Cleveland — The Cavaliers new motto for the rest of the 2016 playoffs should be “Win, or stay home”, which would perfectly describe the sense of urgency that the Cavaliers should feel at the moment being down 2-0 in the 2016 NBA Finals. The Wine and Gold has a lot riding on today’s game 3 at Quicken Loans Arena as King James and company looks to redeem themselves by getting back into the series. The game tips off at 9 pm on ABC.

The Golden State Warriors are a 73-win team with superstar Steph Curry facing superstar Lebron James. The two players have 6 MVP awards between them but their style of play is an extreme contrast. The match up was expected to be must-see TV filled with drama, but drama is the last word that comes to mind in this series thus far. The Cavaliers know that if they do not win Game 3, then they can wash their NBA Champion dreams down the drain. Teams that go down 0-3 have never come back to win a series ever in the history of the NBA.

 

Many things come to mind when thinking of ways for the Cavaliers to show a pulse in this series. It starts with James, who is averaging (5.5) turnovers per night. The first two games the Warriors have won by (48) points combined which is the largest margin of victory in NBA finals history. The Warriors have simply gotten anything that they’ve wanted against the Cavaliers defense and after getting beat on the glass and the paint the Cavs should consider a move back to “Big Ball’ by dusting off Timofey Mozgov who has fallen out of the regular rotation. Mozgov was fairly effective in last year’s finals, as he impacted the game with his size. Like they say, “The original is always better than the sequel” but if the Cavaliers are going to pull off a much-needed win in game 3 tonight, then this series has potential to get interesting.

 

Going back home is exactly what the Cavs need. Seeing home rims and the home crowd gives the team the comfortability it desperately needs to get their confidence back. The Cavs home cooking at home is perfect as they are 7-0 in the playoffs on their home court.  A few adjustments made in the lineup, less mental miscues on defense, and steady ball movement on offense will put the Cavs in a great place to win the game. Also, an aggressive LeBron will trickle down to an aggressive Cavalier team.

 

  

The Warriors are a great team but any team lead by basketball royalty, Lebron James has more than a puncher’s chance at success. LeBron has been down before, and he’s come back before. James randomly gives teammates gifts of significant value throughout the season to motivate them, but I think the only gift that these Cavs want at this point is a golden wrapped trophy.

 

If the Cavs win game 3 then the whole narrative of this series changes. Many people suggest that a series really does not shift until someone loses on their homecourt. With that being said, it is imperative that Cleveland protects home, like Golden State protected their home. Everything has to start in Game 3 for the “James Gang.” Though the Cavs may be without Kevin Love in game 3, they still have more than enough to win the game. J.R. Smith who has been struggling thus far on 3-9 shooting always plays better at home and that’s a good thing. Cleveland will be going nuts and the home crowd will be hungry for a win. Head Coach Tyron Lue is eager to get his first finals win and we are all curious to see what type of adjustments his makes to his strategy. There are numerous motivating factors to use for bulletin board material for these Cavs so that the locker room doesn’t still “smell like champagne”. Game 3 will write the rest of series.

 

~Raynard Wright

 

 

What are your thoughts? Do you think the Cleveland Cavaliers will pull out the victory in Game 3?