It was Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors who escape Game 5 of the NBA Finals with the victory over LeBron James and the Cavs.
By Robby Sabo
Yet again, LeBron James was brilliant.
Yet again, the Cleveland Cavaliers ran out of gas towards the end of the game.
It was the league’s MVP and the Golden State Warriors who came away with the 104-91 victory tonight in Game 5 of the 2015 NBA Finals.
.@StephenCurry30 owns the 4Q & the Dubs take a 3-2 lead in the #NBAFinals. One more #DubNation! #StrengthInNumbers pic.twitter.com/ThicXIJE1B
— Golden St. Warriors (@warriors) June 15, 2015
The three-point game for the Splash Brothers was on full display.
Steph Curry drained 7-13 from beyond the arc for a total of 37 points, while his brother on the court, Klay Thompson, chipped in with 12 on a pretty poor shooting night (5-14 from the field).
When you know you just broke Delly's spirit… http://t.co/HbNqfcCdSV https://t.co/VJ3ikAIpvD
— SB Nation (@SBNation) June 15, 2015
Those 50/50 balls the Cavs thrived on during the first three-games of the season are no longer there. The intimidating rebounding by Tristan Thompson and sheer hustle from Matthew Dellavedova is now clearly fizzling away before our very eyes.
Every loose ball or rebound in the fourth-quarter tonight went to the home team. They played physical and looked more aggressive, simply because the seven-man Cavs squad has nothing left by the time the final frame comes.
Despite the loss, James was ridiculous. His 40 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists marked his second triple-double of these finals.
It’s interesting.
As a partial observer, one could feel that Curry is a bit of a front-runner. When momentum is on the side of his team, he seems to be untouchable. When things get tough, however, he seems to be dominated by the defense of Dellavedova.
40 points (15-34 FG), 14 boards, 11 assists & one steal in 45 mins for @KingJames: http://t.co/EvNPiXxk47 #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/41MgoMbzZ0
— NBA.com (@NBAcom) June 15, 2015
Unfortunately for the Cavs, David Blatt has very little to work with. It’s tough to come up with adjustments during the course of a seven-game series when your roster goes only seven or eight deep.
As fans of the sport, we have now been robbed of a magical scene on Thursday night in Cleveland where that starving city would’ve had a chance to witness their first American Professional sports championship since 1964 (Browns).
Instead, it will now be LeBron James and his team looking to keep their legs for the fourth-quarter, hoping they can send it back to Golden State for Game 7.
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