He started the scoring. He ended the scoring. In between, he dominated the scoring!
LeBron James played with intensity and purpose to notch up a game-high 40 points as he powered Cleveland Cavaliers to a 96-91 win over Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at the Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday.
The Eastern Conference champion’s first-ever Finals win at ‘The Q’, weathering a late comeback by the visitors, has taken it two games closer to a maiden triumph for the franchise.
After the game, James, who nearly had another triple-double (12 rebounds and eight assists), reiterated his desire to deliver for Cleveland.
“I’m just trying to do whatever it takes to help our team win,” he said. “It’s the finals, and it’s whatever it takes. This is a totally different challenge.”
Matthew Dellavedova was the player of the night as the 24-year-old displayed the famous Australian doggedness throughout the encounter.
Playing his heart outThe Cavaliers guard shadowed MVP Stephen Curry for most of the game, scrambled and scuffled for loose balls and came up with some crucial baskets while totalling 20 points.
‘Delly’, who was later taken to a clinic for observation following severe cramping, came in for praise from James. “He’s going to throw his body all over the place,” observed James. “He gave everything he’s got.”
After a start that was marked by pyrotechnics and hoopla, the home team hit the court running and started to call the shots.
With James essaying the role of a forward, master strategist and mentor all rolled into one, the Cavs were all over the place and wrapped up the first quarter 24-20.
Pushed on by the incessant screaming of ‘Lets Go Cavs’, ‘MVP’ and ‘de-fense’ from 20,000 fans packed to the rafters in the cauldron that was ‘The Q’, Cavaliers maintained the momentum and ended up with a seven-point advantage at the half-way stage (44-37).
Curry and his men also came up with some spectacular plays as they strove hard to be within touching distance in front of a partisan crowd that heckled the visitors.
Curry steps it upThe third quarter saw the Cavs shift gears and at one point holding a 20-point advantage.
However, Curry, who hit his threes more consistently in this game, ensured the chasm was bridged going into the final quarter (74-68).
The final 12 minutes saw the Cavaliers trying to finish it off with some quick scoring and they were 92-83 ahead with just 51 seconds left for the finish.
However, Curry had other ideas and some assured baskets from him and reserve David Lee made it 94-91 with 19 seconds to go. But there was to be no reprising of the drama that was scripted at Oakland.
Curry, who ended the night with 27 points, was optimistic despite the setback and felt that he had got back the rhythm that went missing in Game 2.
“I think I found something when it comes to how I’m going to be able to attack their pick-and-rolls,” Curry told reporters. “I’ll keep that in the memory bank going into the next game.”
The Game 3 winner in a 1-1 Finals has gone on to take the series 31 of 37 times and that would portend well for the Cavs as they take the court again here on Thursday.
The scores: Cleveland Cavaliers 96 (James 40, Dellavedova 20, Thompson 10, J.R. Smith 10) bt Golden State Warriors 91 (Curry 27, Igoudala 15, Thompson 14).
Cleveland Cavaliers leads the series 2-1 .
( V.V. Ramanan is covering the Finals at the invitation of NBA and its partners )
