Category: Golden State Warriors

Curry and Durant sizzle in Game two to put Warriors up 2-0 in Kerr’s return

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Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant, center, celebrates with Draymond Green, left, and Klay Thompson during the second half of Game 2 of basketball’s NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, June 4, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND, Calif — Kevin Durant followed up his 38-point, eight-assist and eight-rebound performance from Game 1 with 33 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, and Stephen Curry recorded his first career postseason triple-double to help the Golden State Warriors take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals with a 132-113 win in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night in front of another sold out, energetic crowd at Oracle Arena in head coach Steve Kerr’s return to the bench.

Kerr missed the last 11 games of the playoffs dating back to Game 2 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs against the Portland Trailblazers with complications from back surgery nearly two years ago.

“Well, it’s been a great run but none of that matters unless we can finish the job with this series,” Kerr said postgame. “Trust me, we know. It was 2-0 last year, we lost.”

Golden State was in the same position last year, up 2-0, the going up 3-1, before the roof collapsed in on the Warriors’ season and the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history was authored by the Cavaliers, who stole the title in seven games costing the Warriors a chance for the repeat after winning the title in 2015.

In Games 1 and 2 of last year’s Finals, Golden State won both games by a combined 48 points. In the first two games of the Finals this year, the Warriors have defeated Cleveland by a combined 41 points this season according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

But this year is different.

It feels different, especially with Durant, a near-seven-foot scoring machine that has vastly improved defensively in Year 1 with the Warriors.

Durant shot 13-for-22 from the floor and was nearly unstoppable for most of the 41 minutes he was on the court tonight, while Curry scored 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds pulling Golden State within two wins of their second championship in three years.

Durant had five of Golden State’s seven blocks, and three of the team’s five steals.

At 14-0, Golden State is trying to become the first team in league history to go unbeaten on the way to the title. The Warriors currently have the longest postseason win streak in NBA history.

Curry made 7-for-17 from the floor, while connecting on 4-for-11 on 3s, but did most of his damage from the free throw line converting 14-for-14 from the charity stripe in 36 minutes.

The two-time league MVP put on a dribbling display on LeBron James in the third quarter where he drove past the three-time NBA Champion and scored as part of a 16-6 run to close out the quarter and the Warriors never looked back, carrying a 102-88 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Klay Thompson, who had been struggling shooting the ball throughout the postseason but has played superb defense in the previous 13 games, added 22 points on 8-for-12 from the floor to go along with 4-for-7 from behind the three-point line. Thompson added seven rebounds for Golden State, who also shot 18-for-43 on 3s.

Draymond Green had 12 points, six assists and six rebounds, but picked up three personal fouls within the first 11 minutes of the game and only played 25 minutes.

As a team, Golden State shot a blistering 51-percent (46-for-89) from the floor and shot 22-for-24 from the free throw line, while out-rebounding Cleveland 53-41 in the game.

The Cavaliers can hang their hat on the fact that they did force 20 turnovers after only forcing four in Game 1. For a team that didn’t record a single steal in Game 1, Cleveland had four within the game’s first seven minutes before finishing with a 15-5 edge.

“We turned the ball over too much in the first half. But the second half, I think we settled in, tried to play simple and defensively just tried to contest their shots,” Durant said after the game.

Curry had eight of those turnovers and was two away from having a dubious quadruple-double. His 10 first-quarter free throws matched a playoff record for made shots from the stripe in one period shared with Sarunas Marciulionis done on April 28, 1992, at Seattle. It also matched Paul Pierce for most in a Finals quarter according to ESPN Stats and Information.

LeBron James was Cleveland’s best player once again, matching Curry’s triple-double with one of his own, scoring 29 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds in 39 minutes. James played spectacular, but appeared gassed in the fourth quarter with fatigue etched on his face.

According to ESPN Stats and Information, James and Curry became just the second opposing players in NBA postseason history to record a triple-double in the same game, joining Lew Alcindor (38 points/23 rebounds/11 assists) and Walt “Clyde” Frazier (10 points/12 rebounds/14 assists), who recorded their performances in Game 2 of the 1970 Eastern Division Finals won by Frazier’s Knicks, 112-111.

Frazier’s Knicks would win that series, 4-1, and go on and win the title defeating, Wilt Chamberlain and the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games.

James was 12-for-18 from the floor, while Kevin Love added 27 points and seven rebounds on 12-for-23 shooting.

After 24 points on 10-for-22 shooting for Kyrie Irving in Game 1, Irving managed just 19 points and struggled to find the basket shooting just eight-for-23. Irving was defended aggressively by the Warriors, forcing Irving into taking tough layups and jumpers.

Cleveland shot 45-for-100 (45-percent) from the field for the game, but struggled from 3, shooting just 8-for-29 (27-percent) from deep. The Cavaliers shot 3-for-20 from the three-point line in the first half.

With the series now shifting to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4, the Cavaliers will have to regroup if they want to get any momentum because the Warriors are firmly in the series’ driver seat.

J.R. Smith had zero points as the starting shooting guard, and Kyle Korver led Cleveland’s bench with just eight points, which equaled starting center Tristan Thompson’s offensive output on the night.

Lineup changes for Cleveland could be a possibility, or better yet, should be made. If you’re Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue, you need to do something to shake up the players.

Cleveland already knows the production that they will get from James, Love and Irving on most nights, but the Cavaliers need to get other players involved or this series could become too much of a mountain to climb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NBA Finals: More from Durant and the defense will go a long way for Warriors’ title hopes

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Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) in Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, June 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND, Calif — The basketball world was on pins and needles for the start of Round Three between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, and both teams lived up to the hype for the majority of Game 1 Thursday night before Kevin Durant and the Warriors took control and ran away with the victory, 113-91.

Durant, who many pundits questioned his decision to join a high-powered Warriors team that had already played in two Finals prior to his arrival, showed out in his first Finals game since 2012 as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder; pouring in a game-high 38 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists to go along with zero turnovers on 14-for-26 shooting from the floor.

Not since the great Michael Jordan during the 1998 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz that a player had at least 30 points, five assists, and zero turnovers in a game before Durant’s acts in Game 1 according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

But an epic performance on the NBA’s biggest stage is what we expect from Durant, a former league MVP, is it not?

Golden State already has a two-time league MVP (and the only unanimous MVP in league history) in Stephen Curry, who looks healthier as ever at this time this year than he did in last year’s Finals after adding 28 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds in Game 1, including 6-for-11 on 3s.

Add in Draymond Green (nine points and 11 rebounds), an odds on favorite to take home the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award this season after leading the NBA in steals per game (2.03), to go along with Klay Thompson, who despite shooting under 40-percent from both the floor (36-percent) and from beyond the three-point line (34-percent) during the postseason, was Golden State’s best defender in Game 1 holding would-be scorers to 1-for-12 shooting from the floor as the primary defender.

With all due respect to Harrison Barnes, who had a breakout season in Year 1 for the Mavericks averaging a career-high 19.2 points per game and was a fan favorite for all of Dub Nation, but his no-show during last year’s Finals (most notably in Games 5-7 where he scored just 15 points on 5-for-32 shooting (3-for-15 on 3s) after Golden State had a commanding 3-1 lead in the series still stings Warriors’ fans.

But Durant is clearly the difference-maker and much better upgrade from Barnes this year for the Warriors and will continue to be a huge match-up problem for Cleveland with Game 2 Sunday night at Oracle Arena at 5:00 p.m. PDT on the horizon.

And that’s even with first-ballot hall of famer LeBron James on the other side.

Circle back to Game 1: When Durant was on the floor, the Warriors out-scored Cleveland by 18, and in the 40 minutes that James was on the floor, the Warriors out-scored Cleveland by 22, with much of the damage coming in the second half for Golden State.

I counted at least six times in the first half of Game 1 where Cleveland’s defense just allowed Durant to cruise through the lane like he had a FasTrak embedded in his jersey for easy dunks.

At times in the game, it almost appeared that Cleveland were content on allowing Durant score at will and didn’t want to be burned by Golden State’s shooting.

Golden State shot 45-for-106 (42-percent) from the floor.

Making his NBA record seventh-consecutive Finals appearance, James was Cleveland’s most effective player, finishing with a team-high 28 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists, but made just 9-for-20 from the floor.

If James could’ve recorded two more assists, he would’ve tied Lakers’ legend and NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson for the most triple-doubles in Finals history with eight, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Johnson led Los Angeles to nine Finals appearances and won five championships as the leader of the “Showtime” Lakers of the 1980s. Johnson’s teams were 5-4 in the Finals while James’s teams are just 3-4.

Outside of Kyrie Irving’s 24 points on 10-for-22 shooting from the floor, the defending NBA Champions’ supporting cast came up empty in Game 1.

Kevin Love did have 15 points and a game-high 21 rebounds, but shot just 4-for-13 from the floor.

The Warriors’ bench barely out-scored the Cavaliers’ bench 24-21.

Cleveland can’t let Golden State have their way with them in Game 2 as they did in Game 1  if they have any chance of gaining a split in Oakland before the series shifts to Northeast Ohio for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Friday.

Golden State held the advantage in points-in-the-paint, out-scoring the Cavaliers 56-30 and dominating the fast-break, out-scoring Cleveland 27-9.

As a team, Cleveland shot 30-for-86 (34-percent) from the floor.

The 20 turnovers the Cavaliers committed that led to 21 points for Golden State was a testament to their superb defense they’ve collectively played all season long, forcing teams to shoot a league-low 43-percent from the field and finished tops in turnovers forced per game with 14.8 during the regular season.

In the postseason, Golden State is ratcheting up the defense intensity allowing just 41-percent from the floor through 13 games.

Not surprisingly, Golden State is 13-0 in the postseason this year, three wins from securing their second championship in three years.

Durant will have his fingerprints on the outcome of the Finals, believe that.

Win or lose.

Warriors get off to a good start as they rout the Cavaliers in Game One 113-91

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Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant dunks against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half of Game 1 of basketball’s NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, June 1, 2017. (John G. Mabanglo/Pool Photo via AP)

by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- the Warriors, behind Kevin Durant’s fantastic performance in Game One against the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers, led the Dubs to victory 113-91. The Dubs still smarting from losing the crown last season to Cleveland, were focused on shutting down the Cavs offense. They did just that. They knew that LeBron James and Kyrie Irving would be difficult to handle. Those two players did their thing but the Dubs were able to shut down the rest of the Cav’s players.

Durant and Steph Curry did most of the scoring for the Dubs in the first half. The Dubs took a five-point lead after the first 12 minutes of play. The game was close, and there were several ties. However, the Dubs went ahead by three 27-24 when Steph made a 3-point shot. The Warriors never trailed the rest of the way.  They increased the lead to eight at the finish of the first half of play, leading 60-52. KD was a force as he made six dunks and tallied 23 points. Steph followed with 12. Andre Iguodala added seven. The Cavs’ big three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love scored 19, 18, and 8 respectively. The Warriors recorded 20 assists in the first half and committed just one turnover. The Cavs turned the ball over 12 times.

The Warriors, as they have done so many times this season, started the third period on a 13-0 run. They outscored the Cavs 33-20  to end the third period with a 21-point advantage 93-72. Steph and KD kept coming after the Cavs. The Warriors defense continued to pressure Cleveland. The Cavs could not mount a comeback as the scored just 19 points in the final period of play and took the loss by a final score of 113-91.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors became the first team in NBA history to go 13-0 this deep into the playoffs. The Warriors were 12-0 in the Western Conference, and Cleveland breezed through the East with a record of 12-1. The Warriors have to remain focused on a loss to Cleveland this Sunday would give the Cavs home court advantage for the last 5 games of the series. After  the game Steph Curry said this in response about the win and the game coming up Sunday:”focus what’s in front of you. Finish plays around the rim. Our defense was there for 48 minutes. Win one game-look to Sunday and do it again.”

KD led the way with six dunks in the first half, He made some three-pointers, assisted other players, and took down some boards. KD finished the night with 38 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds. “We could have played a lot better than we were tonight but in the Finals, you het a “W”, we’ll take it.” Durant also remarked: (I) Try to play as hard as I can….but it’s not me against the Cavs it’s the Golden State Warriors against the Cleveland Cavaliers.”

Steph Curry finished with a double-double. He had 28 points, 10 assists and 6 boards. No other Warrior was in double figures. Draymond Green had nine, Zaza Pachulia 8, Andre Iguodala 7. The Dubs bench outscored the Cavs bench 24-21. The Cavs’ LeBron James also had a double-double with 28 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists. Kyrie Irving tallied 24, an Kevin Love added 15 points and he took done 21 rebounds.

The Warriors tied a NBA Finals record low with just four turnovers. The Cavs committed 20.

Game One went to the Warriors and the battle betwwen KD and LeBron was fun to watch. Acting head coach Mike Brown had this to say about the two players: “those are two big household names. So we know you guys (the media) and the fans are going to want to see that and pick up on it. I’m sure LeBron thinks he can play better, and you tip your cap off to KD.”

Game two of the series will be at Oracle Arena Sunday night. Game time will be at 5 pm.

Extra Dribbles commentary: Warriors rise up at home to take Game 1 of NBA Finals

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Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half of Game 1 of basketball’s NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, June 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND, Calif — Kevin Durant scored a game-high 38 points and was clearly the best player on the court as Golden State finished tied for an NBA Finals record-low four turnovers in taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 NBA Finals with a 113-91 win Thursday night in Game 1 in front of a sold out Oracle Arena crowd over the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

Game 2 is Sunday at 5:00 p.m. PDT back at Oracle Arena on ABC.

This match-up marks the first time in NBA history that two teams have met each other in the Finals in three consecutive seasons.

Durant finished the game 10-of-18 from the floor to go along with eight assists and eight rebounds in his first NBA Finals game since Game 5 of the 2012 series against the Miami Heat as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Miami denied Durant and the Thunder a championship by taking the championship in five games and it took Durant five years to get back to the NBA’s ultimate stage.

Durant and the Warriors got anything they wanted in the paint, outscoring the Cavaliers 56-30 inside. There were times that Cleveland’s defense just parted the seas for a Durant dunk as the defense would collapsed on Golden State’s deadly shooters, allowing Durant to easy access to the basket.

”I think the start of the game, we were a little too anxious and we missed some layups, we gave up some open shots,” Durant said after the game. ”I think we just locked in from the second quarter on.”

Golden State would outscore Cleveland 53-38 in the second half to go along with 31 assists for the game.

Stephen Curry was locked in for Game 1, scoring  28 points with six 3-pointers on 11-of-22 from the field. Curry added 10 assists and six rebounds for a Warriors that improved to 13-0 during the playoffs this year.

LeBron James poured in 28 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for Cleveland, who had 20 turnovers in Game 1. James’ southern California home was vandalized and had the N-word spray painted on the gate on Wednesday.

“At the end of the day, we had 20 turnovers,” James said. “We got to clean that up.”

James’ teams drop to 1-7 all-time in Game 1s of the NBA Finals.

The Cavaliers’ forward is making his league-record seventh Finals appearance this year.

Kyrie Irving scored 24 points on 10-of-22 shooting from the field, while Kevin Love finished with 15 points and a game-high 21 rebounds. Love shot 4-of-13 from the field.

The Warriors had a 60-52 lead at halftime thanks in large part to the 27-9 fastbreak edge and committing just one turnover in the first half.

Curry’s 14 points in the third quarter prove to be the difference-maker for Golden State Thursday night.

Golden State out-shot Cleveland (42.5-percent to 34.9-percent) for the game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NBA Finals/Golden State Warriors Game 1 Commentary: Warriors establish why this series could go four or five games

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Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shoots against Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston (34) during the second half of Game 1 of basketball’s NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, June 1, 2017. (Kyle Terada/Pool Photo via AP)

by Barbara Mason

It was the night that basketball fans everywhere had been waiting for. It was a week that seemed far longer than only 7 days, more like a lifetime. Fans filed into “Roaracle” Arena for Game One as the Golden State Warriors took on the Cleveland Cavaliers, meeting in the finals for the third time in a row.

It was the expected slow start for both teams as they shook off the nerves that a game of this caliber brings even for the most accomplished athlete. That slow start quickly vanished quickly as neither team was able to establish much of a lead, trading the lead back and forth with each possession. With one quarter in the books, Golden State was leading Cleveland 35-30 and by halftime the Warriors had an eight point lead 60-52. Kevin Durant was tearing up the court with 23 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. Durant had 6 dunks in the half. Steph Curry had 12 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. LeBron James had 19 points, 4 assists, and 11 rebounds. Kyrie Irving had 17 points, 2 assists, and 1 rebound. Kevin Love was coming up big with 8 points, grabbing 12 rebounds.

Golden State could have put this game away with the 7 turnovers that LeBron James himself committed. The turnover ratio was an amazing 12 to 1 in favor of the Warriors.

The Warriors would start the third quarter with a turnover and it was off to the races for Golden State. The largest lead of the night came with 9:45 left in the third quarter prompting a Cavalier time-out. Golden State came unleashed as the third quarter wore on. Going into the 4th quarter the Warriors were leading 93-72 as they broke this game open. While Klay Thompson and Draymond Green didn’t have a lot of success point wise, their presence alone made them invaluable. The Warriors had to hang on one more quarter to take the first game of this series. The way this team had played through three quarters; they looked unbeatable as they continued to stuff James. They had neutralized “the King.”

The fourth quarter was all Golden State as they took Game One 113-91. Without a doubt Kevin Durant was the best player on the floor finishing with 38 points. If Cleveland cannot protect the ball, it will be a long long series for the Cavaliers. The crucial Game Two will be played on Sunday and the Cavaliers will be looking to steal one at Oracle. Golden State continues their amazing unbeaten streak in the playoffs.

 

NBA Finals/Golden State Warriors Podcast with David Zizmor: Incredible build up to start the Finals; Dave says Warriors in six

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Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green watches from a fan seat during an NBA basketball practice, Wednesday, May 31, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. The Golden State Warriors face the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday in Oakland. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

by David Zizmor

OAKLAND–This going to be one of the most hyped up NBA Finals in recent memory, it might not be the most hyped up ever but it’s got to be right up there. It’s the first time you have two teams face off against each other for three consecutive years that’s historic right there. You have two teams on the same path the Warriors completed three season runs on who won more games over three seasons than any team in the history of the NBA and not just by a few by a wide margin.

You still have the winners like Michael Jordan’s Bulls from the 90s, the 60s Celtics, this Warriors teams has been fantastic from start to finish. You have four MVPs LeBron James is one of them he’s topped Steph Curry . Kevin Durant is in there , you have seven different All Stars playing in this series. You have the Cavs and Warriors splitting the last two championships, two fan bases that know their going to face each other for pretty much the whole season long and see that fulfilled there’s so much going on the sidelines that you can’t help to be incredibly excited about this.

David Zizmor is doing the NBA Finals/Golden State Warriors Podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com there’s much more take a listen below

 

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News, and Commentary: LeBron-Curry the anticipated match up; plus A’s & Giants commentary

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AP File Photo: Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, right, hugs Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry before an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2016, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

The Warriors have had a week’s worth of a rest and you can bet the W’s key core of players Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, and Klayton Thompson are well rested and prepared for Thursday’s game in Oakland for the NBA Finals. There’s been talk that this team is like a machine and that this could be their best team ever. So the Warriors have something to prove to the whole world that they can win a second championship in three years. The only concern is that they might be too rested and the Cavaliers could be still on some adrenaline from the few short days that they beat the Boston Celtics in the third round of the playoffs.

There is a lot of anticipation that the Warriors and Cavaliers bring to the Finals this reminds me of the Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali fights this brings a lot of anticipation you have the east coast and the west coast teams. Cleveland who won last year and then you have the west coast the Warriors. Then you have two of the top players going head to head in this finals of Curry and LeBron. Those are two players bring a lot of acceleration to the finals and with all this in mind the players are really looking forward to series.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for the Oakland A’s, is the Angels TV Spanish voice, and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

NBA Finals with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Warriors-Cavs III: By the numbers

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Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James dons a cap after winning 135-102 against the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference finals, on Thursday, May 25, 2017, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND, Calif — Like the rest of the sports world, I myself can’t wait for the start of the NBA Finals between the reigning champion Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors.

Both teams enter the Finals with a combined 24-1 record, first in NBA history.

Golden State buzz-sawed their way through the West seemingly untested by Portland, Utah, and San Antonio to a 12-0 record, the first team in NBA history to do so; while Cleveland went 12-1 in the East with their only loss coming in the conference finals against the young Boston Celtics, minus superstar Isaiah Thomas.

To be perfectly honest, both of these teams used the playoffs as a warmup for a Finals series that no true sports fan will miss a second of.

ABC, who has broadcasted the Finals since 2003, is hoping that Golden State and Cleveland provides another classic series for the ages.

According to viewership data obtained from Nielsen Ratings, the last two meetings in the Finals by Cleveland and Golden State have been the two-highest rated championship series broadcasted on ABC.

In 2015, an average of 19.94 million viewers per game watched Golden State win its first title in 40 years on the Cavaliers’ home floor by derailing LeBron James and Co. 4-2, with super-sub Andre Iguodala becoming an unlikely series MVP largely due to his defense on James.

Last season’s rematch did was no different, as an average of 20.28 million viewers per game tuned in to watch Cleveland return the favor by crawling back from a 3-1 deficit to steal the title from Golden State on the Warriors’ home floor in Game 7 last season.

Kyrie Irving’s dagger 3-pointer from the right side of the floor over Stephen Curry to seal the Cavaliers’ first championship in franchise history will forever live on in Finals’ lore.

Oracle Arena will no doubt be electric when the ball is tipped for Game 1 on Thursday night at 6:00 p.m. PDT between the two teams that many of us thought would be playing for the Larry O’Brien for a record-setting third year in a row.

When you dive into the numbers for both teams journey through the playoffs, they are nearly identical.

Offensively, Golden State had no trouble scoring points as they led all teams with 118.3 points per game. Cleveland was second in playoff scoring with 116.8 points per game. The Warriors, who love sharing the ball, is averaging 27.8 assists per game in the playoffs.

The Cavaliers were tops in field goal percentage (50.7), while Golden State were second in shooting at 50.2 percent from the floor.

Even though the Celtics made more three-pointers in the playoffs than any other team with 229, Cleveland is second with 190, followed by Golden State with 145.

With all due respect to Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson, the guy that Cleveland will need to stop will continue to be the aforementioned Curry, who in my estimation, is still the key that turns the engine on for the Warriors.

Think about this stat from NBA.com’s John Schuhmann, the Warriors have scored 122.5 points per 100 possessions with Curry on the floor and just 97.4 with him on the bench. The 25.1-point differential is the largest on-of differential among players who have logged at least 100 minutes in the playoffs.

Curry dropped 36 points in Golden State’s 129-115 victory in Game 4 of the conference finals against San Antonio that propelled the Warriors into their third straight Finals appearance.

For Cleveland, it usually begins and ends with James, who leads all Cavaliers players in points (32.5), assists (7.0), steals (2.2), and blocks (1.4), but Irving is just as vital to a Cleveland repeat as is James.

When James was forced to the bench with four fouls in the first half of Game 4 of the East Finals, Irving stepped up and took over the game like no other.

With James on the bench, Irving scored 19 points in under five minutes and 33 during a 19-minute stretch with an array of easy layups and pull-up 3s.

Even after rolling his left ankle in the game, Irving finished with a playoff career-high 42 points en route to a 112-99 victory that gave Cleveland a commanding 3-1 before ending the Celtics’ season in five games.

Cleveland’s 44-point win in Game 2 of the East finals at Boston is the highest margin of victory in the playoffs this year.

According to NBA.com, James (16) and Irving (12) have taken 28 of the team’s 35 shots in the clutch and are a combined 9-for-28 (2-for-10 from 3-point range). James is also just 4-for-9 on clutch free throws. His assist rate is more than twice as high in the first quarter (25.9 assists per 100 possessions used) than it is in the fourth (12.7). Irving’s assist rate is 23.0 in the first quarter and just 2.5 in the fourth. He has one assist in 59 fourth-quarter minutes.

It’s only four days away, but it feels like an eternity waiting for one of the biggest collisions in sports to arrive.

Take plenty of notes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Headline Sports with Tony Renteria: Warriors are the favorite in upcoming NBA Finals; LeBron will have his hands full with Curry and KD

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FILE – At left, in an April 20, 2017, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James smiles after hitting a basket against the Indiana Pacers during the second half of Game 3 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series, in Indianapolis. At right, in a Feb. 27, 2017, file photo, Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers, in Philadelphia. Kevin Durant looks at LeBron James from afar and marvels at how the Cavs main man keeps finding a way to take his game to another level, year after year. (AP Photo/File)

On the Headline Sports Podcast with Tony R:

1.The Warriors who are 12-0 will face the Cleveland Cavaliers after the Cavs won in five games in their series against the Boston Celtics. Tony talks about how impressive the Cavs were in the last round against the Celtics.

2.The Cavs always a tough customer with the W’s in last year’s finals the Cavs came back three straight down 3-1 to win the whole thing in a miracle finish

3.The Warriors are also even better than last year’s finals with Kevin Durant. Tony talks how far he sees this NBA Finals going.

4.The Pittsburgh Penguins got the game winning goal after two overtimes against the Ottawa Senators when Sid the Kid Crosby found the back of the net in the second overtime to put the Pens in their second straight Finals

5.The Giants who played four games in Chicago and lost the last three will try and make amends tonight opening a three game series with the Atlanta Braves at AT&T Park

Tony does Headline Sports each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Golden State Warriors Podcast with David Zizmor: Cleveland most likely opponent should be another battle for the ages for Golden State

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Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, left, drives to the basket against Boston Celtics’ Al Horford, from Dominican Republic, in the second half of Game 4 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference finals, Tuesday, May 23, 2017, in Cleveland. The Cavaliers won 112-99. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

by David Zizmor (some static hum in beginning clears up later in broadcast)

OAKLAND–Right now you have to like Cleveland’s chances to advance in the NBA Conference Finals as the Cavaliers have a 3-1 series lead on the Boston Celtics. Despite what happened to the Warriors in last year’s finals as the Cavaliers came back when they were down 3-1. It’s been a trend for the Warriors and Cavs to meet for these finals and this will be the third straight meeting.

For the Celtics three-one come backs are really difficult and the Celts have the home floor so they’re best effort is to try and cut the lead down to one with a win at TD Garden on Thursday night. The fact of the matter is Cleveland may have lost game three on a last second shot and the Celtics are playing without their all NBA player Isiah Thomas whose out with a hip injury. You might give Boston a fighting chance to win another game but their chance to win three straight against this Cavaliers team is unlikely and it looks like the Warriors will be facing the Cavaliers.

David Zizmor does the Golden State Warriors podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com