NBA Finals Game 5: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Golden State Warriors

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SteemSports Presenter: Chaz Payne, @chaz.payne27 (account waiting to be approved)

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SteemSports Editor: Nolan Jacobson, @theprophet0, STEEM Witness & PeerPlays Witness.

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So far, based off of the Warriors performance in games 1-3 it seemed almost inevitable for King James to get swept in the NBA Finals. Facing the four-headed monster of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant the warriors were a top pick to win the NBA Finals. This not being LeBron James first rodeo, more people are more familiar with his spectacular performance during last seasons NBA Finals when the Cavs went down 3-1 and came back to win, which had never been done in the NBA Finals before.

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Now winning game four last night with a spectacular 84 points in the first half, things are starting to look up for Cavs fans. This was a direct result of other players stepping up and playing their role such as Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and Tristan Thompson. The next question is can the Cavs keep up this level of play and come back from 3-0 to win four games straight. If so, the Cavs must have impeccable defense and the Cavs role players must fulfill their roles. When it comes down to the Golden State Warriors it is vital that they play their fast break style of play and continue to play defense, because scoring is not a problem for the Warriors.

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If you happened to catch Game 4, the Cavs came out of the gates with a great deal of intensity scoring 45 points within the first quarter! Any Cavs fan or LeBron fan was more than joyful to see them play in this manner. At this point, it is either win or go home for the Cavs and this might be the reason they have sparked their style of play. LeBron is considered one of the greatest players to touch the court in this era, maybe even ever. He has surpassed many records once set by iconic Bulls legend Michael Jordan, but is his play alone enough to stop the four-headed monster in Golden State? As many NBA fans seen in games 1-3 LeBron had stellar games scoring over 30 in each games. So why was this not enough?

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This was not enough to beat Golden State because players such as Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, Kyrie Irving, and Tristan Thompson did not make as much as an impact as expected. If they can continue to play how they did in game 4 this series is destined to go to a game 7. With the unstoppable force of Tristan Thompson crashing the boards the way he did and Kyrie dropping almost 40 a game the Cleveland Cavaliers actually have a shot.

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If you can recall last year’s finals once the Cavaliers went down 3-1, both Kyrie Irving and LeBron James gave tremendous performances and led their team to win the NBA Finals. If they can continue to post these types of numbers and continue to draw fouls and convert at the free throw line they are in great shape!

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How can the warriors finish this series the way they are supposed to and not blow all their hard work like last year? There is no problem with the way the Warriors are re-playing, but their style of play seems to have taken a lackluster approach. The Warriors seem to get comfortable when going up in a series and this may seem to be their problem. If Kevin Durant can come out with the same intensity he had during games 1-3 the warriors have a better shot at winning a national title. It is also important that all the key players stay out of foul trouble, which is what gave the Cavaliers such a tremendous lead in game 4. If the Warriors four-headed monster can continue to produce on offense and find an answer for Kyrie Irving and LeBron James on defense they will be guaranteed to win Game 5 in Oracle Arena.

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So there you have it, both teams have a simple recipe to win the NBA Finals; their only problem is execution. Which team will execute in a manner that fits their team’s needs. Will the Warriors be able to stop Kyrie Irving and LeBron James or will the Cavaliers be able to continue this fast style pace of play and come from down in the series 3-1 like last year. Because the Warriors do not want to go back to Cleveland for a game 6, it is vital that they end the series in game 5. It is much more difficult to stop these two teams when they are under pressure, and we all know pressure bust pipes, and which ever team is more determined will be the victor in game 5.

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