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Philippines, 23 Apr 2024 |
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2015 NBA Finals -- Despite injuries, Cavs giving Warriors a good fight By Reylan Loberternos PhilBoxing.com Sun, 14 Jun 2015  Tagbilaran City, Bohol ? Many have written off the Cleveland Cavaliers after they lost All Stars Kevin Love (separated shoulder) and Kyrie Irving (fractured left kneecap) to season-ending injuries. Many experts have predicted a Warriors sweep in these NBA Finals, but the undermanned Cavs have put up an incredible fight and heading into Game 5 today, the series is knotted at 2-2. Love's outside shooting has certainly been missed by the Cavs, ditto with Irving's multi-layered talents -- dribble penetration, running the offense, scoring and defense. But two other Cavs have filled in nicely. Tristan Thompson, who averaged 9.3 points and 11.5 rebounds in the East semis against the Chicago Bulls, is again eating up the boards in the Finals, grabbing 54 rebounds through four games. The 24-year old has also scored a modest 26 points. An athletic big man who can obviously play on both ends of the floor, Thompson has been a valuable asset against the sharp-shooting Warriors team that likes to play a lot of small-ball. Matthew Dellavedova, meanwhile, is making a string of star-making performances while assuming the point guard slot from Irving. After going scoreless in Game 1, Delly has racked up 39 points from Games 2 to 4, while his assists total for the series is 12. The 6-foot-4 Australian, a combo guard, was instrumental in the Cavs' close wins in Games 2 and 3 by hitting timely threes and sinking crucial free throws. One of Dellavedova's greatest feats yet is helping slow down MVP Steph Curry, the Warriors juggernaut who has been relatively quiet in these Finals. Delly's physical play has bumped, held and made Curry really uncomfortable. The loss of Love and Irving is obviously a tough pill to swallow, but thanks to LeBron James and his 38 points a game average, the Cavs are somehow still in the running to win this whole thing and end Cleveland's 51-year drought for a major sports championship. It's amazing to see King James score these many points to fuel the Cavs' offense, but at the end of the day, its defense that wins championships. Comments are highly appreciated. You may email them to reylanloberternos@yahoo.com.ph or follow me on twitter @reylan_l Photo: LeBron James is keeping the Cleveland Cavaliers afloat in these NBA Finals. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Reylan Loberternos.  |
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