Welcome in to the full recap post of game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals where the Cleveland Cavaliers' season is extended for another game. They successfully prevent the Warriors from winning the 'chip on their home floor in a 112-97 victory behind virtuoso performances from LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
If you're on the Cavs' side, this was a game they needed to extend this series to another game and once again, shift the series back to Cleveland. The Warriors were riding all the momentum up 3-1 despite Draymond Green's suspension, they wanted to try and cut the hearts out of the Cavaliers for that, but they did too much and the absence of Green was indeed felt. The sensational performances from LeBron and Kyrie this game were evident to how valuable Draymond Green is. Behind their two stars, the Cavs were just running laps around the Warriors' interior defense and it's one of the key reasons we're going to a game 6 in Cleveland.
GSW
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Klay Thompson, 37 points, 11-20 shooting. In a losing effort, Thompson was on an otherworldly level this game. For the most part of this game, he was putting the Dubs behind his back. The 2nd quarter was evident as he showed his unlimited range from beyond the arc much to the delight of the Oracle crowd. Defensively, I saw him work hard defending against Kyrie Irving. As much as good of a defense Klay played against Kyrie, Kyrie just edged him out with better offense. He played his heart out this game.
Andre Iguodala, 15 points, 11 rebounds, 6-13 shooting. When called upon into the starting lineup, Andre Iguodala delivers some solid numbers when coming into the starter's role. Like I said in the halftime post, in the midst of Green's suspension, Iguodala filled in admirably, doing his job on both ends of the floor and he finished with a solid game tonight.
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Harrison Barnes, 5 points, 2-14 shooting. It was a tough night for Harrison Barnes. Just when I give him credit for putting up solid, consistent performances in this series so far, he starts to stunk it up in a potential championship clincher. The Warriors got him more involved in the 2nd half; he had a lot of good looks from beyond the arc; Barnes was not hitting them tonight.
Supporting Cast. Draymond Green's absence not only placed a ripple effect on the Warriors' defense, but it also placed a ripple effect on the rest of the Dubs' supporting cast. The bench, despite outscoring the Cavs' bench by a lot was a non-factor and they were simply "frozen" by the Cavs' defense and the slashing prowess of both LeBron and Irving.
CLE
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Kyrie Irving, 41 points, 17-24 shooting. To sum it up, "Uncle Drew" was clearly unguardable this game. Like I said, Klay Thompson worked to defend Kyrie, but Kyrie still knocked shots down. Guarded by Steph Curry? Same result. It didn't matter who was guarding Kyrie Irving, he was finding ways to get it done and ensure that a game 6 happens back in Cleveland. 41 points, 71% shooting from the field, those are astonishing numbers put up by Irving.
LeBron James, 41 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 16-30 shooting. This guy ultimately took advantage of Draymond Green's average. This game that LeBron had took us back to circa 2012-2013 when James was still with the Miami Heat. His jumpshot that he developed during his Miami tenure was back in this game and he was hitting them all game long while playing his normal game in going to the basket and attacking the rim. LeBron definitely turned back the clock with this performance.
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Kevin Love, 2 points, 1-5 shooting. Was there any reason to put Love back into the starting lineup for this elimination game? A complete non-factor this game.
Conclusion
The City of Cleveland can rejoice that the series is coming back to the "Land." This was a tremendous "go for broke" game that the Cavaliers needed and they got the job done in front of a very hostile Oracle crowd. You could tell that on the eve of Draymond Green's suspension, Warriors fans were going to come in hot, especially at LeBron and LeBron, as a great player, did what great players did and that's quiet down the crowd with a sensational performance. Kyrie Irving followed suit as well and turned in a clinic with his offensive arsenal over a good Warriors defense. For the Warriors, it was not the outcome they hoped for. They'll need to win it all again in Cleveland. They've done it before last year, but for sure, the Cavs will be well-prepared to ensure that this series goes a full seven games. They don't want their home crowd to suffer an encore of heartbreak. I'll see you guys for game 6 on Thursday.
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