Golden State Warriors: 5 Takeaways From Game 5 vs. Cavaliers

Jun 13, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston (34) during the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 13, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston (34) during the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
1 of 6

Following their disappointing loss in Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals, here are five takeaways for the Golden State Warriors heading into a pivotal Game 6.

Golden State Warriors
Jun 13, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston (34) during the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

It’s official. With the Golden State Warriors suffering a 15-point loss — just their fourth defeat at Oracle Arena during the 2015-16 campaign — in Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals, Draymond Green owes his teammates a performance for the ages in Game 6.

Coming off a monumental road victory in Game 4, the Dubs had all the momentum. They had a 3-1 series lead, they had LeBron James‘ number once again and they had a chance to close out the series in their own building, where they boasted a 50-3 record.

We all know what happened from there: Green’s crotch shot on LeBron was upgraded to a Flagrant 1, earning him enough flagrant foul points for a Game 5 suspension.

Everyone from Klay Thompson to Marreese Speights to Ayesha Curry started talking trash, LeBron internalized all of it like a cyborg receiving his search-and-destroy coordinates, and he and Kyrie Irving came out in Terminator mode with a combined 82 points to stave off elimination in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Game 5 victory.

Now the series heads back to Ohio after Stephen Curry and a motivated Warriors team completely fell apart in the second half, failing to clinch another championship in front of their home fans. Here’s a look at five takeaways from Game 5 heading into a pivotal Game 6 that could change the narrative of this series.

Next: No. 5