Game 3 Preview: Warriors, Cavaliers to Meet Again on June 6; Defending Champs Lead 2-0
It's now the third game in the NBA Finals series between defending champs Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. As the series heads to the Quicken Loans Arena in Ohio, will Game 3 be another win for the Warriors?
After a very tense Game 1 for both sides which went down to overtime, the Warriors have easily defended home court this time around on Game 2. The second game on Oracle Arena saw the Warriors easily prevail at 122–103, to gain a 2–0 lead against the Cavaliers
As Warriors NBA pointed out, the defending champs easily had an edge when it comes to points in transition. So far in the series, the Warriors were easily blowing by the Cavs on fast breaks and other quick play opportunities, scoring 70 points in both Games 1 and 2 that way.
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In contrast, the Cavs could only come up with 33 transition points so far in the series, perhaps due to a rather large disparity when it comes to shooting percentages. Outside shooting, especially in Game 2, has been a strong suit of the Warriors so far in two games.
Stephen Curry alone has contributed 14 three-point goals made to his team in the series, with nine of them coming in Game 2, when he set a new Finals record for made threes.
In contrast, LeBron James has five, as well as George Hill with another five so far as well. The rest of the Cavaliers, meanwhile, could only put up nine three-pointers out of 43 attempts.
Andre Iguodala, out with a bone bruise on his left leg, is still considering a return on a day-by-day basis.
Things are expected to improve for the Cavs as they head to home court, and the team will be relying on support from their fans to rally out of a 0–2 hole, as NBA Cavaliers pointed out. Any extra energy they can muster will be useful to sustain what has been the one advantage Cavs so far this series — rebounding.
In both games, Cleveland has outrebounded the Warriors by an average of 8 rebounds, contributing to 20 extra second-chance points. Every little bit helps against the defending champs, and 17.5 offensive boards on average will certainly go a long way if the Cavs can keep it up.
LeBron James may already have a 51-point game in Oracle Arena, a playoff career high for him, but nothing short of a record attempt could bring the team back against the Warriors, as Bleacher Report pointed out. With Cleveland fans watching, this could be the boost James needed to will his team back to life in this series.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals will be the Golden State Warriors visiting the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland on Wednesday, June 6 at 6 p.m. EDT on ABC and online streaming services.
