Cavaliers have the lead but work to do in the NBA Finals
CLEVELAND (AP) — The lead in the NBA Finals belongs to Cleveland, though some momentum may be with the Warriors.
So LeBron James celebrated the victory but fretted the finish after Golden State finally looked like the NBA’s best team in a fourth-quarter flurry, before the Cavaliers held on for a 96-91 victory and a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
That left James saying afterward the Cavs needed to figure some things out, while the Warriors seemed to think they already had.
“We hold them to 55 points for three quarters and we allowed them to break off with 36. That’s not satisfying at all,” James said of the final period.
“But the best teacher in life is experience. We experienced it tonight. We’re going to watch a lot of film tomorrow on ways we can get better, close out games the best way, and we’ll be ready for Game 4.”
Holding on took everything the Cavs had, especially from Matthew Dellavedova, who required treatment at a hospital for severe cramping.
And even though Cleveland did, Golden State’s confidence wasn’t dented.
“We’ve just got to bottle up what we did the fourth quarter and bring that for 48 minutes starting in Game 4,” said Stephen Curry, who scored 17 of his 27 points in the fourth.
Other things to watch:
DELLAVEDOVA’S DETERMINATION: Shortly after James praised his scrappy point guard for his effort across 38
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