CHICAGO -- Game 5 turned out to be one of the most exciting games thus far in the ongoing NBA Finals. A -6 underdog heading into a contest where the Warriors were poised to close out and claim their back-to-back title, the Cleveland Cavaliers sprung a surprise when they scored a 112-97 upset.
Here are the top five stats that spelled the biggest difference in Game 5.
1) 53 percent field goal -- After losing Games 1 and 2 at the Oracle Arena by a combined 50 points, the Cavaliers knew that they had to shoot lights out to even have a chance. And that's exactly what they did, connecting on 44 of 83 field goals for a high 53 percent. Cleveland also nailed 10 of 24 triples for a good 41.7 percent.
In contrast, the usually explosive Warriors made only 36.4 percent of their field goals (32 of 88) and 33.3 percent of their 3s (14 of 42).
2) 82 -- LeBron James and Kyrie Irving each finished with 41 points, the first teammates to do so in the history of the NBA Finals. As stifling as the Warriors defense has been this series, this was a simple case of a better offense trumping a good defense. LeBron went 16 of 30 from the field while Irving drilled 17 of 24 shots. The amazing duo was a combined 9-of-15 from long distance.
3) 14 percent -- The Splash Brothers performed relatively well in Game 5 as Klay Thompson had 37 points while Stephen Curry added 25. But Harrison Barnes, who has been a solid contributor for Golden State, couldn't make a jump shot to save his life.
Barnes made only 2 of 14 shots, a dismal 14.2 percent clip.
4) 0-for-8 -- The 3-point shot has always been a reliable weapon for the reigning and defending NBA champions. But when they needed to rally in Game 5, the Warriors couldn't summon the required marksmanship and missed all 8 of their wide-open 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
5) 1 -- Down 109-96 with 5:33 left to play, the Warriors badly needed to make a move. They didn't. In fact, their offense turned stone cold and they only scored 1 point the rest of the way, much to the frustration of a sold-out crowd of 19,596 at the Oracle Arena.
Photo: Facing elimination, the Cleveland Cavaliers got a new lease on their championships lives after scoring a 112-97 win over the Golden State Warriors to force a Game 6 in the ongoing NBA Finals.
Comments
Share your thoughts on the above article by Richie de la Peña.