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The Golden State Warriors are one win away from avenging last year's NBA Finals collapse.
Golden State went into Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday and emerged with a thrilling 118-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers to seize a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. It was the first Game 3 the Warriors won in their third straight Finals matchup against Cleveland.
Kevin Durant (31 points and eight rebounds) led the way and drilled a monumental go-ahead three in the final minute, while Stephen Curry (26 points and 13 rebounds) and Klay Thompson (30 points) helped carry the explosive offense as well. Brilliant efforts from LeBron James (39 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists) and Kyrie Irving (38 points) weren't enough for the Cavaliers.
Warriors Offense Overwhelms Cavaliers Defense
The Warriors featured the No. 1 offensive rating in the league this season, per NBA.com, while the Cavaliers countered with the No. 22 defensive rating. Cleveland was never going to shut Golden State down, and that was never more apparent than when the visitors poured in the final 11 points.
Durant went on a personal 7-0 run, including the biggest shot of the Finals to this point with his team trailing by two:
While Durant finished the game, Thompson carried the initial torch with 16 points and four threes in the first quarter. He continued the turnaround he demonstrated in Game 2 (8-of-12) after shooting 3-of-16 in Game 1, finishing 11-of-18 from the field while providing timely defense on the other end.
The Warriors as a whole connected on nine triples in the opening 12 minutes, which set the tone and an NBA record for threes in a Finals quarter. Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com put the showing into historical perspective:
Even when the Cavaliers shifted additional attention toward Thompson after his blazing start, the Warriors had three other All-Stars to carry the load. There is only so much even the best defensive teams in the league can do, and the Cavaliers were far from one of them all season.
Curry and Durant each took turns drilling perimeter shots and slicing through the lane, while Draymond Green (eight points, eight rebounds and seven assists) challenged for a triple-double with passing that caught the eye of Alex Hampl of Sports Illustrated:
Golden State's sloppy play with 18 turnovers (after committing 20 in Game 2) allowed the Cavaliers to control portions of the contest, but the abundance of offensive weapons proved too much for the home team in the closing stretch.
Not Even Brilliance from LeBron and Kyrie Enough for Cleveland
Durant spearheaded two straight blowout wins for the Warriors in Oracle Arena, sparking a narrative he was taking the flame from James as the league's premier player.
James, who was averaging a triple-double in the Finals coming into Wednesday's contest, responded as only he can with a performance worthy of his legend status as he nearly willed his team to victory alongside his partner in crime Irving.
James announced his presence with a rim-rattling dunk in the first quarter, consistently found teammates with his impressive passing—even though only Irving and JR Smith (16 points and five three-pointers) provided consistent help—and helped match the pace of the uptempo Warriors.
He also moved into fourth place in Finals history in the scoring department:
Congrats to @KingJames of the @cavs for moving up to 4th on the #NBAFinals Scoring list! #ThisIsWhyWePlay
While James' 27 points in the first half kept the Cavaliers within striking distance, Irving went into takeover mode with 16 points in the third quarter. The Duke product gave Cleveland a five-point lead heading to the fourth and was having success driving against the normally lethal Warriors small-ball look, as ESPN's Ryen Russillo noted:
James and Irving had the Cavaliers up six in the final three minutes before Durant's clutch finish, but there wasn't enough help to go around. Kevin Love went 1-of-9 from the field, Tristan Thompson didn't score and grabbed three boards, and Richard Jefferson, Deron Williams and Iman Shumpert combined for three points.
James and Irving will need more help if Cleveland is to avoid a sweep during Friday's Game 4.
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