LeBron again masters the Warriors
FINALS: King James nets 40 points en route to record as Cavaliers move ahead 2-1 in championship series
CLEVELAND — LeBron James bowed to the other all-time Cleveland sporting immortal, then again put his team on his broad shoulders, carrying the Cavaliers to within two wins of his most improbable title yet, with a 96-91 win in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday.
James nailed a three from dead-on with 1:40 remaining after a terrible pass by league MVP Stephen Curry bounced out of bounds, and poked the ball away from Curry in the final minute, capping his latest mindboggling performance, though Curry made it tantalizingly close by finally emerging in the fourth quarter.
James scored 40 points, added 12 rebounds and eight assists, tossing in four steals and a couple of blocks for good measure. He is averaging 41, 12 and eight and has set a record with 123 points through the first three games of the Finals.
Curry had 24 of his 27 points in the second half, including 17 in the fourth quarter where a 17-point Cavs edge sank down to one.
With James playing his first Finals game in Cleveland in eight years, the sellout crowd roared every time he was shown on the giant scoreboard. The fans bowed to the King, but James actually paid homage to the other king of Cleveland, Jim Brown.
Brown, the former NFL star, led the city of Cleveland to its last championship in 1964, walking away from the town — and the game — to become an actor in Los Angeles. James, of course, departed Ohio for Miami three years after leading the Cavaliers to the Finals for the first time.
But unlike Brown, James returned and is in the midst of one of the best playoff runs ever seen and maybe, just maybe, is poised to deliver one of the most anticipated championships in the history of sports.
Brown cupped his hands in prayer, as if saying, “Thanks, now get it done,” in response to the James bow.
Now, James is again answering the prayers of all of Northeast Ohio. According to Synergy Sports, he has scored, assisted on or created 200 of Cleveland’s 291 points in the series.
While James soared again, Curry’s personal nightmare continued until his late barrage saved some face and —maybe — gave him some momentum going forward. Curry’s five threes in the fourth matched Cleveland’s entire second-half tally.
Mostly, though, the Warriors look dazed and confused and are in major trouble ahead of Thursday’s Game 4. It could be worse for them, though, since the Cavaliers have arguably been the better team in 80 per cent of the series so far.
Canadian Tristan Thompson was phenomenal for the Cavs, with 10 points and 13 rebounds. His effort on the offensive glass, either drawing fouls or grabbing boards, gave his team countless second chances.
Draymond Green correctly said his team isn’t matching Cleveland’s intensity.
“A lot of that falls on me,” Green said. “That’s what I am for this team.”
Only not right now. Green shot 2-for-10, prompting Steve Kerr to turn to David Lee for the first time in the series. Lee, the two-time allstar-turned benchwarmer had lost his job to Green much earlier and returned with a bang, scoring 11 points on perfect shooting.
Kerr said we’d be seeing a lot more of him going forward.
“We need life and energy from everybody,” Kerr pleaded afterward.
That’s largely because Matthew Dellavedova, the undrafted backup point guard, once again gave Curry fits at both ends for much of the game and finished with 20 points of his own.
That’s because Thompson continues to outwork everybody. That’s because James continues to bull to the hoop and play an incredibly high number of minutes.
Curry freed himself from Dellavedova to create just enough space to hit a three and bring Golden State within one in the fourth, but the Aussie drove on him the other way and banked in a circus shot while be fouled, then nailed the ensuing free throw and the Warriors never got that close again.
Curry then made a terrible behind the-back pass and sent it out of bounds and James followed with a three from dead-on that essentially sealed it, though Curry kept nailing ridiculous shots.
The Cavs again had a greater will, playing harder — and tougher — than the visitors.
Curry started just 1-for-6 (1-for-4 from three-point range) missing five straight in the first half after nailing a three 1:32 in and it looked like his deep slump would continue.
Throughout the game, the Cavaliers kept coming, blocking shots at one end, draining shots at the other. The young, inexperienced Warriors looked completely out of sorts, their leader the worst of all.
Still, the Warriors remain confident.
“If we get our offence back, which we will, we’re gonna win this series,” Klay Thompson insisted, according to ESPN. Easier said than done. These Cavaliers are for real.