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; Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5) reacts after a play during the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors in game three of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Helloooo, J.R. Smith

In last year’s Finals matchup between these two teams, Mr. Smith averaged 11.5 points per contest on shooting splits of .312/.294/.600.

Through the first two games of this series, it was more of the same, as he scored just eight points on 3-for-9 shooting despite playing a total of 69 minutes.

The Cavaliers would need a better performance from their starting 2-guard if they were going to get back into the series and J.R. Smith delivered the goods.

In this contest, Smith scored 20 points, on 7-of-13 from the field and 5-for-10 from three-point range.

Even more important, Smith was not hesitant in taking shots and he played with a great deal of confidence — something that was noticeably absent in the first two games back in Oakland.

Coming into this series, Smith was expected to be an X-factor for the Cavaliers. As long as he continues to produce at an efficient level, Cleveland’s chances of winning the series improves dramatically.

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