Warriors beat:
James has no regrets over passing off.
CLEVELAND — LeBron James is such a dominant offensive force that he is often questioned for deferring to teammates with games on the line. On the eve of Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the future Hall of Famer was asked whether he regretted his late pass to Kyle Korver in Game 3.
With 52 seconds left and the Cavaliers up two points, James hit Korver in the left corner for a three-point shot instead of driving to the rim against the Warriors’ Draymond Green, who was in foul trouble. Korver, one of the best three-point shooters in NBA history, missed the shot.
Warriors forward Kevin Durant corralled the rebound before netting a three-pointer that gave Golden State the lead for good. Now, Cleveland faces a daunting assignment: try to dig out of a 3-0 series hole against a Warriors team that is 15-0 in the playoffs.
“If I could have the play over again, I would come off a three-screen situation,” James said. “Draymond would switch on me with five fouls. I would get him leaning. I would drive left. I would see K.D. step up. I would see Stephen Curry drop on Kevin (Love). And I would see Kyle Korver in the corner, one of the greatest three-point shooters in this league’s history, and give him an opportunity in the short corner. I would do the same exact thing.”
Korver, in his 14th year in the NBA, is a career 43.1 percent shooter from beyond the arc. His 59 percent clip this season on left-corner threepointers is the best among players with at least 40 of those attempts. For someone who prides himself on his long-range exploits, that late miss Wednesday stung.
“I’m going to be thinking about that miss for a long time,” Korver said.
As for James? He isn’t fretting about it.
“It’s a miss-or-make league,” James said. “I had 101 drives last night. I didn’t have 101, but you get the gist of it. I’m sorry I didn’t go for 102. But at the end of the day, I don’t really — what is a critic? It doesn’t matter.”
Brown to college? Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown is on Ohio State’s radar to become the school’s next head coach, according to a report from the Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Wojnarowski tweeted Thursday that, though the Buckeyes have interest in Brown, they have yet to contact him. Brown declined comment to The Chronicle.
Wojnarowski’s report comes at a time Brown is a hot commodity in coaching circles. A head coach with the Cavaliers (2005-10, 2013-14) and Lakers (2011-12), he is in his first season as Steve Kerr’s lead assistant with Golden State. Before Kerr returned to the bench Sunday after dealing with complications from back surgery, Brown led the Warriors to 11 straight playoff wins as the acting head coach.
It is easy to dismiss Brown’s success as the product of a loaded roster. But according to those close to the organization, he adeptly navigated his interim role. His focus was kept on maintaining Kerr’s vision. Multiple times a day, Brown consulted with Kerr about everything from game plans to practice schedules to scouting reports.
There are no head-coaching vacancies in the NBA. Asked last month whether he would turn down potential headcoaching opportunities to remain an assistant with Golden State, Brown had a oneword answer: “Yes.”
Ohio State parted ways this week with head coach Thad Matta, who compiled a 337-123 record in 13 seasons with the Buckeyes.