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
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
The sun came up the East today in Cleveland, but the gloom did not burn off like the morning fog. No Friday has ever felt like the one the poor folks in Cleveland had to endure. After being one shot away from a Game 1 victory, after watching Kyrie Irving do a little of everything — nothing bigger than his block of Stephen Curry’s layup attempt with 25 seconds left in regulation — after getting almost nothing from their bench yet
You don’t need to look at the MRI on Kyrie Irving’s knee to know the Cleveland Cavaliers are in trouble. Just look at the boxscore. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Irving was better than anyone could have imagined. Bothered by a nagging sore left knee since Cleveland’s first-round series win over Boston, Irving clearly benefited from the eight-day layoff following the conference finals and rediscovered his All-Star form. Irving collected 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists in nearly 44 minutes,