Stephen Curry scores 37 as Warriors win Game 5
Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Stephen Curry put on display just a few aspects of why he was named the regular season M.V.P. He torched the Cleveland Cavaliers for 37 points en route to a 91-104 win for the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors now lead the series 3-2 and are one win away from claiming their first NBA Championship since 1975. The series, however, now heads to Cleveland, Ohio for Game 6 where the Cavs will get a chance to tie things up all over again. It will be a tough game for both teams. It will not be a walk in the park for the Warriors as, closing-out games tend to be the most difficult. On the other hand, the Cavaliers lack of depth has been making an impact in recent games. Do they have enough left in their tank to fend off a shower of confetti (not for them) on their own home court? We’ll see.
Once again, Steve Kerr decided to dip into the small-ball well, and once again it paid off for him and his team. In this game David Blatt answered in kind an played LeBron James mostly at center which successful in allowing him to have his way against the Warriors. To his credit, James has been playing out of his mind throughout this entire Finals series and this game was no exception. He ended the game with another triple-double performance, scoring 40 points, with 14 rebounds and 11 assists. His stellar performance was still not enough to carry his team on his back alone. J.R. Smith showed up in the first half, knocking down 4-of-7 shots from three-point land. He did, unfortunately, wane in the second half and proceeded to miss his next seven three-pointers.
In the end, Stephen Curry led a strong fourth-quarter surge for Warriors and they pulled away for this very critical victory. He knocked down 7-of-13 three-point shots en route to his 37 points. He also added seven rebounds and four assists. Matthew Dellavadova has faded for Cleveland and Curry found his shot in this game and made him look foolish on the court.
The X-factor in this series has undoubtedly been Andre Iguodala. Since his insertion into the starting lineup, Iguodala has been responsible for keeping LeBron James in check. He is the one player on the Cavaliers’ roster who is capable of actually winning games for them (virtually) single-handedly. The Warriors coaching staff have gone as far as calling time outs just to make sure Iguodala is on the court whenever James checks in.
Will the Warriors take the 2014-15 NBA Finals in Game 6 or will the Cleveland Cavaliers live to fight another day (game)?