The Golden State Warriors needed just one win to get a second title.
No problem for a team that won a record-setting 73 games in the regular season, right?
Easier said than done, considering the Warriors had to go for that victory without their do-everything forward Draymond Green, who was suspended for Game 5 after racking up too many flagrant foul points over the course of the postseason.
The Warriors and Cavs were even for most of Game 5, with the game tied at 61 at the half. Which is when Cleveland’s dynamic duo took over, as LeBron James and Kyrie Irving became the first teammates in history to both score at least 40 in a Finals game. They led the Cavaliers to a 112-97 win, despite a 37-point night from Golden State’s Klay Thompson.
Let’s look at what went right and wrong in Game 5…
RIGHT: Kyrie Irving
After scoring 30 points in Game 3, then 34 points in Game 4, Irving found yet another level in Game 5. Irving poured in 41 points for the Cavs, including scoring 10 consecutive points in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers were trying to put the game away. Irving added six assists and two steals, and consistently created offense for the Cavaliers with his ability to score in one-on-one situations. In the most important game of his career, it was exactly the kind of decisive performance Irving needed to produce. “Just Kyrie being special,” said Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue. “We talked about it all series that he is one of the guys when they switch one through five and try to make us stagnant, he is one of the guys that can create his own shot, with him and LeBron on the floor. We just took advantage of mismatches, told him to continue to stay aggressive and he had a great game for us.”
WRONG: Stephen Curry
The two-time MVP has had his ups and downs during the Finals, but he looked to have gotten on track during Golden State’s Game 4 win, finishing with 38 points. But in a game where the Warriors had the win the championship, Curry went 8-for-21 from the field, including 5-of-14 on threes, and finished with 25 points, four assists and four turnovers. For Curry, the line between brilliance and disappointment remains a tough line to navigate.
RIGHT: LeBron James
As brilliant as Irving was all night, LeBron James may have been even better. James scored 25 in the first half and finished with 41 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in 43 minutes of action. While James’ jumper has come and gone during this series, Monday James was confident and consistent with his shot, finishing 16-for-30 from the field and 4-for-8 on three-pointers. He also helped the Cavs milk the clock throughout the fourth quarter and nurse their lead down the stretch.
WRONG: Warriors bench
Versatility has been a hallmark of this Warriors team, but tonight they had no solid answers for Cleveland’s attack. With Green gone from the start, and Andrew Bogut out injured following a third quarter collision, Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s options were limited. Kerr used all of his dozen available players, but other than Shaun Livingston’s eight points, the Warriors bench combined for seven points. After a surprise rotation appearance in Game 4, tonight James Michael McAdoo had two rebounds, three fouls and 0 points in seven minutes. “It would have been nice to have [Bogut] available, but we played, I think, what, four, five different people at center, just trying to find something that would work…” said Kerr. “We’re just mixing and matching and trying to find anything that would work. Generally speaking, you’re going to stay with your best players as much as you can. But it just wasn’t our night and we didn’t get anything going. We couldn’t find any combinations.”
RIGHT: Tristan Thompson
Thompson isn’t Cleveland’s best offensive player, and in Game 5 the Warriors tried to capitalize on his poor free throw shooting by utilizing a Hack-A-Tristan strategy (he would finish 4-for-10 from the line). But with Green out, Thompson did what he does best, dominating the boards and finishing with 15 rebounds. Thompson’s singular focus on rebounding makes Golden State certain to commit a man to boxing him out on every possession, which can affect the Warriors’ tempo and ability to get out on the breaks.
WRONG: Draymond Green
It may be unfair to classify someone who didn’t even play as “wrong,” but Green’s self-inflicted absence proved his worth to the Warriors. As Lue said, Green is Golden State’s “best defender,” and the Cavs clearly took advantage of his absence. Green’s return for Game 6 will at the very least give the Warriors a much-needed spirit boost. “Draymond wasn’t here, so we played without him,” Kerr said. “We didn’t play well enough to win. I’m not going into all that stuff.”
Lang Whitaker has covered the NBA since 1998. You can e-mail him here or follow him on Twitter.
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