Stick a fork in them. They are done.
That was most everyone’s feelings on the Cleveland Cavaliers when they lost Kyrie Irving for the rest of the NBA Finals.
The widespread doubt has served as extra motivation for LeBron James, who helped the injured, undermanned Cavaliers escape Tuesday night in Cleveland with a 96-91 victory over Golden State in Game 3 to seize a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
James has fed off the haters and is playing with laser focus and the most emotion I’ve ever seen from him. He has the Cavaliers within two wins of their first NBA championship.
History tells us the odds are now in Cleveland’s favor.
Teams that win Game 3 of the Finals with the series tied 1-1 go on to become champions 84 percent of the time.
LeBron finished with 40 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists Tuesday as Cleveland held off a late rally by the Warriors. He has now scored, assisted or created 200 of the Cavaliers’ 291 points through the first three games of the series, reports the New York Times, citing Synergy Sports Tech.
That’s an incredible stat. That kind of production is amazing even for the best player in the world, especially while he’s struggling at times with his outside shot.
James, who hit just 14 of 34 shots from the field, sealed the win by sinking two free throws after Stephen Curry buried his seventh and final 3-pointer with 18.9 seconds left.
James has two 40-point games in the series, two shy of the NBA Finals record held by Jerry West (1969) and Michael Jordan (1993).
“He understands the moment,” Cleveland coach David Blatt said. “He understands the situation and he is a big, big, big-time player. He can get it done.”
Curry, the NBA’s MVP of the regular season, has struggled for much of the last two games. He managed just three points in the first half Tuesday before finishing with 27. He scored 17 of his 27 points in the fourth to spark a near-comeback.
That’s a great sign for the Warriors, whose juggernaut offense looked befuddled against Cleveland’s swarming defense in Game 3.
A tip of the hat goes to Cleveland backup point guard Matthew Dellavedova. He scored 20 points, but it’s what he has done on the defensive end that has been most impressive, pestering the heck out of the MVP and coming up with loose ball after loose ball in crunch time.
After 38½ scrappy minutes, Dellavedova was sent to the hospital for cramping.
Curry did show signs of life in the fourth period, but he’s got to get more help from his teammates if the Warriors are to avoid a 3-1 hole when the series resumes Thursday night in Cleveland. Curry’s teammates, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green, combined to shoot 2 of 16.
The lead in the NBA Finals belongs to Cleveland, though some momentum may be with the Warriors with the way they finished in the fourth quarter.
James didn’t like the way the Warriors closed the game.
“We hold them to 55 points for three quarters and we allowed them to break off with 36. That’s not satisfying at all,” he said of the final period.
“But the best teacher in life is experience. We experienced it tonight. We’re going to watch a lot of film tomorrow on ways we can get better, close out games the best way, and we’ll be ready for Game 4.”
