Bogey 3, Delly 2
TweetNOT even a 40-point, triple-double performance today by LeBron James could hold back the tide as the Golden State Warriors swept to a 104-91 Game 5 victory in the NBA Finals.
With league MVP Steph Curry on song for his series-best return of 37 points, the Warriors steadily pulled away from the Cavaliers to take a 3-2 lead back to Cleveland for Wednesday's Game 6.
And unless Cavs coach David Blatt finds a more effective way to combat the Warriors' "small ball" adjustment which won them Game 4 and now 5, the best-of-seven series won't be coming back to Oakland's raucous Oracle Arena for a decider.
We also may not be seeing GSW centre Andrew Bogut - who had a DNP this time after minimal minutes (and value fouls) in Game 4 - again until the Warriors are holding the championship trophy.
Cleveland rode along on King James' back, LeBron scoring 40 points with 14 rebounds and 11 assists for his second triple-double of the Finals.
J.R.Smith was hot in the first half and the Cavs were rolling.
But ahead 50-48 and with what should have been the last possession before halftime, James made an uncharacteristic turnover by over-dribbling in the backcourt for an eight-second violation.
Matthew Delavedova was free ahead for the pass too, the turnover giving Golden State a last possession on which Harrison Barnes threw down a dunk and additionally was fouled by James.
The bonus free throw sent GSW into the interval ahead 51-50, setting up its 53-41 second half.
James' monster 3-pointer gave Cleveland its last sniff late in the fourth, Curry immediately cancelling it with a triple of his own.
And from there to the siren, the Cavaliers again looked as if the effort of two overtime games, an emotional home win for the 2-1 lead and the subsequent energy-drains had them running on petrol fumes while the Warriors were revving their motors.
Dellavedova played defence as exceptionally as he has previously against Curry but today the MVP was at his best ... and his best makes him unstoppable.
When Game 4 hero Andre Iguodala (14 points, eight boards, seven assists) again bobbed up with a couple of big plays down the stretch, Golden State was seizing all the momentum after taking back control of the series in Cleveland.
Curry's 37 points included 7-of-13 threes, a couple of them against as good a defence as a human being can play, Draymond Green finishing with 16 points - 10 in the first quarter - and nine rebounds.
Again when he needed it, James' teammates could not knock down the shots. Even though Blatt found a few more minutes for Mike Miller, extending Cleveland's player rotation to eight, the fact is players such as Delly and Co have not been big-minute guys and the toll in these playoffs shows.
"'Tremendous' is an understatement for how LeBron's played this series," Blatt said, the King scoring or assisting on 77 percent of the Cavs' points.
But Cleveland now definitely is squarely behind the eightball, with Curry lining up to slot the Cavs into the side pocket.
For Cavs fans though, they have hope. The last team to overcome a 3-2 deficit to win the NBA Finals were James' Miami Heat in 2012-13, the King winning - as he should again regardless of the outcome - the Finals MVP award.