2017 NBA Finals - Game 3: Golden State Warriors @ Cleveland Cavaliers 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals. As usual, leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

GSW 118 CLE 113

Wow, what a quarter. Credit to the Cavs for putting up one heck of a fight. Although LeBron and Kyrie put on a scoring clinic and many of the Cavs' supporting cast stepping up, there's just too many weapons on this Warriors' squad. Clutch buckets from Kevin Durant. Andre Iguodala with the defensive play of the game to prevent a potential game tying three from LeBron. The Warriors are one win away from redemption. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

GSW 89 CLE 94

The Cavaliers didn't have an avalanche like the Warriors did in the first two games at Oracle. But, you gotta give them credit for fighting hard in this quarter. The champs are not going down so easily on their home floor. LeBron, Kyrie, and K-Love showed that this quarter. Kevin Love's fighting for the rebounds to give the Cavs some extra possessions. Kyrie Irving is putting together a lot of highlights in this quarter. The Cavs are playing like the defending champions so far in this 2nd half. They have to sustain that in the 4th quarter to get on the board in these finals.

2017 NBA Finals - Game 3: Golden State Warriors @ Cleveland Cavaliers 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the first half of game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals between the Cavs and the Dubs. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

GSW 67 CLE 61

The Cavs needed some momentum to have towards the 2nd half with Kyrie Irving's buzzer beating shot. It's rained threes, but it also rained turnovers for the Warriors in this 1st half. They are shooting 60% from deep. This was a complete 180 from last year's for them. The Warriors were too slow generating offense, but this year, they've shook off a possible fast start by Cleveland to get back in this game and take control for the most part. We can't disregard the Cavs' effort though. They're putting better defensive pressure up on the Warriors and they are playing their pace in attacking the basket. LeBron and Kyrie, of course, are instrumental to keeping this game close. LeBron came out of the gate firing like he usually does. Kyrie is off to a slow start again, but he picked it up in this quarter, settling for more layups. The Warriors' length defensively continue to frustrate him much to their credit. We've seen this narrative in the last two games. Both teams end the first half with a close game, but the Warriors end up turning on the jets in the 2nd half. Can the Cavaliers do the same? They need the pace in the 2nd half to favor them early on. 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

GSW 39 CLE 32

Talk about a quick turn of events. If the Cavs are desperate for a win, they have to be more aggressive. They started off good, trapping Curry and putting a lot of defensive pressure on the ball. LeBron is doing his thing. J.R. Smith showed up big this quarter. But, the Warriors raining threes have been the problem. Thompson and Durant quickly turned the odds into the Warriors' favor. With LeBron going to the bench, Curry's started getting hot and the Warriors are catching the Cavs napping on defense with a couple of easy baskets. That's why they have the lead right now.

NBA Finals Game 2 Blog Coverage Canceled

Sorry for the inconvenience people, but I won't be covering today's Game 2 matchup of the 2017 NBA Finals. I have a family matter to attend to that's happening at the same start time as the game and most likely, it will take up a majority of the game. I'll see you guys for Game 3 when the series shifts to Cleveland.

Durant, Curry Help Warriors Hammer Cavs in Game 1

Welcome in to the full recap of game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals between the Warriors and the Cavaliers where the Warriors went wire-to-wire to take an early 1-0 lead in these finals with a resounding 90-113 win.

At last, this "3-match" is underway. Well, the first half of this game lived up to the billing as the "rubber match." Both teams were neck and neck, but once the Warriors get going, there's no stopping that well-oiled machine. And a red hot duo of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry spelled doom for the Cavaliers. This was a typical example of the tale of two halves.

Cleveland Cavaliers

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LeBron James, 28 points, 15 rebounds. The 8 turnovers from James is a smear from his performance. He was essentially the Cavs' only offense in the first half of this game. Again, despite the turnovers, it was a typical stat-stuffing performance from LeBron.

Kyrie Irving, 24 points. It was evident that Irving was off to a slow start in the first half. He still finished strong with the aforementioned 24 points. Kyrie did his thing in attacking the basket and wiggling his way around Curry and Klay. I'd say that 4-point play in the 2nd quarter got him going in this game.

Kevin Love, 15 points, 21 rebounds. With the way K-Love's been playing in these playoffs, this was not his best game scoring-wise. However, he did crash the boards and leading the team in rebounding and in blocks, notching 3 of them.

(-)

Turnovers. 20-4 ratio in terms of the turnovers from both teams, but the Cavs crumbled under the Warriors' defensive pressure. Ball security is certainly going to be a point of emphasis for this team in Game 2.

Tristan Thompson, 0 points, 4 rebounds. If Thompson can have his way in the boards against Bogut, he can have his way against Pachulia. That was not the case today. His rebounding activity was non-existent all game long.

Golden State Warriors

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Kevin Durant, 38 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists. Welcome back to the NBA Finals KD! If there's any indication that he wants that ring, this is the game. He put on an absolute dunk fest over the Cavs defense tonight. But most importantly, he brought some much-needed defensive activity during this game with his length and athleticism.

Stephen Curry, 28 points, 6 three-pointers, 10 assists. If the Warriors had this Curry in game 7 last year, they would've won it. This is the confidence builder that he needs to show up big in this third installment of the Cavs-Dubs finals. As soon as he got hot in the 2nd half, consider it a wrap for the Warriors.

Zaza Pachulia, 8 points, 6 rebounds. Zaza "Houdini!" He had a couple of highlight plays, just throwing up the basketball. Lucky for him, a lot of those circus shots went in.

Ball security. As mentioned, 20-4 was the turnover ratio for both teams. What a difference a year made for the Warriors.

(-)

Klay Thompson, 3-16 shooting. Warriors fans have to put a missing label for Klay Thompson's scoring in milk cartons. I labeled him as an X-factor for these finals. There's no problem for Klay defensively, but he's playing like Harrison Barnes last year, struggling with his shot.

Conclusion

Does Kevin Durant's presence differentiate this Warriors team from the historic 73-9 roster? That is certainly so. Even though it's just one game, you can definitely see the difference from a year ago. This Warriors team is loaded with so many weapons on the offensive end. For the Cavs, Oracle Arena has been brutal to them outside of Games 5 and 7 last year. No question, the turnovers played a key role in their loss tonight. Game 2 will decide where this series is gonna go. If it tilts in favor of the Cavs, this is a series. If it tilts in favor of the Warriors, this gonna be a short series with no blown 3-1 lead this time. I'll see you guys on Sunday for Game 2. 

2017 NBA Finals - Game 1: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Golden State Warriors 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of Cavs-Dubs III, game 1. As usual, leave a comment below this post to share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

CLE 90 GSW 113

And this 2nd half is mercifully over. Curry and Durant pretty much put the clamps down on the Cavs and the Cavs just had no answer. The Warriors complete the 3-peat in striking first in these finals. They remain perfect in this postseason. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

CLE 72 GSW 93

The Warriors would erupt eventually. Kevin Durant has done a majority of the damage and Steph Curry is in "Human Torch" form. That is one thing the Cavs didn't want to see and this quarter became really similar to the Martin Luther King day rematch between these two when the Warriors went on a crazy run before the 2nd half. This quarter was yet another Golden State clinic.

2017 NBA Finals - Game 1: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Golden State Warriors 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

It's here. This is the first half of game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals, Cavs-Dubs III. Leave a comment below this post and share your thoughts on the game and certain highlight plays that blew your mind.

Q2

CLE 52 GSW 60

Talk about an epic first half. Both teams are living up and certainly the stars are living up to the billing. LeBron and Durant leading the way for their respective teams. Who says these two don't want it more? James is leading the Cavaliers already with a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds. He continues his postseason dominance, but he's gonna need a lot more help. Luckily for James, Kyrie Irving stepped up more in this 2nd quarter. They're gonna need more output. Kevin Love has been quiet. Tristan Thompson is not active. And none of the key role players are stepping in. For the Warriors, Kevin Durant is like a kid who's ecstatic about being in "candy land." He's leading Golden State with 23 points and he's looking at the Cavs' defense in slow motion with so many highlight dunks. Steph Curry had a solid outing out there and lucky for the Cavs, he hasn't gone off yet. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green so far have disappointed on offense. They're doing their jobs defensively but Green has still yet to make a shot and Thompson is really in a bad funk. They need to pick it up if the Warriors want to pull away from this game early. Verdict for Cavs-Warriors III? So far, so good! Let's see what the 2nd half unfolds.

Q1

CLE 30 GSW 35

This is only game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals and it already feels like a game 7! Both teams are into it. The Warriors fans inside Oracle Arena couldn't stop making noise. The intensity is there as expected of an epic trilogy. With the Cavs and the Warriors setting all kinds of records on offense, you'd think one would have a fast start over the other. But, they're pretty even during that quarter. If you're an NBA fan, you gotta enjoy that first quarter. A surreal atmosphere shown inside Oracle arena.

2017 NBA Finals Preview: Cavs-Dubs III

Three times a charm. Cavs, Warriors, the same teams, the champions of the last two years. Both have clinched their respective championships on the road against each other. Like the Lakers and Celtics before them, there's no love-lost between these two rivals. With the series tied, one of these teams will own the tie breaker. This is a star-studded rematch with high stakes on the line. This is your 2017 NBA Finals preview of the 3rd installment in this Finals trilogy between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Winning the NBA title last year and coming back from a 3-1 finals deficit against a historic Warriors squad, the Cavaliers transformed the city of Cleveland from heartbreak to triumph. The Cavs will look to transform Cleveland into a city with high expectations of winning it all every year. In their first full season under Tyronn Lue, the Cavs finished once again as a 50+ win team. But, like last season, they had a couple of bumps on the road. Key role players sustained injuries that kept them out for the majority of the season until the playoffs started. And after the All-Star break, the Cavs really lapsed on the defensive end. They eventually lost out on the #1 seed to the Celtics. In the playoffs, the Cavs completely flipped the switch. A lot of analysts thought this year would be the Cavs' toughest road to the Finals, facing off against the likes of the Pacers, Raptors, and Celtics. The Cavs cruised by those teams even though the Pacers did offer a competitive series despite getting swept. The Cavs come in to the Finals at 12-1 and LeBron James is playing his best basketball in this postseason. And yes, considering he just passed Michael Jordan as the all-time leading scorer in the playoffs, the debate is open once again. Outside of LeBron, Kyrie Irving continues to be Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love has had the hot shooting hand throughout these playoffs, making the Cavs' Big 3 formidable heading into these finals.

Golden State Warriors

After a disappointing end to a historic 73-9 season, the Warriors made all kinds of headlines during this offseason by signing All-Star Kevin Durant from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite a terrible opening night showing against the Spurs, the Warriors and their fantastic four of Curry, KD, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green certainly didn't disappoint during the majority of the regular season. They shattered all kinds of scoring and offensive records. This team could've won 70 games again had Durant not gone down with the leg injury. Warriors fans exhaled jubilantly that KD was able to make a recovery. But during the stretch Durant's injury, Curry was able to regain his form as the back-to-back MVP. The high-powered scoring of Curry and KD carried over in the playoffs. They're 12-0 start is a feat that was not seen since the 2000-01 Lakers (I remember those days). Like the Cavs, the Warriors were supposed to have a tough road against the Blazers, Jazz, and Spurs. The Spurs had the formula of beating the Warriors with their size and length until Kawhi Leonard went down for them. Outside of Curry, KD, Thompson, and Green, players such as Javale McGee, Ian Clark, and Patrick McCaw are stepping up big time and contributing to the Warriors' dominance in this postseason.

Keys for the Cavs

The lack of size is one key weakness in this Warriors' squad. The Spurs provided that blueprint in 3 out of the 4 regular season games and in game 1 in the Western Conference Finals. The Cavs have Tristan Thompson. They have Kevin Love. And without further question, LeBron has shown countless times that he can be able to crash the boards. Rebounding is going to be the major key for the Cavs on both ends of the floor and they have the size to do it to slow down the juggernaut Warriors. Tristan Thompson has terrorized the Warriors in the last two finals with his relentless rebounding prowess. LeBron will do his thing. Kyrie Irving will do his thing. Kevin Love has been playing lights out in these playoffs as of late. They're going to need him to keep the train rolling. The Cavs may have found their defensive mojo against the Celtics and even though the Warriors are not the Celtics, the Cavs must put defensive pressure on the Warriors rather than the Warriors put the defensive pressure on them. After all, both teams like to run the floor and start fast on offense. Can J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver find the stroke? Will Deron Williams turn back the clock as "D-Will" and live up to being the playmaker that LeBron James desperately coveted throughout the regular season? Those players are going to be the X-factors for the defending champs.

Keys for the Dubs

Steph Curry and Kevin Durant have formed a formidable scoring duo as of late. Isn't that supposed to be expected from the MVPs of the last three seasons? While Steph and KD will get all the headlines, Warriors fans should be asking: "can the real Klay Thompson please stand up?" He's been relegated to the "Harrison Barnes role" for the Dubs and he hasn't had any impressive games during those postseason. Klay's gonna have to rekindle the role of being one half of the "Splash Bros." There's no question about his defensive capabilities, but if Klay gets going offensively, the Warriors are going to be like a well-oiled machine. Draymond Green, can this guy keep his emotions in check and just play ball? You can expect that Green is going to be amped up with this third consecutive battle with the Cavaliers, but he has to keep it under control and stay disciplined in order to not repeat the same mistakes as last year. Outside of Draymond's fiasco, turnovers also ultimately doomed the Warriors in blowing a 3-1 lead. They've kept the turnovers to a low level in these playoffs and they need to continue that in the finals. Javale McGee, Ian Clark, Patrick McCaw, Iguodala, Livingston; these guys are going to be the obvious X-factors. They've proven to have big moments to reinforce the Warriors' prowess. Perhaps Golden State has a secret weapon in interim coach, Mike Brown (I hate bringing this guy up as a Laker fan). Brown has coached LeBron for half a decade and he briefly coached Kyrie Irving in his 2nd year in the league with the Cavs. If there's anyone in the Warriors that has more intel on those two players, it's Mike Brown. I'm sure he's game planning with Steve Kerr to find unique ways to slow down both LeBron and Irving.

Prediction

At first, I just want to let these finals play out. The NBA got what they wanted and basketball fans will be rewarded with a star-studded matchup. But, I'm expecting this to be a really short series to cap off the dreadful NBA Playoffs this year. No disrespect to the defending champs, but the Warriors had the Cavs beaten and battered until Draymond's suspension and Bogut's injury. They lost a few key players, but they still have the roster depth and adding Kevin Durant to the mix, there's just too many weapons on this Warriors team. I'm giving the Cavs at least one game in these series. But a hungry KD in search for his first ring coupled with a squad that's hellbent on revenge and silencing all the blown 3-1 lead jokes, I predict that this is going to be like the 2014 NBA Finals all over again when the Spurs laid the smack down on the Heat in five games.

Warriors in 5