It is a fact that turned into a meme over time. The Golden State Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was a meltdown of epic proportions, one that conversely all but cemented LeBron James as an all-time great. Golden State added Kevin Durant this past offseason to make sure that didn’t happen again. Game 3 was Cleveland’s chance to put the first dent in the Dubs’ perfect postseason. However, in the final minutes, they were the ones that fell apart, similarly to their opponents one year prior. The new addition made sure the Cavs’ hopes of a repeat were killed off last night.
Over the first two games of the NBA Finals, it was clear that the Cavs were struggling to keep up with the offensive pace of the Warriors. There were just too many weapons at the Western Conference champions’ disposal. If one of their All-Stars hit a cold stretch, two others began to heat up. But through one quarter in Game 3, Cleveland seemed ready for a track meet.
The second period proved no different. The teams took each other’s best shots and responded in kind. The game was on pace to end looking like a Denver Nuggets game from the mid-80’s. Neither of the NBA’s elite would budge. Despite being behind though, you could see that the Cavs were raring to make a run after the intermission. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James were just playing too good of basketball to be denied.
After halftime, that inkling became truth. All the shots that Golden State had hit in the first half started to clang off the front iron. The referee’s whistles, though not overly a factor, became evidently more skewed towards the home side. The momentum shifted and everybody knew it. This was the game that was going to change the series for Cleveland, much like Game 3 did one year ago.
But as the fourth quarter pushed on, there was a different aura about the Warriors. Last year, that twelve minutes of not being able to get out of their own way would have killed them. Even with three All-NBA caliber talents, that quarter would have been a confidence crusher. But it was the new addition, the man with arguably the least amount of reasons to have confidence in a road NBA Finals game, that changed all of it.
I didn’t know who was more tired, me trying to keep my eyes open laying down on my couch, or the combination of Irving and James trying to save their season. The Cavs’ dynamic duo used every ounce of willpower to maintain their advantage. They ran Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson ragged on the defensive side of the ball and frustrated Draymond Green to no end. Kevin Love‘s off night made the burden on Cleveland’s demi-gods even bigger. In the most paramount of moments though, they cracked. All the bricks from the fingertips of Warriors’ shooters a quarter prior were intrinsically transferred to Kyrie and LeBron. And Kevin Durant did not miss.
Compare Durant’s fourth quarter prowess this series to whomever you prefer. Personally, the Slim Reaper has created his own profile in the annals of NBA Finals lore. It was the closing minutes that were the death blow to the Cavs’ title hopes, but Kevin Durant had been building up an avalanche level wave of NBA Jam fire the entire quarter. He was not to be denied. Once he entered the game at the 9:30 mark of the final frame, it was HIS game.
The Cavs had been Ivan Drago for three quarters. They took Golden State’s best shots and were unfazed. Cleveland fans probably started constructing their new memes on their phones during the wretched third quarter. Alas, just like Rocky killed the Cold War and Drago’s dreams of world domination, Kevin Durant killed Cleveland’s repeat opportunity with an ice cold triple. Nobody thought Golden State was going to gag away a 3-1 lead last year. With Kevin Durant in the fold now, fewer than nobody thinks this 3-0 lead is going to turn into the NBA version of Red Sox/Yankees circa 2004.