The Golden State Warriors are just one game away from winning their second straight championship after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-102 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
The Warriors now have a 3-0 lead over the Cavaliers in the series. There have been 131 NBA playoff series that have seen one team take the first three games; no team has ever come back from that deficit to win the series.
Cavs Hang Tough, But Come Up Short
As in Game 1, the Cavaliers were competitive from start to finish, but just didn’t have enough down the stretch to beat the Warriors. Cleveland was up 58-52 at the half, and traded the lead with Golden State several times in the fourth quarter.
But after a 3-pointer by LeBron James cut the Warriors lead to one point with just under two minutes remaining, Golden State proceeded to dominate the final moments of the game. An Andre Iguodala dunk followed by a deep three by Kevin Durant made the score 106-100 with 50 seconds to play, all but dashing Cleveland’s hopes of grabbing a win at home.
LeBron led the way once again for Cleveland, compiling a triple double with 33 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds.
“Definitely a tough loss,” James told reporters after the game. “Tonight will be tough. Tomorrow I’ll replay some plays and some moments and things of that nature. When I wake up Friday morning I’ll be locked in on the game plan of what needs to be done to help our team win.”
Durant Continues Domination
Kevin Durant had another huge game for the Warriors, scoring a game-high 43 points on 15-for-23 shooting. Durant, who has emerged as the 4/9 favorite to win the NBA Finals MVP award according to Ladbrokes, said that even a 3-0 lead isn’t an excuse for his team to start celebrating.
“I don’t want to downplay anything, but I don’t want to act like this is the end of the road,” he said after the game. “So just get back to work tomorrow and figure out a better game plan.”
Golden State won despite a poor shooting night from Stephen Curry, who scored just 11 points while going 1-for-10 from behind the arc. A total of six Warriors scored in double figures in the win.
For Cleveland, Kevin Love continued to be the second scoring option, chipping in 20 points and 13 rebounds in a losing effort. The Cavs also got a surprising contribution from Rodney Hood, who scored 15 points off the bench in 26 minutes of action.
“It was more than just what he did for the team,” James said of Hood after the game. “For himself, that was just a huge moment.”
The Cavaliers will now try to come up with a way to win Friday’s Game 4, and at least avoid being swept in the Finals and being eliminated on their home court. Meanwhile, the Warriors are now just one win away from claiming their second straight championship, and their third in four years.
Few give Cleveland any real hope of winning the series, but there’s a lot of money to be made if they pull off the near-impossible task. William Hill is offering 100/1 on the Cavaliers to win the series – while the Warriors can only be backed at 1/500 odds.