Preview: Warriors at Cavaliers

[June 09, 2017]  The Cleveland Cavaliers took their best shot and still fell short in Game 3 and now stand on the brink of elimination in the NBA Finals. The Cavaliers will try to begin a historic comeback from a 3-0 deficit and avoid starting the summer early when they host the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 on Friday.

"I said it after we won the Eastern Conference finals that we're getting ready for a juggernaut," Cleveland star LeBron James told reporters of the Warriors. "It's probably the most, most firepower I've played in my career. I played against some great teams, but I don't think no team has had this type of firepower." That firepower allowed Golden State to overcome a six-point deficit in the final minutes of Wednesday's 118-113 triumph, capped by Kevin Durant's deep 3-pointer over James with 45 seconds to play. The Warriors improved to 15-0 in the postseason with the win and can become the first team in NBA history to sweep the postseason with a win on Friday. "I don't want to relax," Durant told reporters. "It's not over. This is a crazy game, anything can happen. I'm just trying to enjoy this moment, try not to look in the future or the past."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ABC

ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Durant scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter on Wednesday and is averaging 34 points on 56.1 percent shooting - 52.4 percent from beyond the arc - in the series. "He took over," Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters of Durant's Game 3 performance. "You can tell he knows this is his moment. He's been an amazing player in this league for a long time. He senses this is his time, his moment, his team." Durant isn't the only Warriors player enjoying a strong series as Stephen Curry continues to put the pain of last year's Finals loss in the rearview mirror by averaging 28.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and nine assists in the series.

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS: Cleveland overcame a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Warriors in the Finals last spring but is aware that a tougher challenge exists this time around. "From a mental standpoint, there is no other option, other than to prepare for Game 4 as best you can. That's it," point guard Kyrie Irving told reporters. "This is as do or die as possible as I've ever faced in my career. So we understand what's at stake, our whole entire season. There's really no other decision, other than to leave it all out there." James is averaging 32 points on 55.4 percent shooting, 12.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists in the series and Irving adds an average of 27 points, but the rest of the team is struggling to find a scoring rhythm.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Golden State SG Klay Thompson is 10-of-18 from 3-point range in the last two games after managing six points while going 0-of-5 from beyond the arc in Game 1.

2. Cleveland PF Kevin Love went 1-of-9 from the field in Game 3, including 1-of-7 from 3-point range.

3. Golden State's 15 straight postseason wins is the longest streak in any of the four major American professional sports.

PREDICTION: Warriors 120, Cavaliers 101

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