The Warriors have an opportunity to sweep the NBA Finals on Friday night, but will they be motivated to clinch the championship in Cleveland?
The Cavs have put up a solid fight through the first three games of this series, but the Warriors are simply too talented to lose against an extremely flawed Cleveland team.
Wednesday night’s Game 3 victory looked eerily similar to Golden State’s win in the third game of last year’s series.
Kevin Durant had one of the best games of his life, and he sealed the win with a late three-pointer in nearly the same spot as his dagger in Game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals.
If this series follows the trend of last year’s Finals, the Warriors will come out a little flat in Game 4 and the Cavaliers will play highly-motivated basketball and win in a blowout.
However, Cleveland hit 24 three-pointers in last year’s Game 4, including seven threes from Kyrie Irving who is no longer on the team.
This year’s Game 4 will likely be determined by Golden State’s level of motivation and focus.
Winning the NBA Finals in a four-game sweep would add another feather in the Warriors’ cap and strengthen their claim of being the greatest team ever assembled.
But clinching back-to-back championships would be much more fun in front of the home crowd at Oracle Arena in Game 5, and the Bay Area is much closer to the Warriors’ potential postgame party locations than Cleveland, Ohio.
Also, it’s difficult to imagine that LeBron James has too much energy left in the tank after playing 82 regular season games and carrying a heavy load for 43 or more minutes in each of the past five games. He’s also dealing with a sore ankle after rolling it on Wednesday night.
It’s kind of absurd that motivation would be the biggest factor of an NBA Finals game, but that’s what happens when the talent disparity is so large.
My prediction is that the Cavs give one last home run effort in front of the Cleveland crowd, and the Warriors come out a bit flat knowing the rest of this series is a formality.
Cleveland will win a tight one in Game 4, and Golden State will respond by blowing them out and finishing the series in Game 5 at Oracle Arena.
Next: Klay Thompson: The NBA’s Modern Day Iron Man
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Game Details
Golden State Warriors at Cleveland Cavaliers
Tip-Off: Friday, June 8, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. PST
Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
TV: ABC
Radio: 95.7 The Game, Warriors Radio Network