What’s Up, NEPA/Senior News

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Billy McKinney, SWB RailRiders aren’t satisfied after 10-5 loss to Durham Bulls

<p>CLEVELAND &#8212; Kevin Durant pushed the Golden State Warriors to dynasty&#8217;s doorstep.</p><p>LeBron James may be at the door.</p><p>Durant scored 43 points, draining a long 3-pointer in the final minute to cap his magnificent performance, and the Golden State Warriors defeated 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.</p><p>No team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs.</p><p>It might be time to order some champagne from Napa Valley.</p><p>With the Cavs within 103-100, Durant stood motionless after dropping his 33-footer, which effectively ended the fourth straight finals matchup between two teams who have gotten to know each other well since 2015.</p><p>&#8220;That was amazing what he did out there tonight,&#8221; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. &#8220;Some of those shots, I don&#8217;t think anybody in the world can hit those but him. He was incredible.&#8221;</p><p>Golden State will now have four chances to wrap up its title starting with Game 4 on Friday night.</p><p>James scored 33 points and Kevin Love added 20 for the Cavs, who have fallen into a hole in which no team has ever emerged. Cleveland came back from a 3-1 deficit to stun the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals, but that was when Durant was in Oklahoma City and James had a different supporting cast.</p><p>The Warriors won despite a 3-of-16 shooting performance from Stephen Curry, who did come up big down the stretch as the Cavs were trying to salvage their season.</p><p>Now Cleveland could be down to one final game with James. The three-time champion can opt out of his $35.6 million contract and test free agency this summer, and it may be time for the 33-year-old to find a team capable of beating the Warriors.</p><p>Durant, who tilted this rivalry toward the West Coast when he signed with the Warriors as a free agent before last season, was brilliant from the start. He helped offset a rough night for Curry, who made a finals-record nine 3-pointers in Game 2, but was just 1 of 10 from behind the arc and didn&#8217;t score his second field goal until there were under three minutes left.</p><p>Curry&#8217;s scoop shot put the Warriors up 98-97 and defensive specialist Andre Iguodala, who didn&#8217;t play in Games 1 or 2 because of a knee injury, came up with a steal under the basket. Curry finally buried a 3 and after James matched him with a long shot, Iguodala drove the lane for a thundering dunk.</p><p>Moments later, Durant delivered his dagger to silence Cleveland&#8217;s crowd.</p><p>&#8220;The shot clock was running down, I was pretty far out, I just wanted to get a look,&#8221; Durant said. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t want to run there and shoot a bad shot, fall on the ground and they got numbers going the other way so I decided to pull up.&#8221;</p><p>James made a layup to pull the Cavs within four, it was too little too late as the Warriors closed it out and beat Cleveland for the fourth straight time in finals games.</p><p>With JaVale McGee getting three point-blank shots at the rim, the Warriors opened the third quarter with a 9-3 spurt and it wasn&#8217;t long before they took their first lead on Curry&#8217;s two free throws.</p><p>Durant scored 24 in the first half, when the Warriors attempted 13 free throws to zero for the Cavs, a disparity that induced further wrath on the officials from Cleveland fans still stinging from the now infamous reversed call in Game 1.</p><p>The Cavs needed a strong start, and they got it helped by a playground move from James.</p><p>Dribbling near the foul lane, he used a head fake on McGee before stepping past the Warriors center. James then threw the ball off the backboard to himself and crushed a two-handed dunk &#8212; he pulled off a similar stunt in last year&#8217;s Finals &#8212; that sent Cleveland&#8217;s bench and fans into a frenzy.</p><p>As coach Tyronn Lue had hoped, Cleveland was more physical and won several 50-50 balls while outrebounding and outworking the Warriors, who spent much of the first half barking about the officiating.</p><p>The problem, though, was that the Cavs couldn&#8217;t stop Durant. He wouldn&#8217;t allow Cleveland to pull too far ahead and the superstar made up for an ineffective Curry.</p><p>James arrived at 6 p.m. dressed more casually &#8212; camouflage pants, purple hoodie, &#8220;Billionaire Boys Club&#8221; baseball cap &#8212; than on the road where he and the Cavs have been wearing suits during the postseason.</p><p>Everything is more relaxed and familiar at home for James and his teammates, who were counting on a return to their own noisy building, where they play better and shoot better, to get them back into the series.</p><p>The Warriors had other plans.</p><p><strong>TIP-INS</strong></p><p><strong>Warriors</strong>: Draymond Green passed Wilt Chamberlain (922) for the most rebounds in Warriors playoff history. &#8230; Thompson played in his NBA-high 390th game over the last four seasons. Green is second with 387, while James is third at 381. &#8230; Green and Thompson, who have tangled all series, were both slapped with technical following an exchange in the first quarter. &#8230;</p><p><strong>Cavaliers</strong>: James (238) broke a tie with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and moved into fourth place for the most playoff games. Only Derek Fisher (259), Tim Duncan (251) and Robert Horry (244) have made most postseason appearances. &#8230; Abdul-Jabbar attended the game and got a rousing ovation when introduced in the third quarter. &#8230;. There was an awkward moment at the start of Lue&#8217;s pregame news conference when he was asked by a foreign reporter who he expected to be the key player in Game 3. &#8220;LeBron James, I guess,&#8221; he said with a laugh.</p><p><strong>UP NEXT</strong></p><p>Game 4 is Friday night.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant is defended by Cleveland Cavaliers' George Hill during the second half of Game 3 of basketball's NBA Finals, Wednesday, June 6, 2018, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_120605240-1e862dd3ab3d481abbb24e3adc6ea70c-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant is defended by Cleveland Cavaliers' George Hill during the second half of Game 3 of basketball's NBA Finals, Wednesday, June 6, 2018, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_120605240-3fee0ab49837458397951663761378c5-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James shoots over Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant during the first half of Game 3 of basketball's NBA Finals, Wednesday, June 6, 2018, in Cleveland. (Gregory Shamus/Pool Photo via AP)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_120605240-3fee0ab49837458397951663761378c5-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James shoots over Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant during the first half of Game 3 of basketball's NBA Finals, Wednesday, June 6, 2018, in Cleveland. (Gregory Shamus/Pool Photo via AP)</caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_120605240-c85383f6e1e64b90aba175b2b9d96668-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Golden State Warriors center JaVale McGee dunks over Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson, right, during the second half of Game 3 of basketball's NBA Finals, Wednesday, June 6, 2018, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, Pool)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_120605240-c85383f6e1e64b90aba175b2b9d96668-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Golden State Warriors center JaVale McGee dunks over Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson, right, during the second half of Game 3 of basketball's NBA Finals, Wednesday, June 6, 2018, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, Pool)</caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Withers</p><p>AP Sports Writer</p></bylineMeta></div>

Warriors win Game 3 of NBA Finals, push Cavaliers to brink