Wrap-Up — Heading into Game 5, the Cavaliers knew that they’d have to make history in order to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. And on Monday, two of their stars got a head start on rewriting some history along the way.
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving became the first teammate duo in league history to score more than 40 points in a Finals game – putting on a jaw-dropping display on both ends in a game the Wine and Gold needed for their very survival.
When the smoke cleared from Cleveland’s double-barrel barrage, the Cavaliers left Oracle Arena with the 112-97 win – sending the series back to the North Coast, where the Cavaliers will try to win again on Thursday and force a Game 7 back in Oakland on Sunday night.
With the sold-out Oracle Arena psyched to celebrate a title and salty over the absence of Draymond Green – who was suspended for Game 5 after tangling with LeBron on Friday night – James was booed before he got in the pregame layup line and that chorus only got louder every time he touched the ball after tipoff.
This only seemed to fuel the four-time MVP, who tallied 12 points in the first quarter and added 13 more in the second.
The Cavaliers would need everything James and Irving had to give in the first half, with Klay Thompson catching fire in the second quarter – going 5-of-5 from the floor, including a perfect 4-of-4 from long-range, netting 18 of Golden State’s 29 points in the period.
Kyrie kept up with Klay and the King all night, but found an extra gear in the fourth quarter – notching 12 of his career Playoff-high 41 points to snuff Golden State’s hopes down the stretch.
On the night, Irving went 17-of-24 from the floor, including 5-of-7 from long-range, to go with six assists, three boards, two steals and a blocked shot.
“We’re not satisfied,” asserted Irving. “We understand the magnitude of what Game 6 means for us at home, and we know that it’ll be an incredible level that they’re going to play at, and we have to play at an even better level.”
James put up numbers reminiscent of last year’s Finals, when he was forced to put the shorthanded Cavaliers on his back. In Game 5, the 12-time All-Star went 16-for-30 from the field, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc – adding game-highs in rebounds (16), assists (7), steals (3) and blocked shots (3).
“My only motivation is my teammates and my coaching staff, especially being in this building,” explained James, when asked if the Draymond dust-up served to motivate him. “It’s just us, us versus the Warriors. So my only motivation is how can I be there for my teammates and my coaching staff? That’s it. I mean, at the end of the day, nothing else really matters.”
Without Green, the Warriors went extra-small on Monday night – and were forced to go even smaller when starting center Andrew Bogut injured his left knee early in the third quarter and had to be helped off the floor an into the Warriors locker room.
That left the Warriors with only Anderson Varejao manning the middle – and Tristan Thompson took full advantage, grabbing a Playoff-high 15 boards in the victory.
J.R. Smith, who was held without a shot attempt in the second half of Friday’s loss in Cleveland, rounded out the Cavaliers in double-figures with 10 points, going 3-of-9 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the stripe.
Richard Jefferson led Cleveland’s reserves with eight points on 4-for-6 shooting, swiping three steals in 14 minutes of action.
The high-octane Warriors put up 32 points in the first quarter but managed just 36 after intermission, including a 13-point final quarter. Golden State, which canned 17 triples on Friday night, set an NBA Finals mark with 11 in the first half on Monday. But the only record they ended the game with was their 42 attempts – hitting only three threes in 21 attempts in the second stanza.
The Cavaliers shot 53 percent from the floor and 42 percent from long-distance on Monday – holding the Warriors to a series-low 36 percent from the field.
Cleveland also outscored Golden State in the paint, 48-30, and on the break, 28-9 – playing downhill all night while holding the Warriors at bay through almost the entire second half.
Turning Point — The Wine and Gold are well aware of Golden State’s capacity for erasing big leads and extending a small advantage into an insurmountable one. And they played with that urgency all night in Oakland.
On Monday, the Cavaliers made their move and gave themselves some cushion early in the third quarter.
After a high-scoring first half that saw the score knotted up a 61-apiece, LeBron and Kyrie went to work early in the second half – with James giving the Cavaliers a three-point lead with a step-back triple and a massive right-handed dunk to put them up five. Seconds later, Irving drained his third three of the night to put Cleveland up eight, 74-66.
The Warriors wouldn’t take the lead again the rest of the way.
By the Numbers – 35.0 … Kyrie Irving’s scoring average over the last three games of the 2016 Finals. Irving has now notched six 30-point games in the postseason – scoring at least 20 points in 16 of Cleveland’s 19 Playoff games so far.
Quotable – J.R. Smith, on what will change when Draymond Green rejoins the Warriors for Game 6 …
“Nothing. We can’t change anything. We have to continue to play with desperation to exhaustion. We have to go home for Game 6 and try to force a Game 7. Mentally, nothing can change. We have to bring the same effort.”
Up Next – The Cavaliers will try to continue their historic run on Thursday night in Cleveland for Game 6. If they’re able to win at The Q, they’ll become just the third team in history – and first in 50 seasons – to extend a series to seven games after trailing the Finals, 1-3. If the Wine and Gold are able to go the distance, Game 7 is set for Oracle Arena on Sunday night.
