Warriors have chance to clinch National Basketball Association title at home

The Warriors will have a three-game lead over the defending champions, and the series is now heading back to their home court at Oracle Arena.

“They could do that again”, Durant said Sunday.

Golden State’s Draymond Green was whistled for a technical foul in the first half. In the four Finals games, we’ve only seen three instances of a Warrior hitting double figures in scoring, those being Shaun Livingston and Ian Clark in Game 2, then Livingston again in Game 4.

Golden State got there a little differently this time around, opening up a 3-0 lead.

“I expect us to come out guns blazing”. Now that they’ve found a rhythm, the series has taken on an entirely different complexion. They were eight-point favorites despite having to play without suspended forward Draymond Green.

With 45 seconds remaining in a game the Cavaliers had led by 11 points, a Kevin Durant three-pointer gave the Warriors a seemingly unassailable 3-0 series lead. After his stunning seven points-in-63-seconds show in Game 3, Durant came back and scored 35 points when the rest of the Warriors were suffering whiplash watching the Cavs race past.

“I think that in Game 1 and 2, as well as part of 3, just definitely got caught up in trying to find that rhythm with the basketball in my hands”, Irving said. “‘But you know, when those NBA Finals come around, we’re really going to need you to play big for us.’ He was like, ‘Ah, all right’. So we have to do that (tonight) as well”. Remember the Boston Red Sox climbing out of an 0-3 hole in that best-of-seven stunner against the dang Yankees of NY to become the first and only team in Major League Baseball history to win a postseason series from such a hapless start?

The Warriors also lacked defensive intensity, especially at the outset, and seemed to try to hit grand slam home runs rather than get great shots whenever they got a mini-run started.

I’m not so anxious about the Cavs replicating their unprecedented team shooting from game 4 (where they shot over 50% as a team from deep), but if we are struggling to score, slowing the Cavs offense down will be a prerequisite to victory.

“We’re a resilient team”, Love said. “Disappointed that we didn’t play better the other night, but aware that we are playing a great team”. I don’t think you can succeed if you’re not doing things right. Last game, in Game 4, I thought that’s who we are. “We know what it takes to win a championship”.

“That’s going to give us the best possible chance to go back home with a Game 6 (on Thursday)”. Game 3 in particular would have gone to the Cavaliers if Love had shot anywhere close to his normal levels. It’s what Kerr has insisted upon since he took over as coach, and it remains the logical extension of a franchise built not only around Curry – a competitor, someone who wants desperately to win, but one who still makes time for the Jones BBQ and Foot Massage pregame dance with the team’s security detail – but also by Myers, the GM, and Kerr, all close friends who bring a certain humanity to their respective gigs. If you’re Tyronn Lue, you may just have to economize your timeouts, use them specifically when JAMES needs them, and try your best to extend stoppages in play any way that you can, in order to keep him on the floor for all 48 minutes.

“I don’t pay that much attention to anybody in Cleveland, honestly”, said Green.

In the Warriors’ Game 4 defeat, Curry, Thompson, and Green all got into early foul trouble, each picking up two in the first quarter. “Talking trash, being physical, whatever you got to do to get that edge, you got to do it”.