NBA Finals 2017, Warriors vs. Cavaliers: Golden State 118, Cleveland 113

The final minutes of Game 3 between the Cavaliers and Warriors was the perfect example of why the Warriors got Kevin Durant. It’s also the moment that cemented Durant’s status as the Best NBA Playoff moment.

Down 113-111, Durant brought the basketball down the floor, and pulled the trigger on a triple that he knew was going down from the moment it left his hand.

When we collectively talk about the Thunder’s 2012 NBA Finals run, it’s usually to lament the subsequent trade of James Harden and premature end of what could have been a dynasty. The Thunder’s core, led by Kevin Durant, was so young and full of promise. Despite the loss, it felt like Oklahoma City would be back in the Finals frequently. The Thunder still haven’t been back five years later, and likely won’t be there any time soon after Durant left in 2016.

What often goes untold in discussions of 2012 is that Durant was incredible in that series. The Thunder were very competitive despite the 4-1 finish and despite being an underdog, and only LeBron James’ singular excellence kept Oklahoma City from winning a championship that early in their run.

Kevin Durant scored 31 points on 10-of-18 shooting in the Warriors’ critical Game 3 win over the Cavaliers on Thursday. It marked the sixth time Durant reached the 30-point mark in eight NBA Finals games, dating back to his first trip in 2012 with the Oklahoma City Thunder

Through three games this series, the former league MVP is averaging 34 points. That’s more than LeBron James, the best player on the underdog team who’s averaging 32 in the Finals after a 39-point Game 3 lifted his numbers.

The morning after the Cavaliers’ debilitating 118-113 loss to the Warriors in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday, LeBron James took to the podium to double down on his decision to pass to an open Kyle Korver on a critical possession down the stretch.

That’s just about exactly how it played out.

LeBron James turned in one of the greatest NBA Finals performances in history during a losing effort in a pivotal Game 3 against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. James scored 39 points on 15-of-27 shooting, grabbed 11 rebounds, and finished with nine assists. However, he didn’t score in the game’s final 4:28 and the Cavs are now down 3-0.

LeBron gave his team a fighting chance at home against what’s evolved into arguably the greatest talent collective in basketball history. But his effort in a crushing loss underlines just how badly the Cavs need him.

Moments after Kevin Durant hit the game-winner in the Warriors’ pivotal Game 3 victory over the Cavaliers on Wednesday, Draymond Green said it was the high-pressure situations late in the game that Golden State needed the former league MVP for in the first place.

“He wants that moment,” Green said during his post-game interview with NBA TV. “Down the stretch, he made plays for us. When you got guys out there like KD, but then Steph and Klay and all these guys as other options, that’s tough to guard. So K stepped up and made plays.

As it turned out, only one game in the NBA postseason mattered. That game was last night’s Game 3, and it was brilliant in so many different ways. And after the Warriors won it, we’re left contemplating everything we just witnessed in silence.

We started the season with the foregone conclusion that the Warriors and the Cavaliers would return to the Finals for another showdown, and we held the same convictions when the regular season ended. Cleveland hadn’t given us the most convincing regular season and Golden State had survived an injury scare to Kevin Durant, but they both coasted to the Finals, losing only one game combined in the process.

With 3:09 left in Game 3, J.R. Smith drilled his fifth three-pointer. The Cavaliers went up by six points. They wouldn’t score again.

Just like that, the best game played all postseason also turned into an execution blow, as the Warriors swung ahead three games to none against Cleveland. Assuming the Cavaliers don’t complete a second straight, even-more-historic-than-last-year comeback — and they won’t — then the Warriors will be your 2017 champions.

Here’s a quote from LeBron James after the Cavaliers went down 3-0 in the NBA Finals by losing to the Warriors on Wednesday in Cleveland. In it, James says the Warriors probably have the “most firepower” he’s faced in the NBA:

“I said it after the Eastern Conference Finals that we’re getting ready for a juggernaut. It’s probably the most, most firepower I’ve played in my career,” James said. “I played against some great teams, but I don’t think no team has had this type of firepower.”

The Warriors faced their biggest challenge on Wednesday night, but Kevin Durant was able to lead the team in the final minutes. The Warriors now hold a 3-0 series lead, looking unbeatable at this point.

After the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters that right now is Durant’s time — and he knows it:

LeBron James deserved better.

His Cavaliers lost Game 3 of the NBA Finals to the Warriors on Wednesday, 118-113. Golden State’s lead is 3-0, and this thing’s all but formally over. That’s in spite of James pouring in 39 points on 15-of-27 shooting with 11 rebounds and nine assists. He was a plus-seven in a game his team lost by five points, the best margin on the team. It was one of the finest Finals performances in recent memories, and it went for naught.

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving both went to another gear when the Cavaliers needed them most. They combined for 77 points, the most points by a duo in an NBA Finals loss. And it still wasn’t enough to knock off the Warriors in Game 3.

James’ first quarter was a sign of things to come. He shot 7-of-8 from the field, as well as 2-of-3 from deep. It just looked like he was never going to miss during a quarter that was as fast-paced as a NASCAR race. His 16 points were tied for the most in the quarter with Klay Thompson, who finally found his shot in Game 3.

J.R. Smith tweeted this. Five minutes after losing Game 3. In the NBA Finals and going down three games to none. (He deleted it after it got, like, 30,000 retweets. I am sad he deleted it.)

J.R. forever — though he denied actually sending the tweet when asked.

The NBA Finals aren’t over yet. But there’s not much more suspense.

The Warriors beat the Cavaliers in Game 3 on Wednesday, so Golden State’s lead is 3-0. That advantage has been insurmountable in every series in NBA history. It is going to be insurmountable in this series, too. The Warriors will be champions.

Lately, my roommate and I have taken to playing the same “MyPlayer” mode on NBA 2K with the same person. Basically, the object is to see who can score the most amount of points with the most efficiency. I know it’s a bit cliched — a basketball writer playing a basketball video game. But there’s nothing like scoring 46 points while missing just five shots.

In Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday, LeBron James finished the first half with 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting with four rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block. He finished the game with 39 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. The Cavs still couldn’t beat the Warriors, who took a decisive 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals with a 118-113 victory.

We know Kyrie Irving can score, but he came up with this monster rebound over Zaza Pachulia that’s quite impressive for a number of reasons.

Kyrie Irving is listed at 6’3, which is probably generous. Pachulia — on the other hand — is listed at 6’11. Irving impressively came down with that rebound as if he had three inches on Pachulia.

If there was a basketball play to describe what it’s like to have the world going against you as you evade all the issues it has to offer, this is it by Kyrie Irving.

With just seconds remaining in the first half of Game 3, Irving took the inbound pass, and, well, he did this:

With a little more than two minutes left in the second quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Draymond Green committed a foul. He committed a foul as surely as the sky is blue and water is wet. Richard Jefferson was driving toward the basket for the Cavaliers, and Green made a solid open-field tackle to bring him down.

Green did not like the call, anyway. He sprang up from the court quickly, like a man who had a grievance. His teammate, Kevin Durant, was a very good friend:

Kyle Korver, one of the best three-point shooters in league history, dunked for the 24th time in his career in Game 3 against the Golden State Warriors. When you watch the NBA Finals, you’re going to see history made. We should all remember this moment, which will surely be remembered in the storied history of the finals.

OK, so maybe not all that, but whatever. Korver dunked once this season with Cleveland, which wasn’t a huge deal. He does it here and there, with 20 in his regular season career and now four in the postseason, per basketball-reference.com. His dunking ability was in the news a few seasons ago in Atlanta, when everyone enjoyed him dunking for the first time in three years. But recently, Korver’s just cruised along with his excellent shooting reputation.

A few things are going on here:

This video is of LeBron James getting a full head of steam and throwing down a dunk in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. The ostensible victim of the dunk is Warriors center JaVale McGee, because McGee was the only Warrior willing to risk his dignity by trying to get in James’ way. It was a valiant if entirely misguided effort on McGee’s part.

LeBron James is so good that even his terrible passes turn into points.

When he tried to hit Kevin Love with an alley-oop, Love was fouled, but his attempted pass to Love went in the basket anyway.

LeBron James came out hot against the Warriors in the first quarter, and put a stamp on it with a ferocious dunk.

After taking a hit from teammate Tristan Thompson, James quickly proved he was just fine by punching one in against JaVale McGee.

LeBron James stayed down for more than a minute after running straight into teammate Tristan Thompson in Game 3 on a defensive possession on Wednesday. However, after a long commercial break, James stayed in the game and appears to be fine, somehow.

It was as unfortunate a play as can happen in an NBA game, with both James and Thompson not seeing each other until the second before they collided. It looked like James took the brunt of the impact against his jaw, obviously prompting fears that he might have suffered a concussion. However, ABC’s Doris Burke reported that James briefly talked to Cleveland’s medical staff and then waved them off, immediately scoring a layup after staying in the game.

I’ve listened to Rascal Flatts’ music for a decently long time. It’s not a main listen for me, but I’m 22, and I’d estimate I first listened to Rascal Flatts around 2006. The song was probably “My Wish” or “Life Is A Highway.” I haven’t checked to see if that timeline matches up, but it’s been a while.

If you’re like me, there was a moment when something about Rascal Flatts just clicked for you: You realized that Rascal Flatts was not one person named Rascal Flatts, but actually a band of three men whose collective group name is Rascal Flatts. If you listen to the group’s lead singer, Gary LeVox, he sounds exactly like a dude whose name would be Rascal Flatts. But he is, in fact, part of a band with the same name.

Steve Kerr just returned from a back injury and is about to coach in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, where his Warriors are currently up 2-0 — which is cool, but not nearly as cool as this:

While walking through security, the Warriors head coach ran into wrestling legend and “Rolex-wearing, diamond-ring-wearing, kiss-stealing, wheelin-dealin’, limousine-riding, jet-flying son of a gun” Ric Flair.