CLEVELAND -- In the long history of the NBA playoffs, a 3-0 deficit means certain death, a predicament that LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers avoided on Wednesday night.
James scored 32 points while Kyrie Irving added 30 to power the Cavs to an emphatic 120-90 drubbing of the defending champion Golden State Warriors at the Quicken Loans Arena. The victory puts Cleveland a game away from tying the series after losing Games 1 and 2 by a whopping 48 points.
Kevin Love, the third piece of the Cavs' Big 3, did not play due to a concussion but veteran Richard Jefferson filled in nicely at the starting small forward slot, scoring 9 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals. The Cavs jumped to 9-0 start and led by as many as 20 in the opening quarter. The cushion proved more than enough to hold off the explosive Warriors.
For the third straight Finals game, reigning MVP Steph Curry had a ho-hum performance, finishing with a quiet 19 points on 6-for-13 shooting including 3-of-9 from long distance. Klay Thompson had similar struggles as he shot just 4-of-13 for 10 points. As a team, the Warriors converted 42.1 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from 3-point land.
"We finally got back to our game. It was a good flow, a collective team win," a relieved James told the Associated Press after the win.
Instead of facing elimination, the Cavs now have the golden opportunity to even the best-of-7 championships in Game 4 Friday night (Saturday AM in Manila) at the Q Arena.
Photo: LeBron James muscles his way past Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. The King had 32 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 120-90 Game 3 triumph.
Comments
Share your thoughts on the above article by Rex Alba.