Cavs, Warriors: 5 Ways The Cavs Saved Their Season With A Game 3 NBA Finals Win

The Cavs, Warriors NBA Finals stage unveiled another blowout in the NBA Finals, with Cleveland finally coming out victorious in Game 3. Here’s 5 reasons the Cavs were able to save their season.

Draymond who? With the national media ready to hold a coronation for Draymond Green as the NBA Finals MVP, the polarizing player got tested and failed big time in Game 3. LeBron James made Green look like a player making his debut out of the D-league as the Michigan State product shot just 2-of-6 in the game for only six points.

Speaking of James, when LeBron goes into the post…it something that’s been said his entire career, yet James still seems to get away from it. Who knows why, but James went into the post in Game 3, commanding tons of attention and free up his shooters on the outside.

“I missed a ton of hippies,” James said. “But I was loving the space that I was getting and my teammates created for me.”

2. Kevin Love wasn’t there (concussion). No this isn’t meant to bash Love, a three-time All-Star, but his absence further proves that the Warriors are just a bad matchup for the 6-foot-10 power forward.

Before Game 2, I entertained the idea of trading Love to the Celtics for Jae Crowder and the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA Draft.

Love is valuable, and can be a 17 point, 12 rebound per game scorer on this Cavs team. The Warriors are just an awful, awful matchup for the UCLA product. He can’t carry the load on the defense, and the Warriors will continue to exploit him.

3. Kyrie Irving finally played like an All-Star. It was easy to pile on Irving in Games 1 and 2, and the criticism was well deserved. Irving dribbled too much and played too much isolation ball.

Irving still took one too many shots out of isolation for my liking (12-of-25 from the field), but you can’t deny the bottom line: 30 points, 8 assists. He got it done.

4. Richard Jefferson started in place of an injured Kevin Love, and it was the right move by coach Tyronn Lue. nine points, eight rebounds, two steals.

Jefferson started along side Irving, James, J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson. The unit played with a frantic (in a good way) pace that left the Warriors dizzied early on.

More from Factory of Sadness

• Bet $1 on ANYTHING to Unlock $200 Guaranteed with Crazy Bet365 Ohio Promo!
• 3 reasons why the Cleveland Cavaliers have a good shot to win the East next year
• It might be too soon to say it but it looks like the Cleveland Guardians are back
• Are the Cleveland Browns a Top 10 roster heading into the 2023 season?
• Eastern Conference Solidarity: Back the Heat with $5 Bet, Win $200 Bonus INSTANTLY with DraftKings Promo

5 J.R. Smith played with swagger, and that translated into 20 points. He was 2-of-6 in the first half and 3-of-4 in the second. If Kevin Love is going to be a bench player in this series, offense has to come from somewhere else.

Smith had a terrible Finals a season ago, and Games 1 and 2 this year were forgettable. He finally reminded everyone who he is…the guy that said open shots are “boring.”

There you have it. Three games into the Finals and three blowouts. This time, the Cavs got to deliver a black eye. The Cavs played like their season was on the line and decisively earned a win.

However, you can’t help but wonder if the Warriors contributed to their own demise. Golden State got open looks, they just couldn’t cash in. Only half of the Warriors shots were contested. The Warriors just missed. Additionally, the Warriors shot 15-of-38 when the nearest defender was at least 4 feet away.

Next: One NFL Coach Wants LeBron To Play Tight End Today

The Warriors are so historically good, you can’t count on shooting this poorly in Game 4. Cross your fingers Cleveland.