‘Assassin’ Durant delivers again

GOLDEN State’s Kevin Durant sank a clutch threepointer in the dying seconds of NBA Finals Game 3 for the second consecutive year, plunging a deja vu dagger into Cleveland’s title dreams.

Durant’s jumper with 49 seconds remaining sealed a 110-102 victory for the defending champion Warriors, who now lead the best-ofseven series 3-0 and can sweep the Cavaliers for their third crown in four seasons by winning Game 4 tomorrow at 11am (AEST) in Cleveland.

“You definitely tip your hat,” said Cleveland star LeBron James. “He’s an assassin and that was one of those assassin plays.”

It was also eerily similar to a shot Durant made last year in Cleveland to give Golden State a 3-0 series lead on the way to a title in five games.

“Just to put a dagger in them like that, it was a huge shot. It was just high emotion,” said Golden State’s Draymond Green.

Durant finished with a career playoff high 43 points plus 13 rebounds and seven assists on a night when guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson made a woeful seven of 27 combined shots.

“When a guy like Kevin Durant is hitting these shots, it’s a joy to watch,” Thompson said. Curry hailed Durant’s “supreme self-confidence”: “When you have that belief in yourself, the moment is never too big for you.”

Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue could only marvel.

“It was a big shot for them, kind of like it was last year,” Lue said. “K.D. had one of his games that will go on his highlight reel and one that was incredible even by his standards. We gave ourselves a chance. That margin for error is so thin and so little against them that in some cases you almost have to be perfect.”