Cavaliers make it a series with win
Cleveland dominates Warriors as James tallies 32 points, 11 boards
With the season on the line, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers turned desperation into results on Wednesday night, once again riding one of the NBA’s best home court advantages and finally making a series of this NBA Finals with a 120-90 cruise.
Down two games to none to the mighty Golden State Warriors, the inspired Cavs came out looking a lot like the group that had gone 7-0 at home in these playoffs. There was 71 per cent shooting from the floor and great defence at the other end — with the Warriors held to 1-for-10 accuracy on three-pointers — and a clear edge in energy and intensity.
It was Golden State’s worst opening quarter of the entire season and one of Cleveland’s best.
It was an early warning of what was to come.
While the Warriors looked much better in the second, another Cavs rampage in the third put even explosive Golden State too far behind to mount a comeback. James finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists and Kyrie Irving had 30 points.
Canadian big man Tristan Thompson was a force all night. Whether Cleveland was rolling or needed someone to battle, he outworked and outplayed the Warriors all evening. He was relentless on the glass, hauling in seven offensive rebounds in the first half alone. Thompson finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and a number of staredowns.
Like against the Toronto Raptors, Cleveland was a much different team on the shores of Lake Erie.
Deadly from outside, stingy defensively with a vintage version of James at times.
Still, it was another weird outing for James and Stephen Curry, who have won six of the past eight MVP awards between them. James hit his first four shots, then missed nine of 10, before dominating in the third, going 5-for-6, including an alley-oop dunk for the ages.
James had shot just 35 per cent from the field in his previous seven games against the Warriors, each of them losses.
Meanwhile, aside from a burst of his own in the third, Curry was dreadful.
He had just two points at the half, along with three turnovers and three fouls. Even 13 points in the third couldn’t rescue this one for the two-time reigning MVP.
Curry finished 3-for-9 from three for 19 points, Klay Thompson missed 6-of-7 outside looks and had just 10 points.
Draymond Green, the best player in the series through two games, had only six points on 2-for-8 shooting.
The Warriors expected their opponent to play much better in Ohio, so this was not a huge surprise.
“Nothing’s going to be given,” Andre Iguodala had warned.
“It’s a very hostile environment. Their fans really bring it,” Green had added.
The Warriors also lost Game 3 to the Rockets by a point, shoot- ing just 24 per cent from three in that one, then gave up 120 points in the first road game against Portland and a whopping 133 against the Thunder in another Game 3 letdown.
Head coach Steve Kerr had expected much better.
“I don’t have an answer, I just know that whatever happens a month ago or six weeks ago has nothing to do with what’s going to happen tonight,” Kerr had said at shootaround about the third-game issues.
“I think we understand the opportunity that we have. We will have an edge tonight. We’re going to come out and be ready to play and we want to bring our best stuff and if we can get it done tonight, we’re in a great spot,” Kerr had said.
Even last year, Golden State again trailed wire-to-wire in Game 3 against the Cavs.