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The Cleveland Cavaliers have used a monstrous attitude change on their home court in Game 3 of the NBA Finals to defeat the Golden State Warriors by 30 points.
The win for the Cavaliers sees them edge closer in the series after being simply blown off the court during the first game, now trailing two games to one.
The Cavaliers got off to a fast start with Kyrie Irving and LeBron James leading the way, but it was their attitude, effort and aggression on defence that paved the way for a massive attacking performance.
They caused constant turnovers early on from the Warriors, and when they did manage to hold the ball their shots were abysmal. The Cavaliers defensive rotation was worked out down to perfection, and the splash brothers – Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry were 0 of 7 shooting at one point.
Andrew Bogut would get the Warriors on the board early in what was a quiet game for the Australian centre, but at one point they were down 17-4 half way through the first quarter.
Harrison Barnes was the one constant bright spot for a struggling Warriors outfit as he picked his spots well, took good shots and added plenty at the defensive end.
It wasn’t just the Cavaliers defence that led to the 30 point blowout either – it was the Warriors defence that allowed them easy shots, ways to the rim and a massive advantage in offensive rebound spurred on by Tristan Thompson.
The Warriors would go into quarter time down 33-16, with Kyrie Irving having scored as many points as the entire Warriors team.
The second quarter started a little bit differently, and while the Warriors kept threatening to come back, they never mounted it properly with the Cavaliers not playing good basketball for a majority of the second, but still leading by eight at the major break.
Klay Thompson was the man to get his shooting going for Golden State, putting on a strong display to not only start correcting his own shooting percentage, but also get the Warriors back into the game. With strong backup from Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes they were bale to move into the deficit.
The Cavaliers attitude seemed to be lacking during the second quarter, and they may have fallen behind had Curry got on top of his game. Instead, he found himself in foul trouble and on the bench.
The second half saw the Cavaliers pull away again in a big way with LeBron James getting hot from the field. They extended their lead into the mid 20’s, before Stephen Curry got aggressive from beyond the arc, landing a few threes and bringing the gap back to 20.
Richard Jefferson and Tristan Thompson were good during the first term, proving excellent defence in the lane and solid attacking options. Kyrie Irving got back onto his game on the way to scoring 30 points and the Cavs’ looked to be back to their dominant first quarter ways.
It was more of the same early in the fourth as Cleveland pulled away with the game, and the last five or six minutes was simply running time off the clock and allowing the bench players to have a run.
So, a dominant win at home in Game 3 for the Cavaliers, and they need to do exactly the same in Game 4 to tie the series.
Final Score
Cleveland Cavaliers – 120
Golden State Warriors – 90
After being dominated during the first two games of the NBA Finals it is do-or-die time for the Cleveland Cavaliers as they return home against the Golden State Warriors. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 11am (AEST).
Cleveland have failed in every element during the first two games of the series, with the Warriors proving to be the superior team.
Even in the areas where the Cavaliers were supposed to hold the edge, they have not been able to match it with the team that won a record 73 games during the regular season.
The real key is defence and rebounding, which was supposed to be the biggest advantage for the Cavs. The Cavaliers won the board in Game 1 but wasn’t the case in Game 2, and the Warriors’ defensive roatations have been perfect.
They have shifted on shooters, blocked the lanes, rebounded hard and come up with plenty of imposing plays, which has forced the Cavaliers to try and do things differently – something they haven’t responded well to, especially given they have made 17 and 18 turnovers respectively.
Their struggles getting around the magnificent Golden State defence are shown through a disgraseful shooting percentage, with 38 in Game 1 and 35 in Game 2. Even LeBron James is struggling to find the answers, with JR Smith and Kevin Love adding next to nothing.
Cleveland’s struggles in offence don’t even begin to compare to those at the defensive end though. The Warriors have shot at roughly 50 per cent for both games, and have been on fire from beyond the arc – as they often are.
What is different about these offensive performances for the Warriors though is that Curry has scored 29 points across both games. That is below his per game season average, so for the Warriors to be attacking as well as they are asks serious questions about what Cleveland are doing on defence.
To compound issues for Cleveland, Love is expected to miss this game with concussion.
The Cavs must use the home court advantage, and a massive change of tactics if they are to compete here.
Prediction
The Warriors look in a different league to the Cavaliers, and Curry hasn’t really fired yet. It’s pretty rare that Curry won’t go off for a whole week, so Golden State will go up 3-0 here despite being away from home.
Warriors by 13.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the NBA Finals Game 3 from 11am (AEST) and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde