Jun 9, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after winning game three of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland won 96-91. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
LeBron James turned in another virtuoso playoff performance in leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a thrilling 96-91 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday and a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven NBA Finals.
James had a game-high 40 points to go along with 12 rebounds and eight assists in front of a raucous crowd of red T-shirt-clad fans, as Cleveland grabbed the upper hand in the championship series against the top-seeded Warriors.
Cleveland led by as many as 20 points late in the third quarter but were put to the test as Golden State clawed back within a point with under three minutes remaining.
The league’s reigning Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry had a horrible start to the game for Golden State but used a strong fourth quarter to finish with a team-high 27 points.
But Curry made a costly error with two minutes to play and his team down by four points when he sent a behind-the-back pass out of bounds with no team mate in sight.
On Cleveland’s ensuing possession, James drained a three-pointer that put the Cavaliers ahead 87-80 and brought the delirious towel-waving crowd to their feet.
Golden State, with Curry finally finding a groove, looked ready to take a stab at tying the game when they were awarded the ball with 17 seconds to play only to have game officials reverse a call and give Cleveland the ball.
From there, James drained a pair of free throws to put the game out of reach.
The Cavs, who were already heavy underdogz before losing All-Star guard Kyrie Irving to a knee injury in the opener, are suddenly two wins away from a maiden NBA title and ending the city’s 51-year drought in major sports championships..
Game Four is on Thursday in Cleveland.
(Editing by Peter Rutherford/Ian Ransom)