The NBA Finals Game 5 matchup has the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors playing at Oracle Arena in Oakland and the series is tied 2-2 for LeBron James and Stephen Curry on Sunday night and the TV coverage is from ABC and will be live from ESPN on the WatchESPN website starting past 8 pm ET.
James has been playing out of his mind and he could be tiring out into the fifth game and it comes as the Warriors have found their stroke. Golden State won the first game in overtime after outscoring the Cavs 10-2 in the final frame and the Cavs bounced back to win in Game 2. LeBron helped pushed his team to a 2-1 lead in the series in Game 3, but the Warriors were able to take control of the series in Game 4 and now the fifth matchup could be the most decisive one.
The Cavaliers need to win this game to really keep the series in reach, as a loss would put the Warriors in position to win the championship in Game 6. The Warriors lost only two games in the regular season at home and they now have the chance to take control of this series. Andre Iguodala has been the main difference for the Warriors, as he has played great defense when matched with James and he held him to his worst game in the finals.
James scored a record amount of points through the first three games and he comes in after having a down performance and now will be looking to bounce back. James and the Cavs have had time off since Thursday to rest and they surely need it, as players are staying in for 40 minutes or more with the short bench due to injuries and just depth issues. The Warriors bench is much stronger and having players like David Lee and Shaun Livingston step up also has made a difference.
Iguodala comes in after leading the Warriors with 22 points, while Timofey Mozgov had 28 points and 10 rebounds. Coming into the series the Cavs would likely be thrilled to know Iguodala was the leader for Golden State with that much, but in this game it was not an issue, as the Cavs scored just 12 points in the final quarter. James had a triple double and scored 40 points twice in the finals and now he has to have another standout performance or the Cavs have no chance to win.
Tristan Thompson has been key with Kevin Love out of action and Matthew Dellavedova has done what he can with Kyrie Irving finished for the playoffs as well. Thompson led the Cavs in rebounding last game and he was strong on the offensive boards, but he has to keep it up against Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut. Stephen Curry had another good game and he comes in after getting hot at the end of Game 3 when he had 27 points.
