Curry, victor of the last two MVP awards, is fully healthy after struggling through last year's Finals. Hard-fought games with edge-of-your-seat action.
But the challenge is far more hard this time, not only because of the bigger deficit but also given the sheer talent of a Warriors group looking to become the first National Basketball Association team to win a title without suffering a single post-season loss.
Durant finished with 31 points, making 10-of-18 from the field and 4-of-7 from long distance.
And, moreover, silencing Quicken Loans Arena. He played most of the game and was instrumental in the 7 point Cavalier lead in the 2nd Half. When the hosts scored a roar went up. Golden State's only competition is with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and the Bulls, and other great teams from the past. "I saw he (James) was playing his heels behind the 3-point line".
"We dont want to go back to the Bay", Thompson revealed.
On the verge of sweeping the Cavaliers, there will be no silver for the Warriors, only gold. But collectively the team defense was still allowing looks and you can't do that with fantastic scorers like the Warriors have. Klay Thompson (30) and Steph Curry (26) also impressed in the win.
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He had earned enough reward points to participate in a pre-game fan experience on the (sometimes) green grass of Soldier Field. He also sent a certified letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell , according to the lawsuit, but did not receive a response.
Curry grabbed the huge rebound, his 13th, and Durant eventually received the ball and absorbed the foul. However, nothing is a given in the NBA and even more so in The NBA Finals. Cleveland held a 94-89 advantage heading into the final quarter. This was their home court and they were ready to "Defend the Land'".
"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".
Despite their output, their magic seemed to run out in the fourth quarter.
James and Irving were relentless in the second half and it appeared they had done enough to get Cleveland over the top and perhaps back in the series. The Cavaliers scored, but they didn't get the information they wanted. LeBron rose to try and bother the shot, but did so cautiously.
The Warriors had stolen this victory right from under the noses of the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers were ahead by six points with only about three minutes to play before Durant led the Warriors on an 11 unanswered point run. Five of those boards were on the offensive end as he didn't let his head drop. But protecting the lead meant leaving Irving on the floor for the entire second half and James for all but a few seconds of it, and on the other bench Steve Kerr kept reminding his deeper Warriors that the Cavaliers were going to get exhausted. They won't be swayed from their path and the Cavaliers saw that again in a pulsating Game 3.
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