One question has been asked several times this NBA Playoffs – can any team beat Golden State Warriors? When Cleveland Cavaliers booked their date against Warriors for the NBA final, one thought that LeBron James-led side would be able to beat them.
The best-of-seven finals have witnessed two matches, and it is the brilliance of Warriors, which have stood tall. The Warriors are on an incredible 14-match winning streak in the Playoffs and will be keen to make that 15 when they travel to Quicken Loans Arena for Game 3 on Wednesday.
If Cavaliers fail to beat Warriors, James and co will have to win four games on a trot to win the title, which would be too much for any team.
The Cavaliers have to do something different to stop Warriors' dominance. Everything Cavs have done in the NBA Finals has been cancelled out by the skills of the Warriors players, primarily, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
Coming to the starting five, Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue will field the same players, but there is a serious need for the likes of JR Smith to contribute more. James needs to see, besides scoring points, how he can inspire his team to take their game to the next level against Warriors. With the massive home crowd behind them, the Cavaliers might be lifted by their fans at Quicken Loans Arena.
James, Kyrie Irving Kevin Love are going to play an important role for Cavs while Curry and Durant will be eager to continue their form in Game 3 as well. Though the Warriors are always a free-flowing side, it is their defence, which has been brilliant too. Durant deserves a special mention for his all-round show so far, especially the way he defended against James.
Despite the 2-0 lead, the Warriors are aware of Cavs' comeback as has been witnessed in the past. So the visitors will be extra cautious on Game 3, which could be the most important game in the finals. A win here and Warriors can smell the title.
Draymond Green understands the upcoming matches against the Cavs will be the toughest. One can expect the likes of James, Love and Kyrie Irving to bring their A game.
"There's no feeling of, 'We're almost there. You got to play every game like you're down. I think if you can keep that mindset you'll eventually reach the goal. But to say we're up 2-0, (so) we're good? Like, we still got two more games to win and those two will be way harder than the first two. So we just got to stay locked in like we have been," USA Today quoted Green as saying.
Where to watch NBA 2017 finals live
Golden State Warriors vs Cleveland Cavaliers
Venue: Quicken Loans Arena
Time 9 p.m. ET, 6:30 a.m. IST, 2 a.m. BST
NBA Finals Game 3 live streaming and TV information
India: TV: Sony Six/HD, Ten 1. Live streaming: Sonyliv
US: TV: ABC. Live streaming: ABC GO.
UK: TV: BT Sport. Live streaming: Watch BT Sport.
Philippines: TV: ABS-CBN Channel 2
International audience: Live streaming: NBA.com.
