NBA Finals 2016: Updated Schedule and Predictions for Warriors vs. Cavaliers
The 2016 NBA Finals, which unofficially ended after two games, returned to life Wednesday night.
Learning nothing from the Western Conference Finals, onlookers declared the Golden State Warriors NBA champions after a decisive Game 2 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Then the best-of-seven series shifted to Ohio.
Jon Snow stayed dead longer than the Cavaliers, who regained vital signs during a dominant Game 3 win. They wasted little time handling business at home, holding the Splash Brothers scoreless during a table-setting first quarter in which Kyrie Irving scored as many points (16) as Golden State.
The Cavaliers can even the series Friday night by recreating Wednesday's stellar effort, particularly on the defensive end. If fans are lucky, maybe both teams will play well the same evening for a change.
| 4 | Fri., June 10 | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | 9 p.m. | ABC | CLE |
| 5 | Mon., June 13 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors | 9 p.m. | ABC | GS |
| 6* | Thur., June 16 | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | 9 p.m. | ABC | GS |
| 7* | Sun., June 19 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors | 8 p.m. | ABC | ---- |
Wednesday night is typically what happens when Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson simultaneously go cold against a locked-in defense.
The Warriors escaped Game 1 with a win despite receiving 20 combined points from the star guards, but they can't count on sustaining that formula throughout the series. The duo will eventually heat up, but Golden State will lose the next time they don't.
They both played well enough in Game 2, where Draymond Green instead starred in a 110-77 blowout. On Wednesday, however, no teammates offset their atypically ineffective performances:
| Curry | 31 | 19 | 6-13 | 3-9 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Thompson | 31 | 10 | 4-13 | 1-7 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Thompson mustered most of his 10 points in a brief second-quarter spark. Curry caught fire with 13 third-quarter points, but Cleveland had already amassed a sizable lead due to his two-point, three-turnover opening half.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, the duo have collectively endured their two worst games of the year during the past week:
The Cavaliers also found an answer for Green, who was limited to six points after notching 28 the previous game. His quiet outing will particularly redirect attention to the guy who sat out Game 3. How will Kevin Love fit back into Cleveland's comeback attempt?
After suffering a concussion in Game 2, the star power forward was not cleared for Wednesday's game. He must pass the league's concussion protocol in order to suit up Friday night.
Based on Game 3's final outcome, critics will say the Cavs are better off without Love, a defensive liability Golden State exploited inside the Oracle Arena. Without him, Cleveland corralled 20 more rebounds than Golden State, who shot 9-of-33 from three-point range.
It only took a few minutes for Twitter to fill with jokes of Cleveland rigging his concussion test with calculus. The Ringer's Bill Simmons drew a parallel to a difficult decision Golden State made to kick its dominance into motion:
Let's not send Love home to spend time with the Hoopers just yet. Cleveland needed stellar performances from all five starters to offset another absence of bench production. No Cleveland reserve scored a point until Iman Shumpert canned a three early in the fourth quarter.
An assertive LeBron James tallied 32 points on 26 shot attempts. Irving bounced back from two subpar outings to produce 25 points and eight assists. The stars stepped up, but the role players must keep delivering regardless of Love's status.
Making his first NBA Finals start in 13 years, Richard Jefferson recorded nine points, eight rebounds and two assists while swiping two steals. The wild card in Cleveland's offense, J.R. Smith submitted 20 points after eight combined through the first two games.
He embraced his shoot-first style in Game 3, sinking five of 10 three-point attempts. Per the team's official Twitter page, the shooting guard broke his own franchise record from downtown:
Before the game, he foretold the team's strong performance to Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor.
"A lot of times when we're down in the regular season or postseason, we tend to be like we're backed in the corner and come out fighting," Smith said. "So I would predict the same. They do what they're supposed to do. It's time for us to do what we're supposed to do."
Can the Cavs feel comfortable living in a world where their championship chances rest on Smith's shoulders? As long as the bench remains muted, they need the shooting guard to strive on both ends. He certainly can at his best, but they can't rely on three more huge outings from him. Or one.
The same spectators who made the mistake of writing off Cleveland should not repeat their blunder in the opposite direction. Including regular-season meetings, the Cavs averaged 86.75 points in four games against the Warriors before Wednesday's 120-point outburst. James, Irving, Smith and a returning Love must play their best basketball to extend the Finals.
It's a series again, but let's not overreact to the Cavs' lopsided triumph. Instead, look for the Warriors to repeat history and close Cleveland out in six games.
