NBA Finals Game 3 Takeaways + Game 4 Preview

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

On Wednesday, the Warriors and the Cavs played each other with the Warriors getting the win by a score of 110-102. There are many takeaways I had from the game. First of all, the Cavs really gave their best effort and play a very good game. LeBron finally got some help and the Cavaliers had 4 players in double figures. I mean the Cavs actually had a lead after halftime for once in this series. However, like always, the Cavaliers could not stop the Warriors third quarter. They got outscored by 8 points and the quarter changed the momentum of the game. That being said, the game was won by one person: Kevin Durant. Honestly, that is one of the best games I have ever seen him play. He scored 43 points and had 13 rebounds. Not only that, he put up 43 while going 15-23 from the field. It is so impressive for him to play that well, while being so efficient. He really had to carry this team for the first time in this series. He outscored the rest of the starters on the team by himself. When he hit that dagger 3 with a minute left, I was actually shocked. It was a great shot that should be remembered as one of his most famous shots in his career. Kevin Durant won the game for the Warriors and proved why he is the second best player in the league. While the Warriors played very well, this was a game that the Cavaliers should have won. First of all, it was a home game. Against the Warriors, you need to take care of business at home because you aren’t going to do it at Oracle. Second of all, you actually gave LeBron help for the first time in this series. Kevin Love had 20, Rodney Hood had 15, and JR had 13. That is a good output by the “other Cavaliers” as they usually play terribly. Finally, the splash brothers had probably their worst games of the series. Together they shot 15% from the field and went 3-15 from downtown. These guys are usually the reason the Cavs lose, but that night they were playing very bad. I mean they couldn’t find the basket to save their lives. When those two are playing that bad, you need to get a win. While I am usually a LeBron fan, I think that he deserves some of the blame for this loss. While the stats may say he had a triple double, he really hurt his team. He needed to be able to score the ball from the three-point line that day, but was unable to. He went 1-6 from three, which really hurt his team. Also, I think that the defense was terrible from the Cavaliers. First of all, you let a player put up 43 against you. I know that he is Kevin Durant, but you still gotta find a way to stop him. A player scoring more than 40 points in a game is unacceptable, in any level of basketball. Second of all, the Cavaliers defense let up way too many points this game. I understand if this was a regular season game, but we are in the NBA Finals. You should be holding teams to under 100 points in order to win, especially if you are playing one of the greatest offenses of all time. At the end of the day, Kevin Durant and the Warriors proved to be too much for the weak Cavaliers.

With this win, the Warriors are up 3-0 and will play tonight in Cleveland. For the Warriors, there is no pressure tonight and they should play like it. The worst thing that happens tonight is that you have to defeat the Cavs in the Bay Area. There is nothing bad that can happen from this game, but you should have pride and try to sweep the Cavaliers. For the Cavaliers, you need to play the best basketball you have played this entire season. Not only might this be your last game of the season, but this could be the last time LeBron ever puts on your jersey. You need to play with a lot of energy and kill the Warriors in the first half. From there, you can take it one game at a time and try to make the greatest comeback in NBA history. However, the Cavaliers need to give it their all and keep their season alive. I think that this will be a close game because the Cavaliers will be playing so hard. It will come down to how the Cavaliers will respond to the Warriors 3rd quarter. Will they stop the run or let it continue and carry on to the 4th? If they can win the third quarter battle, the Cavaliers will put themselves in great shape to win. While I want the Cavaliers to win just to get another game in this series, I think that the Warriors will take care of business and sweep the Cavaliers.