Warriors on brink of NBA crown
Durant delivers deja vu dagger
Defending champions Golden State, powered by 43 points from Kevin Durant, moved to the brink of a third NBA title in four seasons on Wednesday by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-102.
The Warriors seized a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven NBA Finals and, by winning Game 4 on Friday, would complete the first championship series sweep since Cleveland were blanked by San Antonio in 2007.
“I don’t want to downplay anything but I don’t want to act like this is the end of the road,” Durant said. “We did some things that we need to correct if we want to win the next game. I’ve just got stay locked in.”
No team has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win an NBA playoff series, but the Cavaliers made the top comeback in NBA Finals history in 2016 from 3-1 down to swipe a title from Golden State.
“It’s definitely a tough loss,” said Cavaliers star LeBron James. “We had our chances. But we have another opportunity on Friday to extend the series but we’ve got to come out and play 48 minutes.”
Durant added 12 rebounds and seven assists to his top playoff scoring total, but it was not until his three-pointer with 49 seconds remaining to give the Warriors a 106-100 lead that Cleveland’s fate was sealed.
“That was amazing what he did out there,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Some of those shots, I don’t think anybody in the world but him could have made those shots. He was incredible.”
Durant’s last basket was eerily like a three-pointer he made late in Game 3 last year against the Cavs that clinched a Golden State victory. “It was like deja vu seeing that shot again,” Cavaliers forward Kevin Love said.
It was another dagger in the title hopes of James, who had 33 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists while Kevin Love added 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers had been 8-1 at home in the playoffs with eight wins in a row since losing their first-round opener to Indiana.
“We feel like we’ve been right there,” Love said. “We just have to come out Friday and not give in.”
But the Warriors improved to 10-2 against the Cavaliers since Durant joined Golden State before last season.
Stephen Curry had 11 points while McGee, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Jordan Ball all had 10 for the Warriors.
Warriors forward Andre Iguodala, the 2015 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, returned to Golden State’s lineup after being sidelined by a left leg bone bruise. He suffered a bruised right leg in the second quarter but returned in the fourth quarter.