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Desperate Cavs host Warriors in Game 3 Wed.
By: Staff Writer - StatFox
Published: 6/7/2017  at  10:11:00 AM
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GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (81-15)

at CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (63-34)

Tip-off: Wednesday, 9:00 p.m. ET
Line: Golden State -3.0, Total: 226.0

The Cavaliers will be trying to get back into the series with a win in Game 3 on Wednesday.

The Warriors are 29-1 in their past 30 games, and they’ll continue their quest for a perfect 16-0 record in the postseason on Wednesday. Golden State has been downright dominant to open up this series, winning the first two games by an average of 20.5 points per game. The Warriors have now won-and-covered in five straight and seven of the past eight, and they’ll feel extremely confident when they head to Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are obviously facing a must-win situation. They were blown out at Oracle Arena, but a series doesn’t truly start until somebody wins on the road. Cleveland also was in this exact situation a year ago and ended up winning the series in seven games. The Cavaliers will, however, need to find a way to play better defensively. They allowed the Warriors to shoot 51.7% from the floor in Game 2, and they are not going to win if they play that way again. One trend that favors Golden State in this game is the fact that the team is 13-2 ATS off two consecutive home wins of 10 points or more this season. Cleveland, meanwhile, is 14-4 ATS in home games revenging a road loss versus an opponent of 10 points or more over the past three seasons.

PG Stephen Curry (28.8 PPG, 6.3 APG, 5.9 RPG, 1.9 SPG; all players stats from postseason) was remarkable in Game 2, finishing the contest with 32 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds. He was making all sorts of plays on the offensive end, but he does need to find a way to limit his turnovers. Curry can get a bit carried away with his desire to put on a show for the fans, and that led him to coughing it up eight times on Sunday. It’s important that he cleans things up on the road. SF Kevin Durant (26.9 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.4 BPG), meanwhile, has been virtually flawless in this series. He is averaging 35.5 PPG in this series, and he also had five blocks in Game 2. He’s been an absolute stud on both ends of the floor, and he’s playing like a guy that badly wants the Finals MVP. PF Draymond Green (13.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.9 SPG, 1.9 BPG) andSG Klay Thompson (14.4 PPG) also continue to play well for this team. Both guys have been playing stellar defense, but Thompson actually found his stroke in Game 2. That is bad news for Cleveland, as this team is impossible to guard when both Curry and Thompson are hitting from deep.

SF LeBron James (32.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 7.5 APG, 2.1 SPG, 1.4 BPG) has looked like the best player on the floor through the first three quarters of both games in this series, but he has also seemed completely gassed by the time the final period comes around. The team badly needs James to be at full strength late in games, so perhaps a change in his approach to these games will benefit Cleveland. One thing he definitely would be wise to do is get in the post more. He can almost certainly find a way to score easily in the paint against Golden State, and it would allow PG Kyrie Irving (24.1 PPG, 5.5 APG, 1.3 SPG) to do the hard job of getting the ball up the floor. Irving needs to act more as a facilitator in the next few games, so James setting up inside would help him do that. He’d be playing a bit less off-ball, but that is a change that should help this team. It’s clear Irving needs to do something a bit differently, as the Cavaliers can’t win with him playing the way he is now. C Tristan Thompson (8.5 PPG, 8.6 RPG) also needs to change something fast. He has been a no-show in this series, and he was one of the most consistent performers for the Cavaliers in last year’s Finals. PF Kevin Love (17.7 PPG, 10.9 RPG), meanwhile, has been great for Cleveland. He is grabbing boards at a high clip, and he is also scoring when called upon.


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