NBA Finals 2015: Insights on Game 5

This post was written by my classmate Randy Manalac. Go follow him on Twitter @randymanalac! 

Game 5 was considered a critical game in the series because whoever would win the game, that team would win the momentum for the rest of the series as well. We saw why Stephen Curry is the reigning regular season MVP, especially in his 4^th quarter performance. Despite a triple double from the leader of the Cavaliers, LeBron James, here are a few points to take note of, in terms of what went wrong for the Cavs in Game 5:

1     2^nd game in the Finals where LeBron’s teammates were nowhere to be found.

This is the second game in the Finals where LeBron James has performed spectacularly, but he wasn’t able to close out a win, due to the lack of a supporting cast. Although Iman Shumpert nearly made a series-changing basket in the final seconds of regulation in Game 1, the Cavs had shooting woes in that overtime period. How long did it take them to get a bucket to go in? 3 minutes and 51 seconds, and it was LeBron who scored that. The same case of the lack of a supporting cast resurfaced in Game 5, but that’s just for the 2^nd half, at least. JR Smith was an abysmal 0-8 from the 3pt line in Game 4 (which is the 2^nd highest number of shots missed in a Finals game without a make). He and his former Knick teammate, Iman Shumpert, combined for just 8 points. Not even at the end of the first half of Game 5, they already have 12 points combined, and JR Smith’s first 2 3pt attempts were good. It was a good first half for both teams, but where was the supporting cast of the Cavs in the second half? Aside from LeBron, those guys were good in the first half, but there was no consistency that lasted until the second half.

2    Mozgov’s sudden disappearance

Timofey Mozgov went on to score a career-high 28 points in a Game 4 loss to the Warriors, and in addition, he also grabbed 10 rebounds. Game 5 turned into something different for him as the starting center for the Cavs played only 9 minutes. Also, at a certain point in Game 5, Mozgov attempted to go 1-on-1 and he slipped and caused a turnover. I personally believe LeBron should only be attempting the 1-on-1s. Cavs struggle when LeBron is off the floor, and how would the Cavs create offense without the King? Out of the 91 points Cleveland scored, LeBron was responsible for 70 of them. The first 5 baskets of JR Smith, all assisted by LeBron. It would be easier to score if any player on the floor for the Cavs were to be set up by LeBron. Going back, why would David Blatt limit Mozgov’s minutes? We know he is a good defender. He can score well in the paint. If the plan of the Cavaliers was to go small ball as well with the Warriors, then it would certainly be understandable for Mozgov to spend more time on the bench rather than on the court.

3      Steph Curry is going back to his regular season self.

Remember the 51 point game? Remember owning CP3 twice? Remember the game winner against the Magic? Yes, that version of Steph Curry has returned, and at the right time as well. When Warriors fans or even basketball fans watch Curry’s performance, especially in the late moments, they will realize why he was the regular season MVP. As LeBron nailed a deep 3 to put the Cavs up 80-79 late in the 4^th, Steph answered back with an even more ridiculous 3 pointer, and it was a Steph Curry kind of 3 pointer. You know he does that shot, you know he can consistently make it. While the defense on that shot couldn’t be played any better by Matthew Dellavedova, that 3 pointer explains that there are plays where there is great defense on you, but you outdo it with better offense. Clearly, there was nothing that could be done by Delly but hope that that shot would have missed, but that shot would only be the beginning of a run that would let Golden State emerge with the critical win. For the Warriors, a team whose players are first-timers in the Finals, this run couldn’t have been more timely placed, and they now have a 3-2 lead in the series.

   An insight on LeBron James (this is a personal opinion)

While LeBron has been relied on to bring Cleveland its first championship in any sports league since more than 50 years ago, the job clearly hasn’t been easy. Social media certainly has been criticizing LeBron for his inability to come up with ways to win. In fact, every “LeBron hater” notices every wrong thing LeBron does and says something about it. People certainly do not understand the context of LeBron. He is being coached by someone who has no experience in the NBA, his other 2 all-star teammates are out until next season, and Anderson Varejao, someone who can go for as intense as a 20-20 game. Just imagine that. Winning back to back times against the team that was dominant all season long. A team that has the league MVP. A team that has a runner-up for Defensive Player of the year. One of those wins was in the home court of that team as well. You’d also need to imagine what LeBron is going through in order to give his team opportunities to win it all. 18 straight games with 20+ FGA, and he himself stated that he’s not a high volume shooter. He doesn’t care what he has to do to win. If it lets his team win, you know he will do it.

As these insights have finally been stated, there are still some thoughts to ponder on. How will LeBron respond in Game 6? Can he respond as well as he did back in Boston 3 years ago? What does this mean for LeBron’s legacy as a player if the Warriors do emerge as the champions?