By the third quarter of Game 4, the outcome was all but settled as the Golden State Warriors saw their lead balloon to as big as 20 points.
The finish to these NBA Finals was anticlimactic, but Steph Curry and his crew emerged dynastic.
The Warriors secured their third championship in 4 seasons after soundly beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-85 on Saturday (Manila time) to complete a sweep.
Led by Curry, who found his shooting stroke after a lackluster Game 3, the far more talented Warriors weren't going to be denied closing out this series on the road.
Curry finished with 37 points, including 7 3-pointers, while Kevin Durant, named to his second Finals MVP in a row, scored 20 points and tallied a triple-double (12 rebounds, 10 assists).
Curry started out strong, scoring 20 points in the first half and immediately making up for his 11-point output the entirety of the previous game.
The Warriors had several opportunities to put the game away early but LeBron James and the Cavaliers fought back every time, chewing into double-digit deficits to make it close.
That was the case in the first half, at least.
The hometown crowd and championship pride could only take the Cavaliers so far though.
In the third quarter, where Golden State normally goes on its backbreaking runs, the Warriors put away the Cavaliers for good, outscoring James and co. 25-13 before cruising.
With the victory, the Warriors now have 6 titles overall, tying the Chicago Bulls for third most overall in league history.
This is Golden State's third championship in 4 seasons, all at the expense of James and the Cavaliers.
It is the first sweep of a title series since James and the Cavaliers were run out by the San Antonio Spurs in 2007.
Cleveland now faces a murky off-season, as James ponders his future. He could stay a Cavalier or elect to opt out of his current contract and play somewhere else where he thinks he has a chance to soak in that championship feeling again.
He finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists in Game 4, a quiet stat line to cap off a brilliant series and an epic post-season overall.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Mindful of last year's missed chance at a perfect playoff run, the Golden State Warriors expect their toughest NBA Finals challenge from Cleveland on Friday as they chase a series sweep.
Defending champion Golden State can capture a third title in four seasons, carrying a 3-0 lead over the Cavaliers into game four of their record fourth consecutive best-of-seven title matchup.
"Game four is going to be the toughest game we've played in the series, to close it out," Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. "We're going to need energy, effort, focus from every guy that steps foot on the floor.
"We know they're going to throw some crazy punches and we've got to be able to weather the storm and their runs and the crowd and the atmosphere and all that. Just try to keep our composure as best we can because close-out games are the hardest things that you can ever experience in the playoffs."
The visiting Warriors made an NBA-record 15-0 start to last year's playoffs with three sweeps and a 3-0 lead on the Cavs before suffering their only playoff loss, eventually taking the title in five games.
We want a different outcome," Warriors guard Shaun Livingston said. "We've never done that in our four years, sweep the finals. It's an incredible opportunity. It's like the game within the game.
"We have to challenge ourselves to come out and try to put this thing away."
No team in NBA playoff history has won a series from a 3-0 deficit, but no NBA team had rallied from 3-1 in the finals until Cleveland shocked Golden State in the 2016 finals.
"We're still in the NBA Finals," said Cleveland's J.R. Smith. "We still have to keep that enthusiasm, trust and belief that we can get this thing done."
Cleveland's LeBron James, in his eighth consecutive finals and ninth overall, is one loss from falling to 3-6 for his career in the championship round.
"We have an opportunity to extend the series, but we've got to come out and play 48 minutes," James said.
"You can't have mistakes. They're not going to beat themselves. You can't have flaws. You can't have 'my bads' or things like that because they're going to make you pay."
Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said his team has not given up on itself.
"We know we can beat this team and we have the confidence to do that," Lue said. "But our focus is not on winning four. Our focus is winning game four."
- Small margin for error -
Kevin Love recalled Cleveland's game-four effort last year with backs to the wall.
"We hit 24 threes last year in game four and had a really great showing and didn't accept defeat," Love said. "That's something this team needs to do and continue to be resilient.
"The margin of error against them is so little. In some cases you almost have to be perfect."
Warriors forward Draymond Green, whose stylist selects suits for each game night, would be happy not to wear more than four.
"We got a chance to close out this series and that's our focus," said Green. "I've got a game five outfit. It's pretty dope. I really don't want to wear it, though."
- Haven't seen Warrior best -
Green recalls the humbling loss with perfection so near.
"A 3-0 lead and we just kind of laid an egg. So we understand that and learn from it," Green said. "I don't think we've put our best game together yet, which is encouraging, because what better time to do that?"
Curry expects Cleveland to go for broke after James unleashed 51 points in game one and a triple double in game three but lost each time.
"They're going to come out just gunslinging. It's going to be shots from all over the place," Curry said. "But we have what we need focus-wise and energy-wise to combat that."
The Cavs vow to answer the bell.
"We're going to keep fighting," said Cleveland forward Tristan Thompson. "We've got to go out there and give everything we've got. And if we can do that, guys can look in the mirror and live with themselves."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) shoots over Cleveland Cavaliers center Kevin Love (0) during the fourth quarter in Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Golden State Warriors won, 110-102.
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That's the beauty of having 2 of the league's best scorers ever — one can have an off night and the other can just pick up the slack.
Kevin Durant scored a playoff career-high 43 points, including a bold 3-pointer from way behind the arc, as the Golden State Warriors escaped with a 110-102 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night (Thursday, Manila time).
Despite a cold shooting night by Steph Curry, Golden State was still able to pull off the victory.
That's because Durant was lights out, hitting at will from every spot on the floor.
His sixth triple proved to be the dagger, a 33-footer that gave the Warriors a 106-100 cushion with less than 50 seconds remaining.
Draymond Green iced the victory with a one-handed dunk off a Curry pass
The Warriors can end the series in Game 4, which stays in Cleveland, Saturday morning (Manila time).
Durant stepped up at the perfect time for the Warriors, who saw Curry struggle mightily with his shot.
After hitting 9 3-pointers to set a new NBA Finals record in Game 2, Curry clanked his first 9 attempts from downtown in Game 3.
He buried his 10th try, though, a critical conversion that made it 101-97 in Golden State's favor just when things got tight and both teams were exchanging baskets.
But Durant virtually settled the outcome with the cold-blooded triple.
And his contributions in other departments weren't anything to sneeze at.
He also finished with 13 rebounds and 7 assists. Overall, he shot 15 of 23 from the field, 6 of 9 from long distance, and 7-of-7 free throws.
Curry, who missed 13 of 16 shots overall, finished with 11 points, while 4 other players scored 10.
LeBron James tallied a triple-double (33 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds), but missed a number of baskets that he normally makes.
According to ESPN Stats and Info, James' triple-double is the 10th of his NBA Finals career, the first player ever to have that many in this stage of the season.
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Steph Curry made 9 3-pointers in Game 2 on Sunday (Monday, Manila time) to set the record for most triples in an NBA Finals game.
Watch every one of them here:
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When they’re firing on all cylinders, the Golden State Warriors rarely get challenged.
Especially when their 2-time MVP starts cooking.
Steph Curry scored 33 points, including an NBA Finals record 9 3-pointers, as the Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 122-103 in Game 2 Sunday (Monday, Manila time).
The Warriors now hold a 2-0 lead in the series.
Three days after needing to weather LeBron James’ brilliant display on offense and relying on some “luck” to win Game 1, the Warriors were more in control on both ends of the floor in Game 2.
Kevin Durant finished with 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting to make up for an inefficient Game 1.
After struggling with his shot in the opener, Durant was in rhythm throughout. He wasn’t just putting up points, he was also setting up other Warriors for good looks at the basket.
Same went for Curry, who found open teammates besides drilling his signature shot — really deep 3s — on a several occasions, 9 to be exact, breaking the record previously owned by Ray Allen since 2010.
Coupled with a more aggressive approach on the boards and getting help from their role players, the Warriors took the Cavaliers’ best punch then knocked them out with not one, not two, not three, but 5 back-breaking 3-pointers by Curry in the fourth quarter.
The series moves to Cleveland in Game 3 on Thursday, Manila time. Tip-off is at 9 a.m.
Golden State was ahead 90-80 at the start of the fourth but, as they have proven this series, the Cavaliers weren’t going down without a fight.
James buried a 3-pointer to make it a 7-point game, but then Curry simply went off.
He drilled a step-back triple then followed it up with another to extend the Warriors’ lead to 96-83.
Then he swooshed a 28-footer fading away as the shot clock expired and a deep one from the corner plus a bonus free throw off a Kevin Love foul to tie the record Allen set in Game 1 of the 2010 NBA Finals between Allen’s Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Curry reset the mark when he splashed his ninth 3-pointer of the game with the outcome settled.
Curry also had 8 assists and 7 rebounds, while Durant contributed 9 rebounds and 7 assists.
After scoring 51 points in Game 1, James settled for 29 to go with 13 assists and 9 rebounds on a Cleveland struggled from the field and Golden State feasted.
The Warriors shot 57% from the field (47 of 82) and 41% from behind the arc (15 of 36), compared the Cavaliers' 41.6% from the floor and just 33.3% from downtown.
Love added 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers.
After being minus-15 in the rebounding battle in Game 1, the Warriors finished with just as many as the Cavaliers in Game 2 with 41.
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Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors exchange words in overtime during Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on Thursday in Oakland, California. The Warriors won Game 1, 124-114.
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LeBron James was unstoppable for 4 quarters.
But all the Golden State Warriors needed was just 3 minutes to pound James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to submission and grab the first win of these NBA Finals.
Steph Curry scored 29 points, and the Warriors used a 9-0 run to start overtime to beat the Cavaliers 124-114 in Game 1 of their title series on Thursday (Friday, Manila time).
James scored 51 points for Cleveland, but was limited to just 2 free throws and without a basket in the extension.
Game 2 is on Sunday (Monday, Manila time) at Oracle Arena in Oakland.
As usual, James carried a brunt of the offensive load for the Cavaliers, who looked ready to reward him with a win in another epic performance by the MVP.
Down 107-106 with 4.7 seconds left, however, George Hill could make only 1 of 2 free throws and JR Smith tried to milk the clock when he grabbed the offensive rebound thinking Cleveland had the lead.
James added 8 rebounds and 8 assists on a night he became the first 50-point scorer to lose an NBA Finals game, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
It was the first 50-point game in the NBA Finals since Michael Jordan hit the mark in 1993, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
The "robbed" part Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue was referring to was a call the referees overturned with 36.4 seconds left in regulation.
Durant drove to the basket and was called for a charge as James got in his way, but the officials upon review reversed the call and ruled it a blocking foul.
The ensuing free throws by Durant tied the game at 104-all.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
