The Eastern Conference Finals may be on the verge of being decided, with Orlando owning a 3-1 advantage over Cleveland. It could easily be 3-1 Cleveland if the Cavaliers played better in a quarter rarely discussed in the NBA: the third. Have a look at where it’s gone wrong.
Game 1 » Halftime: Cleveland by 15, 63-48; End of third: Cleveland by 4, 82-78
Recommended Stories
Result » Orlando win. The Cavaliers missed four of six shots and turn the ball over three times in the final 4 minutes, 48 seconds of the quarter.
Game 2 » Halftime: Cleveland by 12, 56-44; End of third: Cleveland by 6, 75-69
Result » Cleveland win. After stretching their lead to 16, the Cavaliers made just one field goal and turned the ball over three times the final 4:45, missing their final four shots. Luckily, LeBron James rescued them at the final buzzer.
Game 3 » Halftime: Orlando by 1, 42-41; End of third: Orlando by 5, 68-63
Result » Orlando win. The Cavaliers retake the lead for 17 seconds early in the period, then relinquish the advantage for good, missing three consecutive field goal attempts down by three points or less.
Game 4 » Halftime: Cleveland by 8, 58-50; End of third: Cleveland by 1, 79-78
Result » Orlando win. The Cavaliers never trail but hit only one of their last six shots in the quarter. Consecutive misses by James to end the third mean he gets no rest to start the fourth, and instead has to play every minute down the stretch.
