Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Takeaways From Game 3 vs. Warriors

Jun 8, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Richard Jefferson (24) celebrates with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dahntay Jones (30) after defeating the Golden State Warriors 120-90 in game three of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

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Jun 8, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) looks to pass the ball as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) and forward Channing Frye (9) defend during the four quarter in game three of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

5. We’ve Seen This Before

As Mike Breen mentioned during the telecast, there have been a number of postseason games this year in which the final margin of victory was at least 25 points —19 of them to be exact.

The Charlotte Hornets were beaten by a total of 44 points in the first two games of their first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat. They responded by winning three of the next four contests before bowing out in seven games.

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the San Antonio Spurs by 32 points in the first game of the Western Conference semifinals before going on to win that series in six games.

A more recent example of teams responding after blowout losses is none other than the Warriors themselves.

After the demolition that was Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference Finals — a pair of games in which they lost by a combined 52 points — the Warriors responded with three straight wins to become just the 10th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in a playoff series.

That being said, we should have expected the Cavaliers to come out and play with both a sense of urgency and desperation. If they are able to match the intensity that we saw in Game 3, this series is still very much up for grabs.

Next: No. 4

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