NBA Finals - Game 3 recap - Game 4 preview

Once again another very inefficient game for LeBron. 14-34 is better than Game 2, but still not the best. 46 minutes added to his minutes total, getting him to 142/154 minutes possible. His efficiency is really taking a toll because of his lack of rest. That being said, this is how he has to play with the line-ups he is playing with. I was impressed with how he came out attacking in the 1st half and 3rd quarter when they pushed the lead to 22. The 4th quarter was a different story though, after what we thought was turning into a blowout, the Warrior came back and cut the lead all the way to 1 point. A lot of this was because of stagnant offense by the Cavs, but another reason was because Steph Curry finally found his shot and started lighting it up from downtown. Fortunately for the Cavs, the Warriors could not complete the full comeback, due to some clutch free throws by LeBron and Dellavedova. Curry ended up scoring 17 in the 4th and 27 in the game.

Delly! Delly! Delly! Dellavedova deserves all the praise and attention he is receiving. He out played the MVP, maybe not in stats, but in terms of hustle, heart, and defense. He is giving his all and it shows. I doubt he will have the same kind of performance he had in Game 3 in Game 4, but if he plays with the same intensity and effort, expect him to frustrate Curry and the Warriors again.

Tristan Thompson was much better in Game 3 than Game 2. A key stat worth noting is that he played 44 mins, only 2 less than LeBron who played 46. TT was also very efficient last night getting some easy finishes off 4 offensive rebounds finishing 4/6 from the field with 13 rebounds, a team high. It seems to be that when one of Cleveland's bigs is on the other is off. They work so well at protecting the rim and rebounding, but if they could both be on for one game, the Warriors would have their hands full. I know Cleveland is switching all picks when Thompson is the center, but he simply cannot guard Steph.

Looking ahead to Game 4

As the Cavs take a 2-1 lead into Game 4 and home-court advantage, I wouldn't say anything is locked up for them at all. After last night's loss, I believe the Warriors finally have felt like they can actually be beat. Their body language said it all. They seem like they have lost all their confidence and chemistry. Klay Thompson was MIA last night after having a huge Game 2. Steph didn't find his shot until the 4th quarter. The Golden State front court of Bogut, Green, and Barnes was absolutely horrendous. The only reason they stayed in the game was becasue of the combo of Iggy, David Lee, and Barbosa. Yes, the very unlikely trio. If I'm Steve Kerr, I would piss these guys off to get a fire lit under them. Also, maybe David Lee has to play more. He ended with a +17 rating. That's riddiculous. I think Golden State will come out firing on all cylinders showing everybody that they haven't thrown in the towel yet and make this another close game. The difference between Game 4 and the first 3 games will be that Golden State will actually lead most of the game rather than the Cavs. The Cavs have been leading most of the game because LeBron has been controlling the tempo, disabling Golden State to play at a fast pace and get transition baskets. At the end of the game, Golden State will tie the series 2-2, unless an unexpected performance from Dellavedova, JR Smith, or Iman Shumpert.














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