And the Warriors made history but got burned past year, when they won a record 73 regular-season games and took a 3-1 lead over Cleveland in the finals only to lose after the Cavaliers made the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history.
Added to the fact that he joined a Warriors team that won the National Basketball Association title in 2015 and followed that up by winning a record 73 games last season before falling to Cleveland in seven games, Durant was considered a villain by many. The Warriors had seized a 3-1 lead on the Cavaliers only to have James lead the greatest rally in NBA Finals history, becoming the first team to win the championship after trailing 3-1.
They will again have to rewrite the record books if they can recover this position, but with the Warriors seeking revenge for past year that will be some ask. Klay Thompson scored 30 points for Golden State, and Stephen Curry had 26 points and 13 rebounds.
LeBron James scored 39 points with 11 rebounds and nine assists, and Kyrie Irving added 38 points.
Kevin Durant hit the game-winning three-pointer in the closing stages of Game Three on Wednesday. Most will say he is clearly the difference between the 2017 and 2016 finals, which the Cavaliers won in seven games.
After the teams won a finals apiece over the last two years, the Warriors are primed to win the trilogy.
"Obviously K.D. made some huge plays down the stretch", Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said.
CLEVELAND (AP) - One victory left for the Golden State Warriors to claim another title. James became the first player to appear in 20 or more Finals games with two franchises. The guys that probably work the hardest, that have that killer instinct and that mindset, we don't care if we make or miss.
The heartache, as much as the addition of star forward Durant, has made the Warriors all the more stronger now, even in snatching defeat from victory's jaws past year.
Family: Australian nurse died trying to aid attack victims
She described her "absolutely beautiful" niece as "the girl next door" and a "very special, kindred spirit". Ms Zelenak's aunt Tara Abela paid tribute to her niece, who she described as a attractive and happy woman.
"I knew it was going to be one of the toughest challenges I've had because of the firepower they have, because of the mindset that they were going to have". He's played superbly, on both ends of the floor in these Finals and is likely to be named MVP if and when the Warriors close out Cleveland. He's played in all but 19 minutes of the first three games, and every time James leaves the court, Golden State begins to romp.
They're just not good enough to beat what may be one of the NBA's best teams ever.
We will never know if the Warriors would have gone on to win the championship if Iguodala had made his shot in Game 7 previous year, when the Warriors were in the same kind of late-game freefall the Cavs were in late Wednesday night in Cleveland.
"I've been working on that shot my whole life", said Durant, who has averaged 34 points through the first three games of the series.
"Now that it's a legit possibility, one game away, you should think about it", he said.
"It's the most firepower I've played in my career", said James, who played all but two minutes.
"I think that he has grown in terms of his ability to play with the other four guys, with our movement and our spacing and our flow", Kerr said. Durant forces the Cavs, who are not a good defensive team, to make choices over which Golden State star they will try to stop. If so, there would be a new question open for debate: Best Player in the World. For me, when I left here to go to Miami, we had to build something.
They very easily could be playing for a third straight championship.
Comments