So far the NBA Finals have been the LeBron James Show and the Cleveland Cavaliers intend for it to stay that way. While James is getting help from his depleted supporting cast, the forward is very much putting the team on his back and dictating the pace of the series. So far it is working as the Golden State Warriors have had two straight games of poor shooting. As exhaustion starts to become a factor, can James keep up the momentum and get the Cavaliers a win in Game 4?
Cleveland's offensive storyline has been all James with some occasional shots from other players. Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving are out for the season. Iman Shumpert is nursing a shoulder bruise. Matthew Dellavedova was hospitalized for dehydration. Cleveland has no choice but to put it all on James and remain thankful that he is capable of carrying the load.
The result is James making history. Game 3 saw the star put up 40 points. In three games total he has 123 points which breaks a playoff record originally set in 1967. James is averaging around 40 points per game because he is taking most of shots, making up for the absence of Irving and Love. Dellavedova has been a big story as he remains critical as the backup point guard scoring 20 points in Game 4 while JR Smith has been getting hot in the back court from long range.
Despite the Cavaliers holding the 2-1 lead, the Warriors should have some confidence in Game 4. They have come back from this deficit before, most recently against the Memphis Grizzlies. They were able to rally from a 20-point deficit in Game 3 to come close to getting the win. Stephen Curry rebounded from a poor shooting performance to nail five 3-point shots and score 17 points in the fourth quarter alone. However, defense has been limiting them to just 97.3 points per game in this series, well off their regular-season average. Head coach Steve Kerr made it clear that no one is panicking right now and it was simply an issue of figuring out the points of frustration.
James hinted to ESPN that he was motivated by finishing third in the MVP voting this year. The forward is likely trying to prove that while Curry might have been handed the trophy, he can still win the championship. So far that motivation is working.
