NBA Finals 2015: Cavaliers vs. Warriors TV Schedule and Game 5 Live Stream
When Kyrie Irving went down early in the NBA Finals, everyone expected what eventually happened during Game 4.
The Cleveland Cavaliers stumbled offensively without the dynamic point guard, scoring 82 points with a 33.0 field-goal percentage. LeBron James had a human performance—cue the "Michael Jordan would have never only scored 20 points in a Finals game!" hot takes—and nobody else could hit a jumper.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr went small, picking up the pace and wearing down Cleveland's overworked seven-man rotation. Not only did he bench starting center Andrew Bogut, he played the NBA All-Defensive Second Team representative for three minutes.
And it worked. Andre Iguodala made Kerr look like a genius during a 21-point victory in which the Cavaliers' injuries finally caught up to them. Tied at 2-2, the best-of-seven showdown shifts to Oracle Arena, where Golden State can jump right back into the driver's seat after a surprising pair of defeats.
James and MVP Stephen Curry dominated the early storylines, but this matchup has magnified the intricacies of basketball beyond the superstars. Role players have made a significant impact all series, so pay close attention to these particular reserves on Sunday night.
NBA Finals: Game 5
When: Sunday, June 14 at 8 p.m. (ET)
TV: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Key Players to Watch
Warriors: PG Shaun Livingston
Iguodala received all the attention after a sensational Game 4, and rightfully so. Inserted into the starting lineup, the veteran delivered 22 points and eight rebounds while limiting James to his quietest performance of the series. On both ends, he was the team's best player.
But don't sleep on Shaun Livingston, who gave the Warriors 25 big minutes off the bench on Thursday night. The backup point guard tallied seven points, eight boards and four assists, bullying the smaller Matthew Dellavedova on both ends.
NBA.com/Stats observed the Warriors' dominance with Livingston on the court:
The 29-year-old mitigated Game 3's unlikely hero while giving Kerr exactly what he wanted: aggressive, uptempo basketball with fluid ball movement and stifling perimeter defense. Livingston discussed tiring out Cleveland with Marcus Thompson II of the San Jose Mercury News.
"I just go out and just play hard, be on attack, making plays," Livingston said. "That's our goal, continue to keep coming with waves. Try to wear them down with our depth. Stay in attack. It's about being on attack."
Livingston hadn't logged 20 or more minutes since Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, during which he recorded 18 points and seven boards in a four-point win over the Houston Rockets. It's not his job to regularly score, so Cleveland won't waste Iman Shumpert on him.
When guarded by Dellavedova, however, the 6'7" guard becomes a factor on the post. His size and defensive prowess also allow Kerr to rest easier if he continues to sideline Bogut.
Cavaliers: SG J.R. Smith
As scary as this sentence sounds for the Cavs, they need J.R. Smith to get going to have a prayer of stealing the series.
After daring James to score as much as he wanted, the Warriors began to swarm the superstar and risk his supporting cast finding its groove. It certainly didn't happen for Smith, who went 2-of-12 while missing all eight of his three-point attempts.
His Game 4 shooting slump goes down as one of the worst in NBA Finals history, as noted by ESPN Insider's Kevin Pelton:
In Smith's 28 minutes on the court, Golden State outscored Cleveland by 25 points on Thursday night. His minus-48 rating through all four games marks the lowest of anyone by a wide margin. He is now an atrocious 14-of-47 throughout the series, making seven of his 28 deep attempts.
The struggling shooting guard offered a frank assessment of his performance, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin:
This is J.R. Smith—brilliant one week and atrocious the next. There's a reason the New York Knicks sacrificed Shumpert just to remove him from the Big Apple.
This is the same Smith who averaged 18 points and 7.5 rebounds during Cleveland's Eastern Conference Finals sweep over the Atlanta Hawks—the one who drained eight three-pointers during Game 1's victory. If that guy shows up, Cleveland at least stands a fighting chance.
If not, an offense registering a putrid 73.1 points per 100 possessions this series doesn't have a shot. James Jones won't get any easy looks against Golden State's smaller lineup. Dellavedova's magic ran out after one unsustainable offensive outburst, and Shumpert is far from a consistent perimeter shooter.
Barring a historically Herculean effort from LeBron, Smith represents Cleveland's only hope.
Advanced stats courtesy of NBA.com.
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