The Golden State Warriors are one win away from clinching their first NBA title since 1975. Game 5 of the 2015 NBA Finals between them and the Cleveland Cavaliers saw the Warriors winning 104-91 in front of a sold-out crowd wearing golden-yellow shirts.
Steve Kerr stick to his small-ball lineup, which he used to win Game 4. Once again, he started Andre Iguodala instead of Andrew Bogut who didn't even play throughout the game. Cavs coach David Blatt followed the Warriors set-up by replacing seven-footer Timofey Mozgov with guard JR Smith, having James as the tallest player on the floor.
Both teams may have recourse to a smaller line-up, but it didn't affect the game’s physicality. Officials called a flagrant 1 foul on Smith when he knocked down Warriors forward Draymond Green by extending his right forearm and shoulder to plow him.
James Jones also grabbed Iguodala with both arms from behind on a lay-up attempt, which the opposing side argued to be a flagrant foul.
The first half was a close contest between the Eastern and Western champs. It ended with a 51-50 lead by the latter after late free throws by Harrison Barnes.
Playing at the center for most of the game, LeBron recorded a monster statistic of 40 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists. Second highest scorer in his team was Tristan Thompson with 19 points.
The regular season MVP was back to his brilliant shooting, splashing huge threes to help the Warriors get their second win in a row. He finished with 37 points and 7 three-pointers.
Neither team could pull away until Curry connected inside and out for a 25-11 run over the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter. He and LeBron made the closing quarter fun by exchanging baskets and three-pointers.
With 2:44 left, Curry showed Matthew Dellavedova who’s the real boss when he danced around him and stepped back for a three to give his team a 96-86 advantage. James answered with his own three-pointer and the Cavaliers resorted to ‘hack’ Iguodala, who is known for his sub-par free throw shooting. However, Curry just didn't let the game slip through their fingers. He connected another three-pointer with 1:12 left, which made him pound his chest while doing his usual ‘point to the sky’ gesture.
There were a total of 20 lead changes and 10 ties throughout the game. The next game will be in Quicken Loans Arena, where the home team will fight to have a chance to win the first ever major sports championship for their city in 51 years.
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