Day 292

Fresh Start_292: Game 5 cannot be the end of the 2017 Finals, right?

Give me more of what happened last night. Give me 3 more. I want a Game 5, Game 6, and a Game 7. If we get to that point I don’t honestly care what happens. What happened in last night’s game was just fun, aside from the officiating atrocity that we happened to witness, but the rest was a lot of fun. This is what we wanted from this series right? We wanted all the emotion, the back and forth, and incredible performances… right? Can someone remind me what we all wanted because last night was just awesome.

We got a triple double from Lebron (who know stands alone with 9 triple doubles in the Finals), a Lebron self-oop, a 3-point barrage from Cleveland {24-45}, and best of all a chippie game that saw tensions rise to the point where people can actually consider this matchup a rivalry. Which was topped off with a Zaza punch beneath the belt, and Draymond Green getting back to his 2016 Finals mindset (at least for one game).

Kyrie Irving on by the way had 40 points, including the dagger with 2:15 to go in the game. Irving is making a serious case for Finals MVP, even with Lebron averaging a triple double during the Finals. Uncle Drew showed out last night, and all the Warriors can do is watch.

Cleveland played their game last night. Now I don’t think they will shoot 53.3% from behind the arc in Game 5, but I do think Cleveland will punch Golden State in the mouth with physicality at the beginning of Game 5. What the Warriors seem to hate the most are physical games where they can’t jump out in transition and control the pace. The Warriors allowed the Cavs to shoot 20 free throws in the first quarter.

Golden State was playing with fouls the entire game, and that’s how Cleveland controlled the pace, allowing the game to be played in the half court, which favors Cleveland. Durant did manage to score 35 points, but Draymond, Klay, and Steph combined for 43 combined points with 9 fouls between the trio. Golden State also got out rebounded as a team {GS:40; CLE:41} and only hit 11 out of 39 attempted 3’s.

Golden State has now taken a step backwards, because Cleveland now has a stepping stone of success, and a game plan to defeat the Warriors. The Warriors need to find a way to not let Cleveland have a similar game because in 3 years of playing the Cavilers they cannot win a game when Cleveland and Lebron plays like the way they played tonight. Just like how I didn’t know how Cleveland would steal a game, I don’t know how you get yourself out of a dogfight that the emotions of the Warriors have let them into.

Now, some of this could just be Cleveland not wanting the Warriors to celebrate in Cleveland for the second time in three years, but this could also be the Cavilers walking up and trying to make this a series. This Golden State team showed morality, and that could be dangerous for the Warriors. But, something that cannot be overlooked is the fact that Kyrie and Lebron are putting this team on their backs, and are trying to make history for the second straight year.

However, Game 3 still is the best game of the series so far with the competitiveness of the game, and how close the game was; but Game 4 was the Cleveland counter punch that not even Kevin Durant can help overcome.

I don’t want this series to end in five games, because of how good this series will be historically if it goes 6 or 7. Honestly, is there any basketball fan that doesn’t want to see more of this series? We have been waiting an entire year for this series, why get an abbreviated look?

There are people that still are saying this series is over, but how can you say that with the history of last year, and the way that Cleveland completely took Golden State out of this game? If you ask me, this series has just started, and it will be coming back to Cleveland for a Game 6 later next week. Basketball needs more of this series, and if you need more evidence—watch the 30 for 30 on the Celtics and Lakers that’s coming out on Tuesday and Wednesday. The emotions in this series after tonight, can be at least on the spectrum of the Celtics-Lakers 80’s matchup. It’s not there yet in terms of intensity, but there is definitely some bad blood that still has some resolving to be done on the floor.

 Remember when I said the other day “let history be history…” well maybe it’s the other history. Maybe this is just another bookmark in the storybook that is Lebron James’ career. Either way, Kevin Durant gets his first ring, reshaping the landscape of the NBA with Super-teams, or Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, and the Cleveland Cavilers comeback from 3-0; completing the greatest comeback in sports history.  As my brother put it tonight “that was like this current series.” So, waiter can I have a refill of the Game 4?

Sources:(espn.com)

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