[BELATED] NBA Finals Game 3 Recap: Cavaliers Perspective
SteemSports Presenter: @dwin0603
SteemSports Editor: @theprophet0
The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a heartbreaking 110-102 loss after Kevin Durant punished them by posting 43 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists. After holding a lead by as much as 15 points, the Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t hold on to their lead as the Warriors rallied and kept the game close till the final minutes of the game. The Cavaliers had a great start knocking down most of their shots in the first quarter and built some confidence, but it still wasn’t enough. This was the the last legitimate chance for LeBron and the Cavs to come back to this series as no NBA team has ever overcame a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs, and they failed. The dubs are looking to sweep the Cavs and win their second straight title and third championship in four years. This will be the second ring for Durant and the third for Curry, Thompson and Green. This will definitely worsened LeBron’s NBA finals record as he will go down to 3-6 win/loss finals record. I think many people think like this, if the Cavs lose this Finals series, it’s over, LeBron will leave. And I personally think that leaving the Cavs is the best decision he can make. He can join a more legitimate contender with greater supporting cast and can lighten up the load he has carried with the Cavs all year long. Joining a much stronger team can help him win more championships before he retire and can challenge the Golden State Warriors and stop them in building their dynasty.
LeBron James led the Cavaliers with a triple-double of 33 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Kevin Love added a double-double of 20 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. Cleveland increased their intensity and many role players stepped up to win to help LeBron and Love. The Cavaliers promised that they will be a much physical team in Game 3 and they delivered, especially Tristan Thompson. He finished the game with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 1 block. JR Smith made three 3-pointers and finished the game with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals while Larry Nance Jr. scored 5 points including a beautiful reversed layup and a slam dunk. Rodney Hood played huge finishing with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Hood builds his confidence after having no playing time throughout the postseason. Hood is a great player but the Cavs keeps him off the bench and when they release him he proves that he can provide some energy and some scoring for the team but it was too late. The Cavs should’ve been using him from the beginning.
The Cavaliers were better at home and they shot well but Durant’s 43-point performance was too much for them, even behind Curry and Thompson’s rough shooting night they still manage to steal the victory. Now the Cavaliers could be down to their one final game with “The King”, LeBron James. He could test free agency and option out of his 35.6 million contracts and look for a team who can beat the Golden State Warriors. LeBron is now 33 and he is running out of time, he must act smartly in free agency and try to win more championships with the right team. James moved into 4th place for the most playoff games (238) and was only behind Derek Fisher (259), Tim Duncan (251) and Robert Horry (244). Game 4 is on Friday night in Cleveland.
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GREAT^^