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*Photo via NBAtv
The Cleveland Cavaliers gave the Golden State Warriors a run for their money tonight. However, they simply were not able to slow down Stephen Curry and the Warriors. The Warriors won 104-91. The stat of the night for the Cavs was their shooting, they were cold from the start. The Cavs shot 39 percent from the field.
1.As expected LeBron James was hot and highly involved in tonight’s game, dropping his second triple-double of the series. LeBron finished with 40 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and gathered 11 assists. LeBron looked aggressive and played with high intensity in 44 minutes of action. LeBron was also getting no help from the referees, on numerous drives to the basket when contact was drawn no call was made. Keeping LeBron off the line was a huge negative for Cleveland. LeBron will need to pull whatever he has left in the tank for arguably two of the most crucial games of in his career.
2.J.R Smith made some flash entrances at points in the game, however, was still for the most part was a dud on offense. J.R had 14 points on five for 14 shooting, just 33.3 percent for the game. The Cavaliers can’t win Game 6 or this series without a J.R showing at least once.
3.The Cavs again lost the battle down low to the Warriors, losing the rebound category 43 to 37. This is where many predicted the Cavs needed to dominate, this is the third game they have failed to do so.
4.Matthew Dellavedova has come back to earth, after a crazy two games Delly has been ineffective. Even before his offensive spike up, Delly was playing solid defense on MVP Stephen Curry; now it is clear Curry is dominating the matchup after scoring 37 points and shooting over 50 percent from three. Delly needs to find some more magic in him to help the Cavs bounce back in Cleveland.
5,The supporting cast to LeBron James need to show up, it is embarrassing that no one can produce steadily. Despite the limited play of Timothy Mozgov, the Cavaliers need Delly, Smith and Iman Shumpert to shoot at a higher percentage. The four combined for a 29 percent night from the field, these guys are crucial to how the Cavs fair in these last two games of the series. The score leans in Cleveland fans favor if some production is found from a couple of these guys.
Notable Mention: As I wrote prior to the series, Andre Iguodala is the X-Factor for the Warriors. After a solid Game 4 performance, he followed up in Game 5 with another great game. Iggy had 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, a solid all-around game (Besides the awful time on the line tonight). Iggy will remain a huge factor in this series, as he seems to be the only Warrior who can give LeBron trouble.