It’s certainly not a stretch to say that the winner of Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night likely will the championship. If the Cleveland Cavaliers win, they will have a 3-1 lead and have three chances for LeBron James to snag one more victory for the city’s first pro sports title since 1964. If the Golden State Warriors win, they will have evened the series at 2-2 while reclaiming home court advantage, They also will have reclaimed some of
Through the first three games of the NBA Finals, we’ve learned some things about both the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. For one, LeBron James remains the very best the league has to offer and can single-handedly crush all your hopes and dreams. We’re also learning that you can never count out a team that has made it to the Finals, no matter how underhanded they seem, and all of it can be so unexpectedly overwhelming if you’ve never been
CLEVELAND — When your coach says you are lacking in energy, playing with very little life … Well, there really aren’t that many harsher words that can be used, are there? But those were the phrases Steve Kerr was uttering Tuesday night to describe the NBA’s reigning MVP, Stephen Curry, who came to life in the fourth quarter of Game 3 at the NBA Finals but again made too many untimely mistakes as the Golden State Warriors fell into a 2-1 hole
Matthew Dellavedova is making a bigger name for himself in the NBA Finals than anyone could ever have imagined. In a series that was destined to show the greatness of superstars LeBron James and Stephen Curry, it’s been Dellavedova who has stolen the show with his unexpected impact on both ends of the floor, guarding Curry admirably on one end and hitting big shots for the Cleveland Cavaliers on the other. Dellavedova ended the contest with an impressive 20 points, five rebounds and four
The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers have split the first two games of the NBA Finals, with both winning in overtime. Hoops junkies are drooling over the idea that this could be a long, hard-fought exciting series. Keep in mind, however, that the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat split the first two games a year ago on the heels of a seven-game classic in 2013. That series quickly turned as Kawhi Leonard caught fire and was over a week
When you have attended more NBA Finals games than you have watched on TV, you take a special appreciation in spending time with and family friends, watching the games in HD and observing those folks’ reactions — especially if you are in the company of people who almost never, ever watch basketball. It is good to break out of the bubble every once in a while, and sportswriters operate in a bubble when they cover the NBA Finals. Yes, they have
If you’re wondering why the offense of the Cleveland Cavaliers has come to a grinding halt down the stretch of the first two games of the NBA Finals, coach David Blatt has a perfectly logical explanation. Blatt may be an NBA rookie but is somewhat of an icon in Israel, where he won five league titles, four Coach of the Year awards and the 2014 Euroleague Championship with Maccabi Tel Aviv. He is on a first name basis with Prime Minister
If Stephen Curry and LeBron James line up next to each other, it looks like Marty McFly standing beside the Incredible Hulk, which, oddly in a way, works in Curry’s favor. Curry obviously is a player with stellar skills and during the playoffs, he has continued to demonstrate his worthiness as the Most Valuable Player, which he won for his play in the regular season. With an average of 29.7 points in 16 games, he ranks second in scoring behind only