Golden State on brink of repeat
Durant scores 43, hits late 3-pointer to seal win, 3-0 lead
CLEVELAND — Kevin Durant pushed the Golden State Warriors to dynasty’s doorstep. LeBron James may be at the door. Durant scored 43 points, draining a long 3-pointer in the final minute to cap his magnificent performance, and the Golden State Warriors defeated James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-102 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night to move within a victory of a sweep, their second straight title and third championship in four years.
No team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs.
It might be time to order some champagne from Napa Valley.
With the Cavs within 103-100, Durant stood motionless after dropping his 33footer, which effectively ended the fourth straight finals matchup between two teams who have gotten to know each other well since 2015.
Golden State will now have four chances to wrap up its title starting with Game 4 on Friday night.
James scored 33 points and Kevin Love added 20 for the Cavs, who have fallen into a hole in which no team has ever emerged. Cleveland came back from a 3-1 deficit to stun the Warriors in the 2016 NBAFinals, but that was when Durant was in Oklahoma City and James had a different supporting cast.
The Warriors won despite a 3-of-16 shooting performance from Stephen Curry, who did come up big down the stretch as the Cavs were trying to salvage their season.
Now Cleveland could be down to one final game with James. The three-time champion can opt out of his $35.6 million contract and test free agency this summer, and it may be time for the 33-year-old to find a team capable of beating the Warriors.
The Cavaliers rolled the dice and put Rodney Hood into the series, and got 15 points from him. J.R. Smith finished with 13 points, finally making some shots. They just couldn’t stop Durant. Game 1 of this series will be remembered by how Cleveland let it get away; the botched rebound by Smith to be forever played as one of those quintessential wish-you-had-itback moments. Game 3 of this series will Game 4 Friday, 9 p.m. TV: Chs. 2, 7 probably be remembered by how the Cavaliers, even with Curry missing 13 of his first 14 shots, dominated stretches of the first half and went into the locker room only up by six.
The 3-0 deficit has, until now, been insurmountable in NBA playoff annals. Not even the most optimistic Cleveland fan could expect that to change in the coming days.
James can be a free agent, and there’s a real sense around the NBA that this summer — just like in 2010, when he left for Miami — could be packing up and leaving his native northeast Ohio once again. He has taken Cleveland to the NBA Finals now five times, and this now looks certain to be his fourth loss in those. He was 2-2 in four trips to the NBA Finals with Miami.
Instead, Cleveland is only left to wonder if James is a game from leaving.