Warriors take 3-0 series lead with 118-113 win over Cavs 
​ BY STONE LEXINGTON
CAVALIERS BEAT WRITER
Kyrie The Cleveland Cavaliers have put themselves in a virtually insurmountable hole. Trailing 2-0 in the NBA Finals to a seemingly superior Golden State Warriors team, the Cavs needed to win Game 3 at home to get back into the series. That didn’t happen, as the Cavs fell to Golden State 118-113 Thursday night. Cleveland now trails 3-0 in the series and needs to win four straight over the vaunted Warriors to claim a second straight championship. Unlikely.

“Obviously, it’s a dramatic situation to be in,” LeBron James said. “But it is what it is, and we have to get ready for Game 4.”

It looked like the Cavs were going to pull out a Game 3 victory when J.R. Smith drained a three-pointer with 3:09 to play in the fourth quarter. Cleveland led 113-107 after the shot, but the lethal Warriors closed the game with an 11-0 run to stun the fans in and surrounding Quicken Loans Arena.

The 11-0 surge started with a Stephen Curry bucket, but it was Kevin Durant who came up clutch down the stretch with seven unanswered points. Durant sank a floater to bring the Warriors within two, a three-pointer that gave Golden State a 114-113 lead and two free throws that put the Warriors up 116-113 with 12 seconds remaining.

James attempted a corner three-pointer after Durant’s free throws, but it was blocked by Andre Iguodala (revenge for Game 7?) and James stepped out of bounds after recovering the ball. Curry iced the game moments later with two free throws.

“They made some shots and we didn’t,” James said of the final three minutes. “We had some really good looks, we had some really good looks.”

James nearly posted a triple-double, finishing with 39 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Kyrie Irving was nearly as spectacular with 38 points, six rebounds and three assists. However, the only other Cavalier to reach double-figures in scoring was Smith with 16 points.

Tristan Thompson, who has been abysmal in these Finals, kept that trend going with zero points and three rebounds in 23 minutes. Kevin Love finished with nine points and 13 rebounds.

When Love drained a three-pointer with 8:59 to play in the third quarter, the Cavs took a 71-69 lead, their first advantage after the first quarter of any game in these Finals. Just before the end of the third quarter, Cleveland held its largest lead of the Finals, 94-87. Nevertheless, Golden State immediately answered back both times, and the slim Cavs advantages show just how much they are behind the eight ball.

It didn’t help that the Warriors set an NBA Finals record for the most three-pointers in a quarter, opening the game with nine threes in the first quarter. Golden State led 39-31 after the first quarter, the high point total allowed a recurring theme in the first three games of the championship series. The Warriors also set a Finals record for threes in a half, making 12 in the first two quarters Thursday night.

Durant connected on 4-of-7 three-pointers, the biggest of which coming in James’ eye late in the fourth. Possibly the most scrutinized player this season for his move to the Bay Area, Durant finished with 31 points, eight rebounds and four assists Thursday. Klay Thompson chipped-in a dazzling 30 points and six rebounds, while two-time reigning MVP Curry totaled 26 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.

The Cavs are now faced with the daunting task of climbing out of a 3-0 hole, something no team has ever done in the NBA Finals. Unlikely.  
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​POSTED 06/07/2017 01:14
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