this series to one more game, not wanting to be swept on their own home floor. While the Cavs' big three of Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love have made an impact in this series, their supporting cast has been MIA in this series, and if they had any chance of winning this game and extending the series they needed to make their presence felt or else face a long offseason.

The Golden State Warriors have dominated the NBA this year from beyond the 3-point line, but in this game the Cavs exploded from beyond the arc. They came thundering out of the gate and never let their foot off the pedal, even as the Warriors tried to keep up. The Cavs hit seven 3-point shots in the first quarter en route to an NBA record 49 points in that quarter. Even so, the Cavs led by just 16 points, and it seemed it would only be a matter of time before the Warriors would come back to make this competitive.

But the Cavs would not allow this to happen in this game. The Warriors would come back to within 11 points a few times, but the Cavs would go on a 3-point barrage to keep Golden Staste at bay. They would shoot an NBA Finals record 23 three-point shots, seven of them by Kyrie Irving, who scored a game high 40 points while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out four assists. Lebron James had a triple double, scoring 31 points, dishing out 11 assists, and grabbing 10 rebounds. Kevin Love added 23 points while J.R. smith added 15 points on five 3-pointers. Tristan Thompson made his presence felt in this game, scoring five points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out five assists.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 35 points while Drayomd Green scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. However, he was also involved in some questionable officiating, as he appeared to have earned two technical fouls by the middle of the third quarter which should have ejected him from the game. but the first technical foul was apparently charged to Steve Kerr, yet the official scorer listed that to Draymond Green. Stephen Curry struggled in this game, scoring just 14 points on 4 for 13 shooting from the floor, while Klay Thompson also struggled. scoring 13 points on 4 for 11 shooting from the floor.

Golden State leads series 3-1.

[Edited 6/9/17 21:34pm]

The game was fun to watch last night and this post was fun to read.

I expect Golden State to win game five but would not be shocked if they lost.

Easy guide to rigging:

1. Load up on all your calls early to give one team a lead.

2. Call the game evenly.