by Blake Krantz
When point guard Kyrie Irving went down in overtime at Oracle Arena in game one, the Cavaliers’ hopes for a championship seemed to be shattered.
As Irving headed to the locker room, he became yet another Cavalier starter, along with Love and Varejao, who will not see the floor in the remainder of the 2015 NBA Finals.
The Golden State Warriors went on to win game one in overtime, before Lebron James began to show fans of basketball worldwide why he is truly “The King.”
In game two in Oakland and game three in Cleveland, the Cavaliers proved just about everybody wrong, taking a 2-1 series victory with gritty team defense, sensational play from superstar Lebron James, and a spirited effort best exemplified by the emergence of backup point guard Matthew Dellavedova as an essential piece for Cleveland.
Undermanned and a clear underdog, the Cavaliers have somewhat miraculously turned this year’s finals around. In game two, despite the Warriors hardly having lost the entire season, Lebron James had 39 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists.
In game three James nearly followed the tremendous effort up with another triple double, dropping 40 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists in the win at Quicken Loans Arena Tuesday night.
In game three Dellavedova was also a key factor, finishing with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, in addition to his relentless defense on the likes of MVP Steph Curry.
Dellavedova was hospitalized due to dehydration after the game Tuesday, although he is expected to play tonight in game four for Cleveland.
But, just as important as the heroics of James and Dellavedova, the Warriors’ prolific three-point shooting has suddenly gone cold.
The Cavaliers have slowed the pace of the games down, and key players such as Dellavedova have played great defense, but ultimately, it has simply come down to many such as Steph Curry and Draymond Green failing to hit open shots.
In game two in Golden State, Curry shot an anemic 2/15 from the three-point line, setting an NBA Finals record with 13 missed three-pointers in one game.
The MVP started off slow from the field once again in game three, with just 3 points at halftime. But, much to the concern of the Cavaliers, Curry finally seemed to find his stroke in the fourth quarter of game three, scoring 17 points down the stretch to help cut a 20-point Cavalier lead to just one point in the final minutes.
Like always, among the headlines to watch in game four tonight will be the play of MVP Steph Curry, who has failed to have an impactful performance in the last two games, and “King James,” who will look to continue playing huge minutes and carry the Cavaliers to a somewhat unexpected championship.
With a shocking 2-1 series lead, the Cavaliers will need to once again defend their home floor, in what will hopefully be the fourth electrifying contest of this year’s NBA Finals.