posted new column:
Cavs Unleash Pent-up Offense, Spoil Warriors' Perfection with Record Barrage
https://www.clevescene.com/scene-an...spoil-warriors-perfection-with-record-barrage
Every journey begins with that modest first step, and the Cavaliers finally took theirs. Like any artist, they want to top their last effort, so you’ll excuse them for seeking a larger challenge than trailing 3-1 to a 73-win team. (After all, their medium’s drama.)
After watching last night’s performance, you wouldn’t need David Blaine to convince us someone (like LeBron) did the Jedi Mind Trick on Draymond Green, and told him to go running to Durant in the tear-soaked hours after last year Game 7, just so it wouldn’t get boring.
So congratulations, Cavaliers, it’s no longer boring. But if the Cavaliers could’ve played the entire 48 minutes on Wednesday like they did last night, we’d be in a different series and would have saved enough hot takes about Durant as GOAT and how great the Warriors are to heat the Midwest for half the winter.
Finally after three games where they missed plentiful open jumpers – perfectly encapsulated by four-time NBA three-point FG% champ, Kyle Korver, missing a wide open corner 3 on Wednesday – the Cavaliers spun dame fortune round like a record baby, right round, round round. They made a record 24 of a record 45 three-pointers (53%) and 26 of 44 uncontested shots (59%), after shooting 48-125 (38%) on uncontested shots the first three games, including 16-46 Wednesday.
This is the way the Cavs can and should be able to play. Indeed, as we noted in
Wednesday’s Column (which would’ve been our last had the Warriors won), Cleveland had two horrendous stretches at the end of the first and final quarters in Game 3 totaling four minutes in which they were outscored 21-0. The other 44 minutes they were +16. Last night the Cavaliers showed those other 44 minutes were no fluke, winning by 21 and setting a slew of scoring records.
There was a priceless moment in last night’s game, after the Cavaliers had shot out to a big lead, and the Warriors had closed it to seven, 27-34 with 2:48. There was a vague but perceptible kind of knowing-nod look about the Warriors after Livingstons’ offensive board and Iguodala’s dunk when James gave him baseline. That said, “Yeah, you may have rocked us for a moment, but we got you.” The Cavs finished the quarter on a 15-6 run that left the Warriors reeling with a familiar shellshocked look they’re used to seeing on other teams’ faces. Golden State would never get it back to single digits again....