Category: NBA Playoffs Blog

NBA playoffs blog

Loss of Kyrie Irving was crucial for Cavs in NBA Finals

Without Kyrie Irving, Cavs were serious underdog vs Warriors

The Warriors won Tuesday’s NBA Finals Game 6 to beat the Cavaliers and win the 2015 NBA championship. Here’s the News Herald reporting on a critical issue that helped ensure Cleveland’s defeat:

Loss of Kyrie Irving was crucial for Cavs in NBA Finals

The loss of All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving after Game 1 was probably the last straw for the Cavs.

His broken knee cap elevated Matthew Dellavedova into the starting lineup. Dellavedova had a brief flurry of spirited play, but eventually settled into what he really was: an undrafted backup role player. Pitting him against league MVP Stephen Curry was almost cruel.

Curry was fueled by all the admiration Dellavedova got early in the series. He was irked by the thought of Dellavedova slowing him down. Curry averaged 26 points in the series, 28 in the last three games.

Kevin Love was injured in Game 4 of the Boston series. They shifted Tristan Thompson into the starting lineup to replace Love, and the Cavs’ defense and rebounding intensified.

“The injuries they suffered were just too much,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “This would have been a different series with Kyrie and Kevin Love.”

LeBron did a ton in Finals, but lacked help

With Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and Anderson Varejao (remember him?) out, the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by leBron James, were good but not good enough to handle the best team in the league this season, the Golden State Warriors. Last night in Cleveland the Warriors won the NBA championship in six games. Here’s the Northeast Ohio News Group reporting:

LeBron did a ton in Finals, but lacked help

James put in game-highs of 32 points and 18 rebounds to go with eight assists in 46 minutes. He had to fight and claw for each statistic. He was 13-of-33 from the field. After scoring his 12th point, James became the sixth player in NBA history to reach 5,000 career postseason points.

Andre Iguodala led the Warriors with 25 points. His insertion into the starting lineup in Game 4 changed the dynamic of the series. Stephen Curry registered 25 points, five rebounds and eight assists. Eight of his points came in the final quarter.

For the vanquished Eastern Conference champs, it was an incredible postseason run considering the loss of Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. The Q was electric and sheer pandemonium for two and a half quarters. But the noise subsided when it became clear that Warriors were not going to let up in the Cavaliers’ final home game of the season.

“If we want to play another day and live to fight for the championship, we need to win today,” Cavs coach David Blatt said before the game. “So it’s about survival right now, and that’s what you’re looking for.”

They didn’t play like they were in survival mode early on. Golden State got out to a quick 15-point lead in the opening quarter. The Cavs went with their normal Finals lineup with Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov in the front line, only to see Iguodala take repeated open midrange jumpers off of the pick-and-roll game against the overmatched Mozgov.

Andre Iguodala wins 2015 NBA Finals MVP

The Warriors won the NBA championship last night. And although the award could easily have gone to guard Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala was named winner of the 2015 NBA Finals MVP award. Here’s the San Francisco Chronicle reporting:

All season long, Andre Iguodala had to answer the same questions over and over: How did he feel about not starting? How did he feel about coming off the bench? As an Olympic gold medalist and former All-Star, didn’t it bother him to sit?

Iguodala, true to his nature, never once bristled at the line of questioning. Never once did he give any indication of frustration. Instead, he patiently recited the company line: The team comes before any one individual. He was willing to do whatever the team needed to win.

In the NBA Finals, Iguodala’s patience and maturity paid huge dividends for the Warriors. Tasked with defending the best player in the world, Iguodala turned in the performance of a lifetime. Iguodala slowed down LeBron James just enough for the Warriors to win their first title in 40 years. And Iguodala found enough life in his legs to provide a real spark on offense, too.

After scoring a season-high 25 points in Tuesday night’s title-clinching win, Iguodala was named the NBA Finals MVP.

Draymond Green, Matthew Dellavedova tussle in Finals Game 5

Draymond Green, Matthew Dellavedova tussle in NBA Finals Game 5

In case you haven’t heard, both Draymond Green and Matthew Dellavedova are aggressive on the court. And when aggressive meets aggressive, things are going to get interesting. Here’s CSN Bay Area reporting:

draymond Green

Draymond Green hopped off the floor hoping to hear a whistle but really wanting a piece of Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova.

Yes, Delly once again found himself in the middle of a play that might easily be construed as “dirty.”

This one occurred with 5:55 left in the second quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals Sunday night at Oracle Arena. As both players hustled toward the rim for a possible rebound, Dellavedova, while tumbling to the floor, subtly used his left arm to hook Green’s right arm, resulting in Green also going down, on top of Dellavedova.

It was a splendid wrestling move sneakily executed on the basketball court. Green wanted a foul on Dellavedova but officials instead ruled a double foul, one being assessed to each player.

Leandro Barbosa steps up in Finals Game 5

Leandro Barbosa steps up in Finals Game 5

The Golden State Warriors lead the Cleveland Cavaliers three games to two in the 2015 NBA Finals. Here’s the San Francisco Chronicle reporting on Warriors guard Leandro Barbosa, who did nice things off the bench Sunday:

Leandro Barbosa steps up in Finals Game 5

Before the fourth-quarter outburst, before Stephen Curry’s money threes clinched Game 5, before nearly 20,000 fans gave the Warriors a resounding have-a-ball-in-Cleveland sendoff, there was Leandro Barbosa.

On a second team that saved the Warriors throughout the season, Barbosa emerged as Sunday’s mightiest sub, scoring 13 of the bench’s 17 points — hitting four of five field-goal attempts, including his only three-point shot, and all four of his free throws…

Barbosa is the oldest Warrior (32), the most postseason-tested (95 games) and the only one to reach a conference finals before this year (twice with Phoenix). He and backup point guard Shaun Livingston came aboard in the offseason, providing a deeper roster for coach Steve Kerr, who can use either in long stretches without getting headaches.

Barbosa had a nine-point second quarter, and his 13 points (matching his total in the first four games) in 17 minutes — all in the first three quarters — kept Curry and Klay Thompson, who got in foul trouble late in the third period, fresh for the fourth.

Fatigue playing role in NBA Finals

Fatigue playing role in NBA Finals

Here’s the News Herald reporting on the 2015 NBA Finals, where the Warriors and Cavaliers bringa 2-2 tied series to Oakland Sunday night:

It’s just human nature.

The Cavaliers have a shortened rotation, are playing heavy minutes and have experienced some bumps and bruises. Fatigue — mental and physical — is obviously a factor in the NBA Finals.

The Cavaliers scored the first seven points of Game 4. Warriors coach Steve Kerr was forced to call time out with 9:43 remaining in the first quarter.

As the players came toward the bench, Kerr told them, “Don’t worry. They are playing seven players in their rotation for 48 minutes. That will wear them down.”

The Warriors ended up blowing out the Cavaliers, 103-82, to knot the series at 2-2. The series shifts to Oakland, Calif., for Game 5 on June 14 at Oracle Arena.

J.R. Smith struggles badly for Cavs in NBA Finals Game 4 loss

J.R. Smith struggles badly for Cavs in Game 4 Finals loss

Here’s the Northeast Ohio Media Group reporting on Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith, who along with many of his teammates struggled to shoot the ball Thursday in Cleveland:

J.R. Smith struggles badly for Cavs in Game 4 Finals loss

J.R. Smith pretty much summed up his play after going 2-for-12 from the field and 0-for-8 from downtown.

“Horses—,” is how he described his night on Thursday after the Golden State Warriors evened the series at two games apiece with a 103-82 victory over the Cavaliers at The Q in the NBA Finals.

His answer might have been too blunt for some, but it illustrates how hard he’s taking it. With the Cavaliers using a rotation of six and a half players, it is imperative that they get a significant contribution from Smith, and he understands that.

That’s why he’s kicking himself.

“I put a lot on myself, especially with guys being out,” Smith told Northeast Ohio Media Group. “You just try to do the best you can when you can. It’s just not paying off right now.”

Warriors beat Cavs 103-82, tie NBA Finals 2-2

Warriors beat Cavs 103-82, tie NBA Finals 2-2

Thursday night in Cleveland, the Warriors benched center Andrew Bogut, added Andre Iguodala to the starting lineup, and beat the Cavs 103-82. The NBA Finals are now tied 2-2, with Game 5 Sunday at Golden State. Here are some quotes from around the web:

The AP reports: Stephen Curry shook off Iman Shumpert with a dribble, stepped back behind the line and splashed a 3-pointer that seemed to submerge a mute button on rocking and rolling Quicken Loans Arena. Curry clenched both fists, slapped his chest and yelled, ”C’mon!”

At last, this was the MVP and these were the Golden State Warriors – so deep, so deadly.

Curry and Andre Iguodala scored 22 points apiece and the Warriors, showing why they were the league’s best team all season, squared the NBA Finals at 2-2 on Thursday night with a 103-82 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The AP reports: LeBron James scored 20 points – 21 under his average in the series – with 12 rebounds and eight assists, but Cleveland’s megastar, who needed stitches to close a cut on his head sustained when banged it into a camera in the first half, didn’t score in the fourth quarter and couldn’t do enough for the undermanned Cavaliers.

The AP reports: Timofey Mozgov led Cleveland with 28 points and guard Matthew Dellavedova, again battling leg cramps after a hospital stay for dehydration, had 10. The Cavs shot just 2 of 18 from the field and were outscored 27-12 in the fourth quarter. They also got nothing from their bench as J.R. Smith missed all eight 3-point attempts and Cleveland’s reserves combined to score seven points.

AFP reports: Iguodala had nine points in the first quarter and hit 8-of-15 shots for the game, including 4-of-9 3-point tries.

That even had four-time NBA Most Valuable Player James impressed.

“He’s one of the X-factors and he came to play,” James said. “He shot the ball extremely well. He was in attack. He got a couple of dunks in transition early on which got him going and he was really good. To start him gave them that boost.”

AFP reports: James suffered two cuts to the right side of his head on a camera after falling into a photographer late in the second quarter, writhing in pain on the floor at the feet of fans while grabbing his head. He also battled leg cramps and fatigue in the second half.

Reuters reports: “I had a slight headache, which I think every one of you guy would probably have if you ran into a camera,” James told reporters when asked about the incident. “But I didn’t go through any protocol. I’m fine. Like I said, I got a few stitches and I got a slight headache right now but I’ll be fine with that.”

Reuters reports: Iguodala had averaged 12.3 points off the bench over the first three games of the series but dug deep when it mattered most, given that none of the 32 teams who have fallen behind 3-1 in the NBA Finals have come back to win the series. Known more for his defense, Iguodala coolly drained four three-pointers en route to a season-high 22 points in 39 minutes for the top-seeded Warriors.

Expect to see more David Lee in NBA Finals

Expect to see more David Lee in these NBA Finals

The Cavaliers lead the Warriors 2-1 in the 2015 NBA Finals. Here’s CSN Bay Area reporting that we should expect backup Warriors forward/center David Lee to get more playing time in Game 4 and beyond:

Expect to see more David Lee in these NBA Finals

David Lee did not play in the first two games of the NBA Finals.

In Game 3 on Tuesday night, he registered 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in 13 minutes of action.

He went 4-for-4 from the field.

“David was terrific,” Steve Kerr said following the Warriors’ 96-91 loss. “David helped us big time get back into that game … You’ll see more of David Lee. He played really well.”