Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 3 vs. Cavaliers

2. Dubs’ depth comes through

“Strength in numbers” hasn’t really applied to the Warriors for some time now, but it felt more relevant in Game 3.

Kevin Durant did the heavy lifting, but another big reason the Splash Brothers’ struggles didn’t come back to haunt Golden State was the death by 1,000 cuts approach the rest of the roster took.

Iguodala only had eight points off the bench in his 2018 Finals debut, but his defense, deflections and passing were all a welcoming presence that helped calm the Warriors down in the first quarter and tire out LeBron as the game wore on.

Plus, plays like this are just demoralizing, especially with less than two minutes to go in a pivotal NBA Finals game.

JaVale McGee helped get the ball rolling that would quickly snowball into a third quarter avalanche, scoring eight points in the first three minutes of the second half as the Dubs used a 17-6 run to turn a six-point halftime deficit into a five-point advantage.

McGee finished his night with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting in just 14 minutes. Rookie Jordan Bell was terrific in his 12 minutes off the bench, chipping in 10 points and six boards. Shaun Livingston, who is now 13-for-14 in the series, was consistent yet again, adding eight off the bench.

The Cavs lost the battle of the bench 26-23, but the advantage of Golden State’s depth is far more telling than the final scoring numbers indicate.