2017 NBA Finals: Game 5 recap and highlights from Warriors' victory
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And they're playing me to pass, and it was like exploit them tonight. Durant shot 14 for 20 and Curry -- the two-time reigning MVP who took a backseat as the new big star got acclimated -- finished off a brilliant postseason. In the Western Conference Finals, the NBA MVP winner David Robinson and the San Antonio Spurs were new obstacles in Houston's way. However, Olajuwon put up a great performance, averaging 35 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in a series in which the home team only won one game. Hakeem Olajuwon averaged 35 points per game against Utah, while Drexler helped with 25 per night. In the second round, the Rockets found Charles Barkley's Phoenix Suns for the second year in a row.
KD and Curry anchored Golden State’s 71-point first half, fueling a second quarter for the Dubs with 21 points and 20 points, respectively. LeBron led the way with 21 points for Cleveland, while Kyrie’s 16 points and J.R. In the United States, the NBA Finals aired on ABC with Mike Breen as play-by-play commentator, and Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson serving as color commentators. ESPN Radio aired it as well and had Marc Kestecher and Hubie Brown as commentators.
Golden State Warriors Basic and Advanced Stats
The Warriors became the first Bay Area team to capture a championship at home since the A's finished the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the 1974 World Series. Green had sat out this very game a year ago, suspended because of flagrant foul point accumulation after he swiped at James' groin in Game 4. The Knicks could not count on Patrick Ewing for the NBA Finals as hi season ended with an Achilles injury.
The Suns jumped to a 3-1 lead in the series before the reigning champions returned and won the series with a one-point win in Game 7. Mario Elie's 'Kiss of Death' three-pointer with the game tied and under 10 seconds proved enough for the Rockets to advance. Though the team struggled midway through the regular season, the Suns eventually finished the regular round with a record and the third seed in the West. The past two games in the Oracle Arena have gone into overtime; let’s see if this one does too. As for defending Curry, Matthew Dellavedova has proved his worth at it in the past.
Game 4
The Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeated the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers four games to one. This Finals was the first time in NBA history the same two teams had met for a third consecutive year. The Cavaliers sought to repeat as champions after winning the championship in 2016, while the Warriors won their first meeting in 2015.
He shot 19-for-30 from the field and averaged a triple-double for the series with 33.6 points, 12.0 rebounds and 10.0 assists per game. This was the Golden State Warriors' third consecutive trip to the NBA Finals and ninth appearance overall, having come short of back-to-back titles in the 2016 NBA Finals by losing in seven games after having a 3–1 lead. With the acquisition of free agent Kevin Durant in the offseason, the Warriors were hailed as a "Superteam" by the media and fans, forming a new All-Star "Big Four" of Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. As the first and most recent eighth seed to reach the NBA Finals, the Knicks' impressive run could not be finished with success. A dynasty was starting in San Antonio, and Tim Duncan guided the Spurs to the first title in franchise history in five games against New York. With that, the Houston Rockets would need to become the lowest seed ever to win an NBA title, and that's exactly what they did.
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However, he isn’t used to playing 40+ minutes a game and fatigue has taken over him. There is no question about his skills, but his body isn’t conditioned like James to play almost full games. Iman Shumpert has to pick up his teammate and guard Curry when Delly needs a breather.
The Rockets started their postseason run by beating reigning champions LA Lakers in a three-game first-round series. Then, they took down George Gervin's San Antonio Spurs in seven games. The Atlanta Hawks eliminated the East's top-seeded team after winning three of four games on the road .
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He's came from a certain system or culture, and it's a little bit more loose here, and it kind of drove him crazy sometimes. But he does a great job of knowing how to communicate with the each individual, which is key. He does a good job of tricking some guys, too, as far as their focus of what he wants to -- he's really good at trying to figure out what to say to them to get them to do what we need them to do on the court. Steve and I had an interesting conversation this morning in shootaround, and he said, How many minutes you got? And I kind of just had a good feeling, that inkling like tonight's the night to attack and get it over with.
We have the latest stats and projections as the Lakers star chases down the milestone. Build your custom FanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis on All NBA and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. With Curry and KD likely to re-sign with the Dubs in free agency this summer, next year’s defending champs aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Smith closed the period, pulling Cleveland within five heading into the game’s final 12 minutes. A 28-footer from the Pipe just before the halftime buzzer was an incredibly huge shot for the Cavs, who were able to knock three points off what could’ve been a 14-point deficit.
In the playoffs, the Cavaliers swept the Indiana Pacers in the first round, swept the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and defeated the Boston Celtics in five games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Owning a 3-1 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors made sure to take care of home-court advantage this time around and secure their third championship in franchise history. The Cavaliers became the first team in NBA Finals history to fail to record a steal in a game. With the loss, the Cavaliers' nine game road playoff winning streak came to an end. The Rockets took down the Spurs in six games and went on to sweep Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic in the 1995 NBA Finals. To date, the 1995 Houston Rockets, who went back-to-back, are the lowest-seeded team to win the NBA title in league history.
Houston won its next game after the All-Star break, and then pulled off a trade for Clyde Drexler. Home-court advantage is indeed an advantage in the NBA Playoffs, as only six teams in league history have reached the NBA Finals without opening any series at home. Young led the team with 48 points and 11 assists, while John Collins also put up a solid game with 23 points and 15 rebounds.
Golden State earned home court advantage with a 2016–17 regular season record of 67–15, while Cleveland finished the regular season with a 51–31 record. The Warriors entered the 2017 Finals after becoming the first team in NBA playoff history to start 12–0, while the Cavaliers entered the 2017 Finals with a 12–1 record during the first three rounds of the postseason. The Warriors' 15–0 start in the playoffs is the most consecutive postseason wins in NBA history and their 16–1 record is the best winning percentage (.941) in NBA playoff history. Golden State's Kevin Durant was named the Finals Most Valuable Player . Durant won the Finals MVP award unanimously, receiving all 11 Finals MVP votes. The Warriors led by only 8 points at halftime, but they opened the third quarter on a 13–0 run and never looked back.
Cleveland trails the Finals, 3–1, as the series shifts back to Oakland. The team equaled their 2014–15 regular-season record of 67–15, their second most wins in franchise history. They won the Pacific Division title and Western Conference Championship for the third consecutive season.
Not having home-court advantage does not seem to hurt the Atlanta Hawks right now, and the Milwaukee Bucks must be on their best behavior to make it to the NBA Finals. This series has been unusual in that regard since home court advantage so far has been non-existent. In spite of the fans giving excellent support, we are yet to see them having an impact on these conference champions.
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