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Can the Cleveland Cavaliers rally at home in the NBA Finals? The Donovan Live Postgame Show

Jim Donovan and Dave "Dino" DeNatale talk NBA Finals, look back at the life of former Browns GM Dwight Clark, and much more during the Donovan Live Postgame Show.

So here we are.

The Cavaliers are essentially in must-win mode tonight when they host the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. The Wine and Gold trail the series 0-2.

So what did Jim Donovan (and yours truly) learn from the first two games of the series?

1. Losing Game 1 was a heartbreaker (and perhaps, a backbreaker) for Cleveland

It was there for the taking. The Cavs out-hustled and out-played the defending world champs, only to fall prey to a series of unfortunate events in the final minute of regulation. The reversed call, the missed free throw, the J.R. what are you doing!?!?! sequence.

You thought that either the Cavs would respond in Game 2 by either being surly and bitter or by being motivated and energized. Clearly on Sunday, we saw the former, instead of the latter.

2. LeBron James and the coaches both looked bad heading into overtime of Game 1

I can't stress enough how important it is to listen to Jimmy give you an inside look at how television game production is done during Tuesday's show. It will give you some basis to understand why video like what we all saw below is done. How it got leaked, is another matter.

It wasn't a good look. There was another 5 minutes to go in the game. Yes, the team was frustrated, feeling that the referees had cost them at the worst possible time. Yes, Smith and Hill both made critical mistakes.

Where's Ty Lue or any of the coaches trying to get this team re-focused? Should LeBron have done more to get his team ready for overtime? He looked like he was on another planet.

"I don't care. I don't care at all," James said of the criticism. "I mean, we're in the NBA Finals. I mean, how much more picking up of teammates do you want me to do? I'm in the NBA Finals, looking for a championship."

3. There are two magic numbers to keep in mind moving forward: 40 and 110

40 equals the number of points LeBron is going to need to score to give the Cavs a realistic chance to win. That's where we're at right now. He had 51 in the Game 1 OT loss, then 29 in Game 2 when Golden State pulled away in a rout.

Unfortunately, Kyrie Irving isn't walking through the door. James has to be a dominant scorer for the Cavs to win. Period.

110 equals the maximum number of points the Cavs can afford to give up and still have a shot to top the Warriors. Golden State is 2-5 in this postseason when they score less than 110 in a game.

Can the Cavaliers win tonight and stay alive? I think they can, but keep those two numbers in the back of your mind.

Also

Jimmy and I had a chance to talk about the passing of former Browns GM Dwight Clark during Tuesday's Donovan Live Postgame Show. Clark died on Monday at the age of 61 after a two-year battle with ALS.

Jimmy got to know Clark very well during his tenure with the Browns. Did you know that Clark was not the first choice of the new Browns regime to be in charge of football operations in 1999? I had forgotten that Al Lerner and Carmen Policy had targeted (illegally) Ron Wolf of the Packers, but weren't able to make it happen. That meant Clark was in charge of the first two drafts, which unfortunately did not bear much fruit.

However, Clark is one of the most beloved sports figures in the history of the Bay Area thanks to 'The Catch' in the 1981 NFC Championship Game. We looked back on his legacy.

We also checked in at Browns OTAs, where Baker Mayfield is moving on up, Denzel Ward is continuing to impress, and the linebacking corps just got a whole lot better with the signing of Mychal Kendricks.

One Final Note

Just a note to say thanks to all of you for watching the Donovan Live Postgame Show. We got a nice honor on Friday from the Press Club of Cleveland as the show was given the Excellence in Journalism, Second Place in Ohio award for podcasts.

I laugh when I think of how we started this. Jimmy and I crowding at my desk to do a quick chat on my cellphone. You responded by watching and sending us your questions and feedback during the show.

Thanks to the great behind-the-scenes work of David Hrvatin, we morphed into a full-blown production by last fall. And now, here we are.

But understand, none of it would be possible without your support here on WKYC.com, on Facebook Live, and on YouTube.

We're gunning to be number one next year, but more importantly, we will continue to offer you the best quality show each and every night. Our deepest thanks to all of you.

Watch the Donovan Love Postgame Show in the player above.

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