There were minimal changes made on the Golden State Warriors for Game 5 but the big story was really Stephen Curry who showed everyone why he is the reigning NBA MVP.
Curry finished with 37 points, seven rebounds and four assists to lead the Warriors in Game 5 over the Cleveland Cavaliers, 104-91.
The victory allowed the Warriors to take a 3-2 series lead and have two chances to snag their fourth NBA title, the earliest could be this coming Tuesday if they can register one more win over against Cleveland.
The last time the Warriors won an NBA title was 40 years ago during the 1974-75 NBA Finals.
The Golden State Warriors were the heavy underdogs at that time but surprisingly swept the heavily favored Washington Bullets.
The 1975 Warriors did the trick thanks to Phil Smith, Jamaal Wilkes and Rick Barry, who was eventually named the Finals MVP. The Warriors also won the NBA plum in 1947 and 1956.
Game 5 was by no means a close one until the final minutes of the game when Curry and the Warriors started to take control.
"I thought from the very beginning when they went small, had their shooters out there, I thought this is Steph's night," Kerr said after the game. "This is going to be a big one for him because he has all that room. He took over the game down the stretch and was fantastic."
Curry, who until Game 5 was hardly a factor, was his old fiery self. But he did not do it alone.
The supporting cast was there to provide help for the reigning MVP. Draymond Green chipped in 16 points and 9 rebounds, Andre Iguodala added 14 points and 8 rebounds while Leandro Barbosa put in 13 points of his own.
With solid support coming from other players, the Warriors were able to survive another monster game from Lebron James.
James finished with another triple double – 40 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. But with no significant support from other players like Matthew Dellavedova and Timofey Mozgov, it was clear that the Cavaliers were unable to match the Warriors with James doing all the work.
Timofey Mozgov, who had a game-high 28 points in game 4, hardly made an impact as the Cavs decided to go small. The Cavs went with James playing in the middle, something which seemed to be working for the wards of coach David Blatt until the Warriors took control in the last minutes of game 4.
The Cavs used the same physical play they had employed since game 2 but it was evident that the Warriors have learned to embrace the rough plays right now.
Game 6 is expected to be another mentally and physically draining battle and the Cavs are expected to rebound yet again when they play host to the Warriors at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, 9 p.m. ET.
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