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Intercepting an errant Stephen Curry pass, James raced the length of the court on a fast break. The Warriors' All-Defensive forward Andre Iguodala could do nothing as James towered above him to slam home for the two points. Irving, the Cavaliers point guard, was bumped by the Warriors' Klay Thompson as he attempted to shoot during the second quarter of Game One at Oracle Arena in Oakland on June 2. Somehow, though, Irving not only got the shot away but turned it into a perfect three-pointer, off balance. James, who in 2012 with Miami beat the Thunder in Durant's only other Finals, wound up with 41 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.
Kevin Durant had 38 points to lead the Warriors, and Stephen Curry added 28 points. The Cavaliers' LeBron James also had 28 points, becoming the first player to score 6000 career points in the postseason. James also passed Reggie Miller for second all-time in postseason three-pointers made. He grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out 8 assists, but he committed 8 of the Cavaliers' 20 turnovers. Golden State as a team managed only half of James' total with 4 turnovers, equaling the NBA record for fewest turnovers in an NBA Finals game.
NBA Finals: Game 5 recap and highlights
Kyrie Irving added 38 points but struggled from beyond the arc, going 0-for-7. Despite stellar performances from both James and Irving, Cleveland finished the game a dismal 12-of-44 from three-point range, compared to the Warriors 16-of-33 performance on three point shots. Owning a 3-1 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors made sure to take care of home-court advantage this time around and secure their fifth championship in franchise history. The Cavaliers finished the 2016–17 regular season with a 51–31 record, securing the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference.
The guy had averaged 41 points this Finals series before Game 4 while playing 3 games in 5 days. There is a lot riding on his shoulders and the question “How long can LeBron keep this up? LeBron James led the way for the Cavaliers with 41 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and one block in a mammoth 46 minutes.
#1 New York Knicks - 1999 NBA Playoffs
The club became the fastest team in NBA history to clinch a playoff berth, achieving the feat on February 25, 2017, two days earlier than last season when they clinched on February 27, 2016. Entering the Finals, this twelve game win-streak tied third for the most consecutive wins in the postseason. The Warriors also entered the Finals with the largest playoff points differential in NBA history, with a +16.3 winning margin per game.
Steve Kerr’s candid strategy to play small against the Cavs by replacing Andre Iguodala for their big man Andrew Bogut paid off. Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t keep up with the pace where all the five men on the offence were contributing significantly. Harrison Barnes who was struggling offensively ended his drought by scoring a respectable 14 points with 8 rebounds.
When will LeBron James break the NBA's career points record?
However, he isn’t used to playing 40+ minutes a game and fatigue has taken over him. There is no question about his skills, but his body isn’t conditioned like James to play almost full games. Iman Shumpert has to pick up his teammate and guard Curry when Delly needs a breather.
ESPN Deportes provided exclusive Spanish-language coverage of The Finals, with a commentary team of Álvaro Martín and Carlos Morales. When LeBron found Thompson for an impressive one-handed alley-oop, Game 5 had officially gotten too close for comfort, even when KD canned yet another huge three on the opposite end the very next play. KD and Curry anchored Golden State's 71-point first half, fueling a second quarter for the Dubs with 21 points and 20 points, respectively. LeBron led the way with 21 points for Cleveland, while Kyrie's 16 points and J.R.
Regular season series
And they're playing me to pass, and it was like exploit them tonight. Durant shot 14 for 20 and Curry -- the two-time reigning MVP who took a backseat as the new big star got acclimated -- finished off a brilliant postseason. In the Western Conference Finals, the NBA MVP winner David Robinson and the San Antonio Spurs were new obstacles in Houston's way. However, Olajuwon put up a great performance, averaging 35 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in a series in which the home team only won one game. Hakeem Olajuwon averaged 35 points per game against Utah, while Drexler helped with 25 per night. In the second round, the Rockets found Charles Barkley's Phoenix Suns for the second year in a row.
"I work hard, I believe in myself, I believe in the game, I respect the game, I love the game, and I knew at some point in my life that it will come around for me." The Boston Celtics finally put an end to the Rockets' dream run as Larry Bird and company started their new era in the 1980s. The Kansas City Kings were Houston's rivals in the Western Conference Finals, and the Rockets went through in five games. With Steve Kerr’s ‘going small’ strategy working, Cavaliers head coach, David Blatt has to decide if he’ll match small with small or stay big.
With the victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Atlanta Hawks have now won each Game 1 of every series so far, all on the road. Cleveland outscored the Warriors 16-6 on offensive rebounds in Game 4. However, they couldn’t handle the offensive speed Kerr’s small lineup brought to the court and suffered defensively.
In a play that seemed to say much about where the series was headed, Curry beat James comprehensively on a one-on-one play. The Warriors' point guard dribbled inside James before finding the net with a layup. This time around Cleveland's task is even harder, in facing the prospect of overturning a 3-0 series deficit. But if it wins in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Oakland to pull to 3-2, the whispers may grow louder that LeBron, Kyrie and co can pull off a miracle again. Two playful superstars who found a way to coexist through all the questions and constant scrutiny, together and smiling as champions. Then they got Durant, who after the buzzer sounded did a little shake with Curry on the court before they slapped hands several times.
It will be interesting to see if the Warriors capitalize of home court advantage or if the Cavaliers are indifferent to it. Draymond Green got the same types of shot as he did in Game 3 but made a significant improvement scoring from 7 points (20 %FG) to 14 points (55 %FG). Stephen Curry along with the experienced Iguodala put up a good 22 points each.
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