NBA Finals 2016 - Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors - Game 5

NBA Finals - Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors Game 5

Game 4 was the most competitive, down to the last minute game so far in the series, 11 points was the margin of victory for the Warriors, but it was by far the most compelling game to watch thus far. The Cavs had so many missed defensive assignments that were compounded by Steph Curry finally showing up and having a memorable performance, finishing with 38 points. Curry played like the MVP, while his counterpart Klay Thompson came to play as well finishing with 25 points.

As for the Cavs, LeBron had a near triple-double finishing with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists, but those 25 points and near triple-double are misleading in my opinion. He did have 11 points in the 4th quarter, but 6 of the points were scored on nearly uncontested layups with under a minute left, otherwise known as "padding one's stats," while the Cavs were exchanging layups for near automatic free-throws by Curry and Thompson. On top of his misleading stat-line, LeBron had 7 TO because of careless passes and his reluctant aggressiveness. Kyrie Irving had a big game, scoring 34 points, but that was overshadowed by Curry's 38. So besides James and Irving, the Cavs were pretty flat offensively, especially in the second half.

What's next? Game 5 in Oakland at Oracle Arena on Monday night. Will the Warriors close out the series and become back to back NBA Champions or will the Cavs stay on life support for another game? My gut says it's over on Monday, but the LeBron die hard in me hopes for the latter. I guess all we can do is watch. I hope the LeBron of Game 5 vs Detroit in 2007 comes out to play, but who knows.

Now with the suspension of Draymond Green, I believe Cleveland's chances of winning improve dramatically, mostly because of Green's versatility and his ability to defend LeBron. Yes, Iguodala is very capable of guarding LeBron and fulfilling Green's spot, but his absence will not only affect Golden State's substitutions, but their defensive capabilities. I expect this game to be a lot closer now that Green is out and maybe LeBron explodes for a huge game.

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