James frets over Cavaliers’ shaky finish
The lead in the NBA Finals belongs to Cleveland, although some momentum may be with the Warriors.
So LeBron James celebrated the victory but fretted the finish after Golden State finally looked like the NBA’s best team in a fourth-quarter flurry, before the Cavaliers held on for a 96-91 victory and a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
That left James saying afterward the Cavs needed to figure some things out, while the Warriors seemed to think they already had.
“We hold them to 55 points for three quarters and we allowed them to break off with 36. That’s not satisfying at all,” James said of the final period. “But the best teacher in life is experience. ... We’re going to watch a lot of film on ways we can get better, close out games the best way, and we’ll be ready for Game 4.”
Golden State figures to be ready, too. “We’ve just got to bottle up what we did the fourth quarter and bring that for 48 minutes starting in Game 4,” said Stephen Curry, who scored 17 of his 27 points in the fourth.
Other things to watch:
DELLAVEDOVA’S DETERMINATION: Shortly after James praised his scrappy point guard for his effort across 38½ minutes, an NBA official announced that Matthew Dellavedova wouldn’t make it to his interview because of his cramping. He was hospitalized early Wednesday and treated for dehydration before being released. He is expected to play Thursday.
LEBRON’S LOAD: James has been so good in this series that he scored 40 points and his scoring average actually dropped to 41 per game. He has two 40-point games in the series, two shy of the NBA Finals record held by Jerry West (1969) and Michael Jordan (1993). “He understands the moment,” coach David Blatt said. “He understands the situation and he is a big, big, big-time player. He can get it done.”
NO DNP FOR D-LEE: David Lee didn’t play in Games 1 or 2 but apparent- ly has already locked up a spot in Game 4. Lee got his first action of the series Tuesday and was one of the catalysts in the Warriors’ comeback. He scored nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, helped Golden State with its rebounding problem and most importantly helped create some space for Curry with his play in the pick-and-roll. “I think we found something there with David Lee that’s working for us,” Andre Iguodala said. “So he’s going to get some more minutes, I would like to think, going forward, and then other guys will see how effective he is and they’ll do the same.”
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: The Warriors pointed to the Western Conference semifinals against Memphis in saying their confidence wasn’t shaken by their 2-1 deficit. They were down 2-1 in that series against another team that plays rugged defence, then didn’t lose an other game in the series. “This reminds me so much of the Memphis series,” guard Klay Thompson said.
INSPIRATION: Before Game 3, James spotted legendary Browns running back Jim Brown seated in the front row and bowed in reference. Brown acknowledged James’s gesture, clasped his hands together, and nodded back. Brown was a member of the 1964 Cleveland Browns, the last team from the city to win a championships.