Cavaliers vs. Warriors Game 3: Recap and highlights (Video)
By Josh Hill
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The NBA Finals are through three games, and the Cavaliers vs. Warriors series is much more than we bargained for.
There was the hope that the Cavaliers vs. Warriors NBA Finals series was going to be competitive, but without Kyrie Irving part of the equation that was hard to fathom. Kevin Love was also missing, meaning that things were even less the way we saw them happening at the beginning of the postseason.
But LeBron James, J.R. Smith and Matthew Dellavedova all stepped up and almost made us forget about the missing pieces. The hole is still there, but the way guys have stepped up has no doubt made us forget about Kevin Love and the loss of Kyrie has been greatly lessened.
Right off the bat in Game 3, LeBron James was balling hard, showing the Warriors that he’s not going to be a pushover in this series.
For as good as LeBron James was early on in the contest, things weren’t always peachy. Iman Shumpert gave Cavaliers fans a serious scare when he got his arm caught in a screen by Draymond Green for Steph Curry.
Shumpert left the game and headed to the locker room but eventually returned. When he did, he made sure to make the Warriors pay for sending him off earlier.
There was also s a moment of doubt about Matthew Dellavedova in the first quarter. It wasn’t that he got hurt, rather it was another instance where he made a questionable play and nearly injured another player.
It’s not like it wasn’t a physical game though, as the Warriors were guilty of getting a little too rough at times as well.
Beyond that though, the Cavaliers dominated the first half of the game and went on an insane run in the third quarter that set Golden State way back. It wasn’t just LeBron James either, as everyone was chipping in.
Cleveland didn’t win the game in three quarters though, as the Warriors have made it to the NBA Finals thanks to the runs they go on and they went on one of those patent offensive surges late in the contest. It made the Cavaliers sweat and almost fully erased the 17-point lead the Cavaliers had amassed.
The real star of the game was Matthew Dellavedova. He hasn’t just subbed in for Kyrie Irving while the Cavs max contract point guard has been out. He’s been the pulse of the Cavaliers and their lifeline in tough situations. When the Warriors were getting back into the game late in the fourth quarter, it was Delly who made play after play to keep the Cavaliers above water.
Game 4 is going to be crucial for the Cavaliers, as a win at home in consecutive games would send this suddenly winnable series back to Oakland 3-1.
So when is Game 3 of the Cavaliers vs. Warriors NBA Finals series? We have all the information you need to know right here so you don’t miss a second of the action:
Date: Thursday, June 11th
Start Time: 9pm ET
Venue: Quicken Loans Arena
Location: Cleveland, OH
Series Score:
TV Channel: ABC
Live Stream: ESPN3 | Watch ESPN