NBA Finals 2017 Game 5 goes back to Oracle Arena and the Golden State Warriors are hard pressed to score a win come tip off time set at 9:00 PM ET. The Cleveland Cavaliers are fresh from the Game 4 blowout of 137-116 and certainly are gunning for a repeat to live another day. The GSW lead the series at 3-1 but can ill-afford to absorb another loss.
That would mean hitting the road again, face a hostile Quicken Loans Arena crowd and play against the Cavs emboldened by two straight wins and just two games shy of rewriting history. And epic history will certainly unfold Monday night that again ABC will deliver over-the-air. The NBA live action can also be seen through paid subscription services, made possible by ABC's affiliated networks.
For NBA fans unable to catch the Game 5 television coverage, the best alternative is online streaming via the ESPN app, which can be accessed through the following services: DirecTV Now, Sling TV, Hulu Live TV or PlayStation Vue. Remember, these streaming services offer trial period that viewers can take advantage of, meaning not a single dollar will be spent to witness the historic Game 5 when watching on venue and catching the TV broadcast is not possible.
And these are same options available in the event Game 6 and 7 will be required, the balance of the schedule found below:
- Game 6: Golden State at Cleveland, Thursday, June 15, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC
- Game 7: Cleveland at Golden State, Sunday, June 18, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC
Game 4 recap
Why the Cleveland win last Friday night when the Warriors seemed invincible going to Game 4? The plain answer: there was a reversal of role, according to Bleacher Report. It was clear the Cavs came out to win and they assumed the winning form the GSW squad had in display from Game 1 to 3.
Kyrie Irving scored 40 points and LeBron James delivered on his usual triple-double. Kevin Love buried the treys that mattered and the Cavs bench players chipped in for the rousing win.
On the other side, the usual contributions that the Warriors expect failed to connect. Klay Thompson only managed 13 points but more telling was the miserable field goal performance by Stephen Curry who finished with only 14 points. Even Kevin Durant's sniping from the outside, which in Game 4 won the day for GSW, mostly misfired. All told, it was an off night for the Warriors while it was do or die for the Cavs, and the latter crew decided they want three more showdowns for a possible repeat.
What it takes to win
According to Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue, his team is done being nice from Game 4 going forward. "Last game, in Game 4, I thought that's who we are. Got to be physical. If it's talking trash or knocking guys on the floor, whatever you got to do, you got to do it," Lue told ESPN.
As for the Warriors, CBS Sports said three things will be key for the confetti to finally come raining down on Monday night at the Oracle Arena. Steve Kerr needs to make sure that his team start strong and go for the kill early. It is expected that Durant will be his usual self so the missing link on Game 4 will need to step up and that will be Curry.
And when Curry gets his groove going, the Warriors can hopefully get hot on the three-point arc, which obviously was an area that worked for the Cavs the last time. Then likely Game 6 and 7 will no longer be necessary.
