After the Golden State Warriors had a setback in their easy NBA Finals run with a 120-90 loss in Game 3, Draymond Green said their trio of All-Stars were “awful.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers turned themselves around in Game 3 of the 2016 NBA Finals. They won 120-90 at home in Quicken Loans Arena to continue a playoffs that has seen more blowouts than ever before, while answering back against the Golden State Warriors’ overpowering 110-77 win in Game 2.
Unsurprisingly, Draymond Green had something to say about it. As the Warriors were beaten in transition (34 points off turnovers for the Cavs), failed to stop the duo of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving going off for 62 combined points, and lost the rebound battle 52-32, Green called the Warriors’ trio of All-Stars “awful” (via Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated):
"“We just got to be better. I think we got bullied tonight and we got bullied bad. I will take that one on the chin. I’ll have my troops ready to go on Friday, ready for war. That’s what it’s going to be. If we want to win, if we want to get this done, it’s war and we have to approach it like that.All three of us [Warriors All-Stars] have been pretty awful. That’s my personal opinion.”"
The shooting drought of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson continued as they combined for only 29 points on 10-of-26 shooting. Meanwhile, Green cooled down in his own right, adding a mere six points on 2-of-8 shooting and getting out-rebounded by Richard Jefferson, 8-7.
The following play from LeBron pretty much summed up how the game went in a sudden reverse of control, with the Cavs going smaller without Kevin Love (concussion), playing faster, upping their defensive effort, and powering past the Warriors behind LeBron and Kyrie.
Oh, and this:
Will it last, though?
It’s so easy for the narratives to flip and for the arguments that this series just turned around to begin. Love was out, the Splash Brothers shot poorly (again), the Cavs were at home, and they shot 52.7 percent from the floor in comparison to the Warriors’ cold mark of 42.1.
It was an impressive performance, but as we just saw, momentum can alter in an instant. Don’t be surprised when the Warriors answer back. They’re the superior group in terms of depth, team play, defense, and overall ability, and the Cavs’ offense has still largely been inefficient and reliant on isolation plays so far, while their poor defense from Games 1 and 2 may easily return.
“I was clapping when I was walking to the locker room because we just lost one game,” Draymond Green added. “We’re in a great spot. Everyone is going to panic and say, ‘It’s a different series now, the Cavs did this and the Cavs did that.’ And I like where we are at. I know there is one simple adjustment in order to change the game, and that’s play hard.”
“I’m just looking forward to Friday,” Green concluded.
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