Facing a 2-1 deficit, the Golden State Warriors are in familiar territory. Like the Western Conference Semi-finals, the Grizzlies won 2 consecutive games to force the Warriors to play with a purpose again. It’s important for the Dubs to claim this game before going home to the Oracle Arena. This healthy Warriors team has been outplayed by the scrapping Cavs all series long. With the games being so close, find the Warriors to start hot and early to retake control.
Here’s the instant recap:
1st Quarter
The Warriors shocked everyone when they started Andre Iguodala instead of Andrew Bogut. It didn’t pay off to start the game. The Cavs went on a 7-0 run and it looked like the same story from Game 2 and 3. Curry got the Warriors on the board with a triple, which was a good sign for the Dubs. The Cavs kept applying pressure and scoring at will. Luckily, the Warriors got production from Iguodala and Harrison Barnes. With seven minutes left, the Warriors were down 16-12. Curry hit another triple to cut the lead to one. Draymond hit a bucket and got the foul, plus a Klay Thompson bucket got the Warriors the lead for the first time. David Lee and Iguodala combined for nine points to end the game and the Warriors had their first nice lead of the series. They were up 31-24 going into the second.
Iguodala with the hammer. https://t.co/Tbhf4VNHDl @warriorsworld
— Alex Torres (@alextorresww) June 12, 2015
2nd Quarter
A layup by Leandro Barbosa got the Warriors started with a quick layup. The teams traded baskets for the first three minutes and Klay Thompson hit a triple to make the lead 10 points. The Cavs were still getting buckets, but the Warriors picked it up offensively. They finally looked like the team we saw all season long. A Thompson jumper with about four minutes to go put the Warriors up by 13. Draymond Green then followed with a bucket of his own ti make it 15 and the Warriors were rolling. Timofey Mozgov then scored five points on his own to make the lead 10 again. They traded baskets as time was winding down in the quarter. Curry drove to the basket as time was running out and was able to hit a nice layup to make the lead 12 going into the break.
Curry hits the layup before the buzzer. https://t.co/dyLzrIBEZA @warriorsworld
— Alex Torres (@alextorresww) June 12, 2015
3rd Quarter
Andre Iguodala picked up where he left off and hit a triple to start the second half. Dellavedova then hit back to back triples, but the Warrior lead was still 11. Both teams traded baskets and after two LeBron free throws the lead was nine. The Cavs were in the middle of a 8-0 run and the momentum was quickly shifting . Mozgov and Shumpert got the lead down to 5 and Quicken Loans Arena was in a frenzy. Harrison Barnes hit two free throws, but LeBron hit two shots in a row to make it a three point game. Barnes came out of the timeout and hit a big three to slow down the Cavs just a bit. They both were scoring at a slowing rate, but the lead was substantially lower. They were trading baskets and Iguodala was carrying the Warriors, which he had been doing for a good part of the game. The Warriors were hanging on to a three point lead and Curry hit a three to end the quarter. Warriors up six going to the fourth.
Iggy out here having fun. https://t.co/ZI4htbgzrZ @warriorsworld
— Alex Torres (@alextorresww) June 12, 2015
4th Quarter
Draymond Green started the quarter with an emphatic dunk and Golden State was up eight. The Warriors went on a 6-0 run after the Splash Brothers both hit buckets. The lead was 12 again, but J.R. Smith stopped the bleeding with a bucket. Curry came back with a step back three and the Warriors were feeling it. Iguodala was still hot and hit another triple and the lead is up to 14. It would be more but Mozgov kept rebounding, scoring and getting fouled. Luckily, Iguodala kept knocking them down. The Warriors then exploded offensively. Iggy hit another three to put them up 16. Time was winding down and the Warriors kept pushing it offensively. Curry was taking charge and you can tell they were going to win this game. A Draymond bucket made it 21 and the Cavs threw in the white towel. The Warriors win this game and even this series.
The MVP came to play. https://t.co/FWVTdgQ1hT @warriorsworld
— Alex Torres (@alextorresww) June 12, 2015