Warriors Shock Cavaliers: Game 3 Win

The Golden State Warriors are now just one win away from avenging last year's NBA Finals meltdown.The Warriors went into Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday and emerged with an edge of your seat 118-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. Kevin Durant (31 points and eight rebounds) led the way and nailed a huge go-ahead three in the final minute, while Stephen Curry (26 points and 13 rebounds) and Klay Thompson (30 points) helped carry the high-powered offense as well. Exceptional efforts from LeBron James (39 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists) and Kyrie Irving (38 points) weren't enough for the Cavaliers.

Warriors Offense Dominates Cavaliers Defense

The Warriors featured the No. 1 offensive rating in the league this season, per NBA.com, while the Cavaliers countered with the No. 22 defensive rating. While Durant finished the game, Thompson carried the Warriors early with 16 points and four threes in the first quarter. He continued his turnaround he demonstrated in Game 2 (8-of-12) after shooting 3-of-16 in Game 1 and finished 11-of-18 from the field while providing brilliant defense on the other end.The Warriors connected on nine three’s in the opening 12 minutes, which set the tone and an NBA record for threes in a Finals quarter.

Not Even Brilliance From LeBron and Kyrie Enough for Cavaliers

Durant was vital in two straight blowout wins for the Warriors in Oracle Arena, leading to buzz he is taking the flame from James as the league's premier player.James, who was averaging a triple-double in the Finals coming into Wednesday's contest, responded with a performance worthy of his legend status as he nearly carried his team to victory alongside Irving.James came out hot in the first quarter, as he consistently found teammates with his impressive passing even though only Irving and JR Smith (16 points and five three-pointers) provided consistent help and helped match the pace of the mad dashing up-tempo Warriors. While James' 27 points in the first half kept the Cavaliers within striking distance, Irving summoned last year’s final performance with 16 points in the third quarter. James and Irving had the Cavaliers up six in the final three minutes before Durant dialed up the long-distance dagger, but the supporting cast was hanging out with the cast from Lost. Kevin Love who has yet to show up this series went 1-of-9 from the field, Tristan Thompson went scoreless and grabbed three rebounds, and Richard Jefferson, Deron Williams, and Iman Shumpert combined for an impressive three points.James and Irving will need more help if Cleveland is to avoid Durant and Company breaking out the brooms for Friday's Game 4.