The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Warriors too much; Finals all but over
Warriors 110, Cavaliers 102 123456789101112 13 14 15 16 Durant dominates as Warriors take 3-0 lead
Two years ago in the NBA Finals, LeBron James and the Cavaliers made NBA history by erasing a 3-1 deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors in seven games.
James & Co., face another challenge of historic proportions against Kevin Durant and the Warriors in the 2018 Finals.
Durant torched the Cavs with 43 points, leading the Warriors to a 110-102 victory in Game 3 on June 6 at Quicken Loans Arena.
Golden State took a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series with a gutsy win sealed by a Durant 3-pointer with 49.8 seconds remaining. That trey from well behind the line gave the Warriors a 106-100 lead in a physical, fiercely contested game.
No team ever has rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the 73-year history of the Finals.
Durant also grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out seven assists as the Warriors repeated the track of last year’s Finals by winning Game 3 at The Q behind the heroics of Durant.
“His overall game tonight was ridiculous,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said of Durant. “Every time we needed a basket, he got it for us.”
Durant downplayed yet another sterling performance against the Cavs on the NBA’s biggest stage.
“I’m working to be the best player and best teammate I can be until this thing is over and stay locked in,” Durant said.
Game 4 is set for June 8 at The Q. Tipoff is 9:10 p.m.
The Warriors prevailed despite subpar shooting and scoring performances from their other front-line stars.
Steph Curry managed just 11 points while missing 13 of his 15 attempted fielders. Klay Thompson was 4-of-11 from the field and tallied 10 points.
“You hold Steph to 11 points and Klay to 10, you would think you would win that game,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. (Durant’s) one-on-one ability really saved them again tonight.”
James finished with a triple-double of 33 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as he continues to author one of the most auspicious postseason runs in his storied, 15-year career.
As great as that effort was, it wasn’t enough to overcome Durant’s individual brilliance and the superior depth of a team seeking its third NBA title in four years.
Kevin Love added 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Cavs. Rodney Hood came off the bench to score 15 points. J.R. Smith finished with 13 points.
“We’ve been in this position before,” Love said, referring to the 2017 Finals, when the Cavs lost Game 3 but rallied to Game 4 at The Q. “We didn’t accept defeat (last year). We need to continue to play and see what we can do in Game 4. Our margin for error is very little.”
The Cavs needed to get off to a good start in front of their raucous home crowd, and with a concerted push from Love, they did.
Love drained a 3-pointer 11 seconds deep into the first quarter to get the Cavs off and running. Smith also cashed in a 3-pointer in the opening minutes as the Cavs raced to a 16-4 lead at the 7:34 mark of the first quarter.
Durant and the Warriors weathered that early storm, however, and used a 16-6 run to pull into a 25-26 tie on a Durant jumper with 32.6 seconds remaining. The Cavs answered with a 3-pointer by Jeff Green, but two free throws by Durant allowed the Warriors to narrow the gap to 29-28 going to the second quarter.
The tone of play continued to be extremely physical n the second quarter. Love nailed two more 3-pointers as the Cavs built leads as large as 13 points. Again, though, Durant foiled every defense the Cavs threw at him and continued a scoring binge that kept the Warriors clear of double-digit deficits.
Durant topped all scorers with 24 points in the first half as the Cavs had to settle for a 58-52 lead at halftime.
Love was outstanding in the first half, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. James chipped in with 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Smith added 10 points
The Warriors came out roaring in the third quarter. They quickly erased the halftime deficit and took their first lead at 63-61 on two free throws by Curry at the 9:57 mark. After the Golden State lead went to 69-64, a layup by James and 3-pointer by George Hill brought the Cavs back to even at 69-69.