The Cavaliers would do anything to be down 3-1 again

Here we go. The Warriors can end the season with a historic 16-0 sweep of the playoffs if they beat the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Friday (9 p.m. ET, ABC). If the Cavaliers pull off a victory, we head back to Golden State with the Warriors up 3-1.

History is what’s really at stake on Friday, not the series. Few seriously believe that Cleveland is equipped to come back from down 3-0 given that the Warriors have a team that came so close to beating them last year and then added Kevin Durant. Especially after Game 3, where LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were marvelous, the odds just do not appear to be in Cleveland’s favor in any way.

As such, it’ll be interesting to see how each team comes out. How bad do the Cavaliers care about denying Golden State a perfect postseason? How bad do the Warriors want that honor? Motivation matters, and it’s hard to fake.

We’ll find out soon enough.

Please, please, please stop criticizing LeBron for passing to one of the three greatest shooters ever in crunch time.

Zito Madu writes that Game 3 gave the Warriors the signature moment they needed. I wrote that Kevin Durant exacted revenge over LeBron for the 2012 NBA Finals at the end of Game 3.

In a really good piece on how the Warriors forgave Draymond Green for the acts that left him suspended for Game 5 last year, Zach Lowe reveals that after Game 7, Green sat in his car in the Oracle Arena parking lot and called Bob Myers to tell him he had to sign Durant ... and called Durant to tell him how much Green and the Warriors wanted him. Fascinating.

A bunch of old dudes are adamant that their teams could have beaten these Warriors. Most of them — all of them? — would struggle to beat these Cavaliers, to be honest. The game is different, and those teams and players weren’t equipped to take full advantage of the three-point line.

Brian Windhorst expertly annotates LeBron’s excellent press conference.

LeBron as the Man of Sorrows.

Lars Anderson on how different 3-on-3 Olympic basketball will be.

Quite sad news: Jonathan Jeannie, a French center expected to go in the first round of the NBA Draft, has been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, the same disease that had apparently prematurely ended Isaiah Austin’s pro career. (Austin has since received medical clearance and played in Serbia.)

What are the odds the Lakers draft someone other than Lonzo Ball?

As the Fish turns ... the vehicle that Derek Fisher flipped while allegedly under the influence is registered to Matt Barnes.

Some pickup games carry more impact.

Sonya Curry and Wanda Durant had a Mom Party. Meanwhile, Mary Babers — Draymond Green’s mom -- was getting heckled by Cavs fans. You gotta leave the moms alone, y’all.