NBA Finals: Warriors 110, Cavaliers 102
CLEVELAND (AP) Kevin Durant stood calmly near midcourt and a very familiar spot as teammates Stephen Curry and Draymond Green screamed at him in celebration.
Another momentous shot for Durant.
And soon, probably another NBA championship.
Durant scored a career playoff-high 43 points, draining a long 3-pointer in the final minute to cap his magnificent performance, and the Warriors beat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-102 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night to move within a victory of a sweep, their second straight title and third championship in four years.
The Warriors are on dynastys doorstep.
Afterward, the defending champs could be heard loudly celebrating inside their locker room, perhaps a warmup for a bigger party to come.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are in a hole that might as well be 6 feet deep. Teams that have fallen behind 3-0 in the playoffs are 0-131.
It might be time for the guys from Northern California to order some champagne from Napa Valley.
With the Cavs down 103-100, Durant stood defiantly and almost motionless after dropping his 33-footer just a few feet from where he made one in Game 3 last year and effectively ended the fourth straight finals matchup between two teams who have gotten to know each other well since 2015.
After Durant scored, Curry and Green rushed to his side and the trio walked back toward Golden States bench where the other Warriors were hugging and high-fiving.
As always Durant stayed cool.
I dont want to downplay anything, but I dont want to act like this is the end of the road, Durant said. So just get back to work tomorrow and figure out a better game plan.
Durant said the similarity with last years shot a moment that helped define his first championship didnt occur to him.
No, not at all, he said. I just took the shot.
There was nothing James or the Cavs could do but think about what might have been after losing two games that were within their reach.
