NBA Finals Game 3 Preview

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SteemSports Presenter:@mateonav53

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SteemSports Editor:@scottybuckets

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You know the saying. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Am I right? That's where the Golden State Warriors are right now touching down into Cleveland for Game 3 of the NBA Finals. They're up 2-0 on the Cavaliers and look like the far superior collection of players. Unless the Cavs manage to win a game, Games 3 and 4 are just looking like formalities given the paltry performances of LeBron's supporting cast. Unlike in the Houston series, it doesn't look like they're in a situation where they have to ponder rushing Andre Iguodala back to the court.

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After being previously listed as "doubtful", Iggy is being considered "questionable" for Game 3. TNT reporter David Aldridge had this to say about Iguodala's rehab progress, "Per Steve Kerr, Andre did some on-court work Monday and said he felt better; Kerr said Iguodala would likely be listed as questionable for Game 3 Wednesday, with the hope he’ll be available for Game 4 if he can’t play tomorrow". Chris Haynes from ESPN also noted that Iggy hasn't felt any pain in his knee over the last couple days, even going through a full individual workout that included sprinting for the first time since incurring the injury during Rockets-Warriors.

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The Warriors handily dispatched the exhausted Cavs back in Game 2 by doing all the things they do best: shooting the three (41%, a Finals record nine Curry three's), dropping dimes (28 assists, 18 in the first half), and getting out in transition (17 fast break points compared to Cleveland's 12). Overall, they out-shot the Cavaliers in Game 2 by making 57.3% of their buckets compared to 41.1%. for the Cavs. They got a ton of great looks by attacking the basket early which threw Cleveland off their defensive game plan, freeing up Curry for more three-point shots in the fourth quarter (5 makes from three in the fourth).

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Curry has been such a monster in this series that he's the favorite to win the Finals MVP that has eluded him all his career. After seeing teammates Andre Iguodala and Kevin Durant get their own in the first two Warriors Finals, Curry is eager to quiet the haters who make knocks against his potential legacy and individual NBA accomplishments. A common misconception about Steph is that he has been total trash in the NBA Finals. While the historic choke in 2016 is understandable, he has been quite an impactful player in the championship round despite his lack of Finals MVP hardware. Prominent NBA Youtuber Dom2k did an excellent breakdown about this misconception that you can find here if you want to learn more.

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One thing Golden State has to anticipate in Game 3 is an intensified defensive focus on Steph Curry. If they're smart, they're going to do their best to deny Curry the ball and make Kevin Durant an iso scorer like Houston was doing in the Conference Finals. They might adopt more of a trapping scheme instead of a switching one that they've come to use. They'll do this by sending two defenders at Curry when he has the ball at the top of half-court which will ideally pressure him to give the ball to other Warriors to score & run the offense. The thing is, almost everyone around him is a lethal threat with the ball in their hands. That's one thing Cleveland might try doing to get back in this series.

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I'm still in the "Warriors in 5" camp, but after the Game 2 beatdown I started pondering a sweep. The Cavs looked exhausted and defeated. It's hard to rally the troops in enemy territory after you blew that incredible chance to go up 1-0 on the champs in Game 1. I think Cleveland has a decent chance to win since they're back home, but ultimately Golden State will claim this game in a close-fought 110-100 victory.

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Thank you for following @steemsports and you can find me @mateonav53

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