Cleveland Cavaliers: No Kevin Love No Problem; Cavs Blowout Warriors In Game 3

Despite not having Kevin Love available for Game 3, the Cleveland Cavaliers did exactly what they needed to do in a 2-0 series hole

When the Cleveland Cavaliers fell in Game 2, falling down 2-0 in the NBA Finals, things seemed bleak. When they found out that Kevin Love (concussion) was going to miss Game 3, things became even murkier.

However, thanks to a strong performance, behind their home crowd, from LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the Golden State Warriors 120-90 in Game 3. The Warriors still lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.

LeBron finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Irving bounced back, after two subpar performances in Games 1 and 2, with 30 points and eight assists. J.R. Smith, who was a combined 3-9 shooting for eight points in the first two games of this series, hit five 3’s en route to a 20-point performance.

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Overall, the Cavs shot 53 percent from the field and hit 12 3’s. The Warriors shot 42 percent and only hit 9 3’s. They never had a chance; not playing like that.

From the opening tip, as the Cavs raced off to a 9-0 lead, it was well evident that this was not the same Cleveland team that went down easy in Golden State. The same could be said about the Warriors, who played like a team that was just happy to have a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.

Perhaps the night could be summed up by Stephen Curry‘s first half. He only scored two points on 1-5 shooting. At one point in the third quarter, Curry had two points and four turnovers.

Even though he finished with a team-high 19 points, it was a night to remember for the NBA’s first unanimous MVP award winner.

For one night, they were the superior team. They just need to figure out how to replicate their success in Game 3 three more times

Klay Thompson, who battled much of the night with a thigh bruise, shot 4-13 from the field and only finished with 10 points.

All in all, not much went right for the defending champs.

Draymond Green, who continued the trend of performances to remember while finishing with eight points on 2-8 shooting, perfectly explained what exactly went down in Game 3.

Draymond: "They came out & played like a team with a sense of desperation. ... We came out & played like everything was peaches and cream."
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) June 9, 2016

Perhaps the one night that could tell us al we needed to know: The Cavs finished with 23 second-chance points. The Warriors? Three.

Despite all that – the 30-point Game 3 win, the Splash Brothers’ night to remember and LeBron James and Kyrie Irving going off – the Warriors still lead the series 2-1, and are one win in Cleveland away from making this series a forgone conclusion.

Question is, what awaits both of these teams in Game 4?

Will the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to play small, with LeBron James at the four? If so, what happens with Kevin Love (assuming he returns for the next game)? Does he start at the five?

That’s something the Cavs will have to figure out later. In the meantime, Cleveland needs to enjoy what they did in Game 3.

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For one night, they were the superior team. They just need to figure out how to replicate their success in Game 3 three more times.