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

1. Splash Brothers Need To Respond

No, it’s not just Curry. After Klay Thompson’s comments about the NBA being a “man’s league,” he’s just as culpable (if not more so) for what transpired in Game 5, even after dropping 37 points.

After Klay said LeBron may have gotten his feelings hurt, King James responded with a massive 41-16-7-3-3- stat line and Kyrie added 41 for good measure. Heading into a brutal Game 6 on the road, the onus remains on Thompson to back up his trash talk and Curry to back up his standing as the NBA’s back-to-back MVP and close this thing out.

In Game 5, the Splash Brothers’ box score would tell you they were great. Thompson had 37 points on 11-of-20 shooting, going 6-for-11 from three-point range, while Curry added 25 points and five three-pointers.

But in the second half, the Splash Brothers completely disappeared. Curry went 2-for-8 from downtown after going 3-for-6 in the first half, while Thompson chipped in only 11 points after his 26-point half, going 0-for-3 from downtown in the process.

In Game 5, the Warriors were missing their most important two-way player, but they also had enough to win. The biggest problem? Cleveland’s two studs vastly outplayed Golden State’s superstars.

More hoops habit: 2016 NBA Finals: Game 5 Recap And Highlights

After talking about playing for Draymond Green, after going down as the greatest regular season team in NBA history, after building a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 series lead, all the pressure is on the Splash Brothers — Curry in particular — to deliver a vintage performance and put away a series that, barring Green’s suspension, should have been over already.