HIGHLIGHTS: The very best of the Warriors 2017 championship parade

Watch the best moments from the 2017 Golden State Warriors championship parade.

Courtesy CSN Bay Area.

WATCH LIVE: Golden State Warriors Championship Parade

Watch the Golden State Warriors' championship parade from the Bay Area.

Courtesy of CSN Bay Area.

2 out of 3 ain't bad: Warriors top Cavs for another title

(TSX / STATS) -- OAKLAND, Calif. -- After the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers traded championships in 2015 and 2016, they could never agree on one key thing.

Who was the better team?

The third time around, there was no doubt.

The Warriors used a 28-4 flurry in the second quarter to take a lead they never relinquished, then relied on the scoring of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry down the stretch to hold off the Cavaliers en route to a 129-120 victory Monday night, claiming their second NBA championship in seasons.

Durant, the MVP of the Finals, had 39 points, and Curry added 34 for the Warriors, who captured the best-of-seven series 4-1 against the defending champions.

"We did it together," said Durant, a first-time champion. "Call us a super team, but it's been a lot of super teams that hasn't worked. We came together and we continued to just believe in each other and we sacrificed, and we're champions now."

Golden State completed an unprecedented 16-1 run through the NBA playoffs, registering the second-best average playoff point differential (plus-13.5) in league history.

Completing a perfect 9-0 run at home during the postseason, the Warriors became the first San Francisco Bay Area team to win a championship at home since the Oakland Athletics won the 1974 World Series.

"This is history," Warriors forward Andre Iguodala said. "We're going down as one of the best teams ever, and that's a special thing you cannot take away from us."

Led by LeBron James' game-high 41 points, the Cavaliers hung within 108-102 with 8:29 to play on a 3-pointer by Kyle Korver.

However, Iguodala assisted a Durant dunk and added one of his own off a Curry feed, reopening a double-digit lead and making the final 7:42 an extended celebration among the Oracle Arena fans.

"Golden State (was) the best team this year," James said. "They showcased that throughout the postseason, and we were another opponent in their way.

"We left everything on the floor, and it still wasn't enough."

Durant shot 14 of 20 overall and 5 of 8 on 3-pointers, hitting three of his threes during the critical second-quarter run that lasted more than seven minutes and turned a 41-33 deficit into a 61-45 advantage.

Curry shot 10 of 20, converted 12 of his 15 free throw attempts, found time for six rebounds and completed a double-double with a game-high 10 assists.

When the game became two-on-two, Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue observed, his team had little chance.

"They started to go with the pick-and-roll with Steph Curry and Durant, which might be one of the most unstoppable pick-and-rolls in our league," Lue said. "And they waited until late to do it. That's a tough play to stop."

The Warriors, who were playing a Game 5 for the first time in the postseason, shot 51.1 percent from the field and 36.8 percent on 3-pointers.

Iguodala chipped in with 20 points off the bench and Draymond Green had a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Warriors, who topped 100 points for the 17th straight time in the playoffs.

"There was never any question in my mind that this was going to work," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of the addition of Durant to a Curry-led core that already was good enough to make consecutive Finals. "This was the culmination of a year where (Durant and Curry) grew together and learned each other's games and got better and better all year. It was phenomenal to be a part of."

James collected a game-high 13 rebounds, eight assists and two steals to go with his 41 points in becoming the first player ever to average a triple-double in the Finals.

"I have no reason to put my head down," said James, who finished with averages of 33.6 points, 12.0 rebounds and 10.0 assists in the five-game series. "I have no reason to look back at what I could have done or what I shouldn't have done or what I could have done better for the team. I left everything I had out on the floor every single game for five games in this Finals, and you come up short."

Kyrie Irving, fighting through back tightness late in the game, had 26 points and J.R. Smith 25 for the Cavaliers, who, like the Warriors, were competing in their third straight Finals.

The Cavaliers shot 53.4 percent from the field and 45.8 percent on 3-pointers, but were outrebounded 42-40 and outscored 23-15 at the free-throw line.

"A lot of guys cried because they wanted it bad," Lue reported of the postgame scene in the Cleveland locker room. "That's all you can ask."

NOTES: The Warriors' .941 winning percentage in the playoffs (16-1) bettered the previous mark of .938 established by the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers, who went 15-1. ... The highest average point differential in NBA playoff history remains plus-14.5, set by the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks. ... The championship was the 17th won by a San Francisco Bay Area franchise in baseball, basketball or football. The Warriors have three, trailing the San Francisco 49ers (five) and Oakland Athletics (four). ... Cavaliers SF LeBron James played in his 217th career postseason game, moving past C Shaquille O'Neal for seventh place on the all-time list.

Cavs cling to life with record-setting effort vs. Warriors

(TSX / STATS) -- CLEVELAND -- A chance at perfection ended, the Golden State Warriors find themselves in the same spot in the NBA Finals as they were at this time a year ago.

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Warriors 137-116 in Game 4 of the Finals on Friday night to avoid elimination. Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 40 points and LeBron James broke all kinds of records as he posted a triple-double.

The loss ended the Warriors' bid for a perfect 16-0 run through the playoffs, which had never been done. Golden State leads 3-1 in the series as it shifts back to Oakland, Calif., for Game 5 on Monday night.

"The magnitude of the games, especially the last game, it hit me in a very deep place," said Irving, who made 15 of 27 shots from the floor and drained seven 3-pointers -- tied for second most in a Finals game. "Glad that we got the monkey off our back in terms of just getting one win in this series in terms of going against this great team."

Golden State whiffed at its chance to pop champagne in Cleveland's visiting locker room for the second time in three seasons -- something the Warriors openly discussed as a goal: celebrating at The Q.

"I didn't hear it, but some of the other guys heard it and told me that that they wanted to celebrate on our floor once again and they wanted to spray champagne in our locker rooms, and I think it came from Draymond (Green), which is OK, that's Dray anyway," James said. "So I just told guys, I didn't stress anything besides just live in the moment. Live in the moment."

The Cavs set Finals records with 86 points in the first half, 49 in the first quarter, and 3-pointers in a game (24). James finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for his ninth triple-double, passing Magic Johnson for first place in Finals history.

Kevin Love added 23 points for Cleveland and J.R. Smith finished with 15 points.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 35 points. Green added 16 points and 14 rebounds and Stephen Curry was 4 of 13 for 14 points.

"Just one of those games," Curry said. "Not going to overreact to one."

The Cavs became the first team in NBA history to recover from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals last season. No team has come back from 3-0 in the playoffs.

"Believeland is not going to give up and we're going to keep fighting," Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. "We're going to keep scrapping."

The Warriors still have ample chances to win their second title in three seasons over the Cavs, something they failed to do last season.

"Different team, man, different team," Curry said. "Obviously, we haven't felt this feeling walking off the court with a loss in a while, but we have done a good job bouncing back and being resilient all year."

The third quarter was easily the most chaotic of the Finals. It started with 6:18 left in the quarter when Green appeared to pick up his second technical.

Instead of an automatic ejection, however, Green stayed in the game because officials insisted the first technical given to him -- with 1:55 left in the first quarter -- was actually assessed to Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

And with 1:10 left in the quarter, Zaza Pachulia and Kyle Korver were tied up on a loose ball. In the scrum, Pachulia appeared to kick Iman Shumpert -- who was standing over him -- once and punch him twice. Instead of an ejection for Pachulia, however, he and Shumpert were slapped with technicals.

The quarter closed with a 3-ball from Curry with 12 seconds to go, answered by one from James with 2.7 seconds remaining. The Cavs led 115-96.

Cleveland led 86-68 at halftime and were up by as many as 22. The 86 points were the most in a half in NBA Finals history.

A Durant 3-pointer at the buzzer brought the Warriors a little closer. Irving was up to 28 points and James had already registered 22 points, six rebounds and eight assists. The Cavs made 13 3-pointers.

The Cavaliers set a Finals record with 49 points in the first quarter and led by 16 when it was over. James had two foul shots with 2.9 seconds left and missed one, otherwise Cleveland would've hung 50 on the Warriors.

Four players -- Green, Klay Thompson, Curry and Andre Iguodala -- were whistled for two fouls in the first quarter. The Cavs took 22 free throws in the quarter but only made 14. They were 17-of-26 from the line at halftime.

"That was pretty much the factor (the fouls) in that first quarter," Curry said. "The aggressor usually gets the whistle and they were the aggressor."

NOTES: LeBron James said his mother, Gloria, did not want him to return to Cleveland and play for the Cavaliers in 2014, according to cleveland.com. James made the disclosure in a production for his online platform for athletes, Uninterrupted, in which he, Warriors star F Draymond Green, rapper 2 Chainz, and James' inner circle sat around at a barbershop during All-Star weekend in New Orleans. James said his mom didn't want him to leave the Miami Heat for the Cavs because of the letter Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert wrote to fans the night James bolted for the Heat in 2010. ... James passed Michael Jordan for third place in NBA Finals scoring history with his first basket and for first in free throws in the Finals. Jordan scored 1,176 points and connected on 1,463 free throws in six Finals. ... When the Warriors received 31 points from Kevin Durant and 30 from Klay Thompson in Game 3, it was the first time a team had two players score 30 points in consecutive Finals games since Elgin Baylor and Jerry West did it with the Los Angeles Lakers in Games 6 and 7 of the 1962 Finals.

NBA prospect Jeanne diagnosed with career-threatening disorder

(TSX / STATS) -- Jonathan Jeanne, a 19-year-old prospect from France and possible first-round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft later this month, has been diagnosed with a career-threatening genetic disorder.

The 7-foot-2 center has Marfan syndrome, which affects the connective tissues of the body, his agent told The Vertical on Thursday.

Jeanne underwent an MRI while participating in the Chicago draft combine last month that showed an abnormality in his spine that required follow-up examinations, agent Bouna Ndiaye told The Vertical. Jeanne completed medical, physical and genetic testing at the Cleveland Clinic and received the results Thursday.

Jeanne is not expected to receive clearance for future NBA workouts before the June 22 draft. His agent said Jeanne remains hopeful he can resume his basketball career after extensive medical supervision.

Jeanne's condition is not unprecedented, with former 7-1 Baylor standout Isaiah Austin being diagnosed with Marfan syndrome before the NBA Draft in 2014. He was cleared to return to basketball late last year.

Jeanne has played professionally overseas since 2013 and spent the 2016-17 season in the top Pro-A league in France.

Warriors look to finish off sweep of Cavaliers

Stats, LLC

(TSX / STATS) -- CLEVELAND -- One team is trying to make history, the other desperately hoping to avoid a repeat of it.

The Golden State Warriors hold a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals over the Cleveland Cavaliers and can finish the sweep for their second title in three seasons with a win in Game 4 on Friday night.

The Warriors aren't just looking for another championship. They've won 15 straight playoff games, and can become the first team in NBA history to navigate the playoffs without a loss.

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, were swept out of the Finals 10 years ago this month. It was LeBron James' first Finals, and his team was sawed in half by the San Antonio Spurs, who were in the midst of a streak of three titles in six seasons.

Seven Finals and three championships later, James is facing the same fate.

"I think it's just part of my calling to just go against teams in the midst of a dynasty," James said on Thursday. "This has been the best team in our league the last three years. They won a championship, and last year it was the greatest regular-season team we had played, probably one of the best postseason teams that everybody's ever seen as well, but we were just able to overcome that. And they're playing like one of the best teams once again."

James, who is averaging a triple-double in the 2017 Finals (32 points, 12.3 rebounds, 10.3 assists), and the Cavs edged the Warriors in Game 7 last year after falling behind 3-1, becoming the first team to ever overcome such a deficit in the Finals. No NBA team has ever recovered from a 3-0 hole in the playoffs.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who played for a couple dynasties himself with the Chicago Bulls and Spurs, was on the 72-win Chicago team in 1996 that built a 3-0 lead over the Seattle SuperSonics in the Finals. Seattle took the next two games before losing in Game 6.

"In the end you just want to win," Kerr said. "The other stuff doesn't really matter. People can talk about it in historical context, but you just get it done, win the series and let everybody else talk."

The Warriors have been led in the Finals by Kevin Durant, the ground-shaking free-agent acquisition from last season who was the 2014 MVP and has perhaps reshaped the Golden State-Cleveland rivalry forever.

Durant lost to James and the Miami Heat when he was with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 Finals, and didn't make it back until this year.

Durant is averaging 34 points in this series and scored 14 points in the fourth quarter of Game 3 -- a 118-113 win for the Warriors in which they trailed by six with three minutes left. He has also taken pressure off of Stephen Curry, who struggled in the first two Finals series against Cleveland but has been brilliant this time around.

The Warriors signed Durant to a two-year, $55 million deal, and before the ink was dry they were an immediate favorite to beat the Cavs in the Finals. Now, there's one more win to come before the prophecy comes true.

"I didn't envision anything but just being around good people and getting better every single day," Durant said. "That's exactly what happened throughout the season. I didn't talk to these guys when I made my decision and say we better make it to The Finals and be up in the series around this time, this exact date, or I'm not coming.

"I mean, it was just let's just have some fun playing ball, let's just all get better and let's see what happens."

The Warriors popped champagne inside the bowels of Quicken Loans Arena in 2015, having clinched the series in six games. The Cavs could at least momentarily stall Golden State's momentum, and keep their visitors' locker room dry, by breaking up the Warriors' perfect playoffs with a win Friday.

But after a draining loss to the Warriors in Game 3, the Cavs will have to guard against a letdown, not to mention Golden State's vaunted lineup that was built to dominate for years.

"We'll see what happens," James said. "Obviously you never know what's going to happen, but as it stands right now, they look pretty good, as far as the future."

Durant-led rally brings Warriors to brink of history

(TSX / STATS) -- CLEVELAND -- The Golden State Warriors are one win from a sweep, from revenge, from history.

Kevin Durant, the difference in the 2017 NBA Finals, led the Warriors with 31 points, and Golden State mounted a furious comeback to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-113 in Game 3.

The Warriors, down by six with less than two minutes remaining, scored the game's final 11 points.

Up 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, the Warriors can win their second title in three seasons and become the first team in NBA history to go through the playoffs without a loss with a win in Game 4 on Friday night in Cleveland.

Golden State is now 15-0 this postseason. That is the longest winning streak in the playoffs in any major North American professional sport.

"It's not done," Durant said. "Closeout game is always the toughest. We have to be even better in Game 4 if we want to take this. It's an exciting time, but we still have a lot of work to do."

LeBron James scored 39 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and handed out nine assists for Cleveland. Kyrie Irving added 38 for the Cavs, who went scoreless over the game's final 3:09.

Durant, meanwhile, scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer with 45.3 seconds left for a 114-113 advantage.

"Even when you're playing well, you got to play like A-plus-plus, because they're going to make runs and they're going to make shots and they got guys that's going to make plays," James said. "So we made enough plays tonight to still win the ballgame, but they made a couple more."

Klay Thompson had 30 points for the Warriors and Stephen Curry finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds. After committing 20 turnovers in Game 2, Golden State was again careless with the ball (18 turnovers for 22 Cleveland points).

And, again, it didn't matter.

After J.R. Smith drained a 3-pointer with 3:09 left for a 113-107 advantage, the Cavs missed eight shots. Kevin Love missed a layup, James a turnaround jumper, and Kyle Korver an open 3-point try in the corner.

"Obviously K.D. made some huge plays down the stretch," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "I thought Klay's defense on Kyrie was amazing. Overall, it was just an incredibly tough, resilient performance. It wasn't our smartest game that we have played all year, but it was maybe our toughest in terms of our ability to just hang in there.

"And nothing was really going our way, but we were still there. And we just had to kind of stay with it, and I thought our guys did a really good job of that."

Smith recovered from a poor first two games to score 16 for the Cavs. Love added nine points, 13 rebounds and six steals.

Last year, the Cavs recovered from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Warriors in seven games. The year before, Golden State fell behind 2-1 in the series but closed out a title in Game 6 in Cleveland.

After the comeback win Wednesday in a game in which they faced their toughest test, the Warriors hope to be popping champagne again at Quicken Loans Arena.

"It sets us up for hopefully a great night on Friday," Curry said.

The Warriors entered play as the best team in the NBA in the third quarter, and they outscored the Cavs by 24 in the third quarters of the first two games. Not this time. Irving erupted for 16 points in the period, and the Cavs held a 94-89 edge heading into the fourth.

It was Cleveland's first lead at the end of any quarter in this series. Love's 3-pointer at 8:59 gave the Cavs their first advantage at any point after the first quarter in this series, and Cleveland's 94-87 lead toward the end of the period was its largest of the series.

The Warriors closed the first quarter on a 10-0 run and led 39-32. They set an NBA record with nine 3-pointers in the period. Thompson was scorching with 16 points, while James countered with 16 for the Cavs.

With about six minutes left in the opening quarter, James was caught flush in the jaw by an inadvertent shoulder from teammate Tristan Thompson. James was rushing to the perimeter on defense, and Thompson moved back and the two collided, laying James out on the court. James remained in the game, and after the timeout scored on a drive to the hoop.

When the first half was over, James had 27 points and the Warriors had committed 12 turnovers, and yet Golden State still led 67-61. Irving drove the length of the floor and lobbed one high off the glass for a layup at the buzzer to get the Cavs to within six.

NOTES: Cavaliers F LeBron James passed Sam Jones (1,143 points), Bill Russell (1,151), and Elgin Baylor (1,161) for fourth place on the NBA Finals all-time scoring list in the first half. He passed Russell (315 assists) for third all time in Finals assists, too. ... The previous longest postseason winning streak in major North American sports was 14 games by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992 and '93. ... Country music stars and Columbus, Ohio, natives Rascal Flatts sang the national anthem. ... Urban Meyer, Ohio State football coach and friend of James, and PGA Tour star Bubba Watson were among the celebrities on hand. ... The last time the Warriors lost with F Kevin Durant healthy was Feb. 13 in Denver, prior to the All-Star break. ... According to Forbes Magazine, James is the second-highest paid athlete in the world in 2017, with salary and endorsements totaling $86.2 million. Golden State F Kevin Durant is fifth on that list at $60.6 million, and Warriors G Stephen Curry is eighth at $47.3 million.

Warriors-Cavaliers Preview

Stats, LLC

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves in the same place through two games in the NBA Finals they were at this point last season.

Blown out in Games 1 and 2 by the Golden State Warriors, looking for something to change in the first home game before the series is over for all intents and purposes.

Things turned out OK for the Cavs in 2016. They won Game 3 by 30 points and eventually became the first team in NBA history to recover from a 3-1 deficit to win the Finals.

"You understand the journey and how much of the energy it took from a mental and physical standpoint in order to come back from something like that," said Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving. "But you know it's definitely possible."

The Warriors have outscored Cleveland by 41 points through two games. They've blown the doors off of LeBron James and company in both games in the third quarters, outscoring the Cavs by 13 points in Game 1 and 11 on Sunday.

Kevin Durant wasn't wearing a Golden State jersey while his current teammates collapsed in last year's Finals. He has scored 71 points through two games. Harrison Barnes, the player Durant replaced in the Warriors' lineup, scored 65 for the whole series.

Durant is a former MVP in the prime of his career who was added to a roster that won an NBA-record 73 games last season before the stunning Finals defeat. He is partnered with Stephen Curry, a two-time MVP who has scored 60 points through two games and is coming off a triple-double in Game 2.

And the Warriors point to Game 3 as the initial turning point.

"I think it was the nature with which they won that game, the force that they brought," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "They blew us out. I don't remember what the final score was, but it wasn't close. And I thought that gave them confidence, gave their crowd confidence.

"We came back and won Game 4 in a great effort and had them right where we wanted them, but I think Game 3 gave them that confidence, and obviously everything changed in Game 5."

Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said he is sticking with shooting guard J.R. Smith in the starting lineup despite his struggles. Smith has scored just three points in two games on 1-of-6 shooting.

Then again, Smith was scuffling through the first two games of last season's Finals and came back with 20 points in Game 3.

"I have the same confidence level I've had since I started playing this game," Smith said. "I feel like I can make any and every shot. I feel like I'm going to -- feel like I'm going to play well every time I step on the floor. Obviously that doesn't happen every time.

"My confidence has never dwindled, lacked, chipped, nothing. I feel like when I'm on the floor, I mean obviously Bron is Bron, but I feel like I'm one of the best players on the floor."

James is averaging a triple-double through two games, with 28.5 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. Twice during his career he has led the Cavs back from an 0-2 deficit in a playoff series -- in the 2007 Eastern finals against Detroit and of course last season.

James, who actually ended his protest of NBA podium interviews after Tuesday's practice by again taking reporters' questions on stage, said losses take "a mental toll."

"It's something I am accustomed to," James said. "It's something that I feel like is -- that it's OK for me to kind of always go back and know that I can refocus. I can get my guys ready, get myself ready. But you hate to continue to put yourself in these positions."

The Warriors are 14-0 to start the postseason. They're the first NBA team to ever do it. With a win in Game 3 they would pass the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins for the most consecutive playoff wins by any major professional sports team.

For what it's worth, no team has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs. The Warriors are two wins from sweeping all four rounds, including the last one, against the defending champs.

"We want 15-0," Kerr said. "That's what we want. Are we 14-0 right now? We want 15-0. That's what we want. We literally have never once mentioned 16-0. To me it's a miracle that it's even a possibility. It's so hard to do.

"But we are here, we're more focused on what happened last year like in terms of we were up 2-0 and we came here and the series shifted. That's the important lesson, not any historical benchmarks or anything like that."

Curry's triple-double leads Warriors to Game 2 rout

(TSX / STATS) -- OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Cleveland Cavaliers hoped Game 2 of the NBA Finals wouldn't look at all like Game 1.

And it didn't.

Except on the scoreboard.

Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry buried 3-pointers in a 13-point, five-possession flurry early in the fourth quarter Sunday night, and the Golden State Warriors pulled away from the Cavaliers en route to a 132-113 victory in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

Curry recorded his first career postseason triple-double with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, helping Golden State, which won Game 1 by 22 points, take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

It is the first time in NBA Finals history that a team won each of the first two games by at least 19 points.

"A lot of positives," Curry said. "A total team effort tonight with how we played and withstood their first punch coming out."

The Finals shift to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Friday.

"They play well at home," Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said of the Warriors. "They won their first two games like they're supposed to. We get a chance to go home now to our home crowd, where we play well also. We got to go home and regroup."

Golden State's NBA-record-breaking 14th consecutive postseason win came in Steve Kerr's return to the Warriors' bench after the coach missed the previous 11 games while dealing the spinal-fluid issues.

LeBron James had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists in defeat, the eighth postseason triple-double of his career, equaling Magic Johnson's all-time record.

"What was the difference?" James said, repeating a question he was asked regarding last year's two consecutive wins in Oakland compared to two straight losses this week. "They're a different team."

After watching the Warriors use a 13-2 run to help build a 102-88 lead by the end of the third quarter, the Cavaliers retained hope when they held Golden State to just one field goal in the first 2:08 of the fourth quarter.

A 3-pointer by Kyrie Irving kept the Cavaliers within 108-97 with 8:41 to go before Thompson, who shot 3-for-16 in Game 1, ignited the game-breaking run with a 3-pointer.

Thompson followed by converting an inbounds play into a hoop, and Durant scored on a drive. Durant and Curry then knocked down 3-pointers 23 seconds apart to balloon the lead to 121-99 and render most of the final 6:18 as garbage time.

"The biggest thing for us is our defense has been amazing," Curry said. "Playing with a lot of energy. Playing smart. Trying to make them work for everything that they get."

Durant led the Warriors with 33 points and 13 rebounds, and he hit four of his eight 3-point attempts.

Three days after lamenting 42.5 percent shooting and 21 misses in 33 3-point attempts, Golden State shot 18-for-43 (41.9 percent) from 3-point range, outscoring the Cavaliers 54-24 from beyond the arc.

Curry and Thompson, who finished with 22 points, also connected on four 3-pointers apiece for Golden State, which shot 51.7 percent overall.

"Klay played so well in Game 1, without shooting well, and to me that usually indicates that the ball's going to go in," Kerr said of Thompson. "I just felt like he was poised to come out and make some shots tonight. I thought he was fantastic."

The Warriors won despite committing 20 turnovers, a stat that caught Kerr's eye.

"Tonight was a game based on talent. We had a lot of guys who played exceptionally well individually," Kerr said. "But heading to Cleveland, we're going to have to be a lot smarter. We play that same game in Cleveland, there's no way we win."

James' points came on 12-for-18 shooting for the Cavaliers, who shot 45 percent from the field but just 27.6 percent (8-for-29) from 3-point range.

The Warriors blocked seven shots, including five by Durant, who became just the third player since 1984 to have a 30-point, 10-rebound, five-block game in the NBA Finals.

"His defense was amazing, and we needed (it)," Kerr said of Durant, whose feat matched that of Hakeem Olajuwon in 1986 and Tim Duncan in 2003. "It was probably the key to the whole game."

Kevin Love had 27 points and Irving 19 on 8-for-23 shooting for Cleveland, which committed just nine turnovers one game after giving the ball away 20 times in the opener.

"We ride or die with Kyrie," Love said. "Kyrie knows what he's capable of. So I would imagine Kyrie's going to come out and have a great Game 3."

After trailing by just three at halftime, the Cavaliers were still down just 86-82 after a layup by Irving with 5:41 left in the third period.

Cleveland then missed nine of its next 10 shots, and by the time Love converted an interior hoop with 54 seconds remaining in the period, the Warriors had built a 99-84 advantage.

NOTES: Warriors coach Steve Kerr hadn't been on the bench since Game 2 of the Warriors' first-round sweep over the Portland Trail Blazers. He said before the game: "The intention is to coach tonight and the rest of the series." ... The game was the first in NBA Finals history in which two players -- Warriors PG Stephen Curry and Cavaliers SF LeBron James -- recorded triple-doubles. ... The Warriors' 132 points were the most in an NBA Finals game since the Los Angeles Lakers scored 141 in Game 2 of the 1987 Finals. ... The Warriors' 18 3-pointers were an NBA Finals record, topping the 17 they recorded in Game 4 of last year's Finals. ... Golden State G Klay Thompson played in his 78th career playoff game, breaking a tie with SG Jeff Mullins for the most in franchise history. ... The Cavaliers wore their sleeved black jerseys for the first time since Games 5 and 7 of last year's Finals, a pair of games they won in Oakland. ... Before the game, the National Basketball Coaches Association presented its annual Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award to co-winners Al Attles, who led the Warriors to their first West Coast championship in 1975, and Hubie Brown, a Hall of Fame honoree in 2005.

Curry, Durant help Warriors rout Cavs in Game 1

(TSX / STATS) -- OAKLAND, Calif. -- Same teams, same result.

The Golden State Warriors won Game 1 of the NBA Finals over the Cleveland Cavaliers for the third consecutive year Thursday night, running away in the third quarter for a 113-91 victory.

Stephen Curry bombed in a pair of 3-pointers in a 13-0 flurry to begin the second half, and Kevin Durant had a game-high 38 points, helping the Warriors record their 13th straight postseason win and grab the early edge in the best-of-seven series.

Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday night on the Warriors' home floor.

"We had an opportunity to win the first game of the series, get off to a good start; we were able to do that," said Curry, who finished with 28 points. "You're not going to see crazy celebrations. You're not going to see us getting ahead of ourself. We feel like we can play much better, especially offensively."

The teams are meeting in the NBA Finals for an unprecedented third straight year. Golden State used its Game 1 win as a springboard to the 2015 title, while the Cavaliers rebounded from their opening loss a year ago to dethrone the Warriors.

Both teams walked away from this Game 1 believing Game 2 would be even more important.

"Win one game. Now we look to Sunday to try to do it again," Curry said. "We have been here before and know there's a lot of work left to do. So, good start."

The Cavaliers, who entered the series with a 12-1 postseason record, believe they help themselves by allowing the Warriors to get off 20 more shots (106-86), which was equally a product of Golden State's 14 offensive rebounds and Cleveland's 20 turnovers.

"I pride myself on not turning the ball over, and I did it too much," said LeBron James, who gave the ball away eight times. "Twenty turnovers for 21 points on the road and 56 points (allowed) in the paint ... We did a great job covering the 3-point line, but other than that, they played a heck of a game."

The Warriors never trailed after the game's first eight minutes and led by as many as 10 in the first half before running away in the third quarter.

After the Warriors made only three 3-pointers in the first half en route to a 60-52 lead at the break, Durant buried a 26-footer on Golden State's first possession of the third period.

The Warriors padded their lead with a pair of 2-point hoops, then Curry buried his consecutive 3-pointers to complete the 13-point run and open a 73-52 lead.

"Obviously, K.D. scored and Steph scored," Warriors coach Mike Brown said. "But what you like about both those guys ... Steph had 10 assists. He also had six rebounds as your point guard. K.D. had eight assists and then eight rebounds."

The Cavaliers rallied within 80-68 with 3:06 remaining in the period, but Golden State wasn't finished with its 3-point-shooting barrage. Curry and Draymond Green each connected on one in a 13-1 run that created a 93-69 advantage in the final seconds of the period.

With Curry and Durant combining for 18, the Warriors had 31 assists on their 45 hoops. Green added two assists to go with nine points and a team-high 11 rebounds.

The Warriors shot 42.5 percent and committed only four turnovers.

James had 28 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for Cleveland, which shot just 34.9 percent from the field.

"When you're playing a good team like this, you can't give them 20 more shots than you have," Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said. "Having 20 turnovers and not being able to get back and get your defense set, they really take advantage of that, especially at home. They thrive off turnovers and getting out in transition."

Kevin Love grabbed 21 rebounds to complement 15 points for the Cavaliers. Kyrie Irving had 24 points.

"Definitely a lot of things we can correct," Irving said. "Twenty (turnovers) in the Finals, definitely not going to get it done."

The Warriors not only got their 3-point shooting going in the decisive third period, but also their defense.

After allowing the Cavaliers 52 points on 39.5 percent shooting in the first half, Golden State held Cleveland to 32 percent shooting and 20 points in the third period.

The Cavaliers also turned the ball over four more times, giving them 16 to that point of the game.

"The best thing about tonight, obviously, was just our defensive presence and effort for 48 minutes," Curry said. "We were really good in just being ourselves, playing Warriors basketball."

NOTES: Cavaliers SF LeBron James connected on two 3-pointers, the second of which moved him past SG Reggie Miller (320) for second place on the NBA's all-time postseason list. SG Ray Allen is the all-time leader with 385. ... The Finals feature 11 current or former All-Stars, the most since the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers met in 1983. ... Warriors coach Steve Kerr attended the game, met with commissioner Adam Silver, and stayed behind the scenes while continuing to deal with spinal-fluid issues. "I know that he wanted to, if he could, try to coach Game 1," replacement coach Mike Brown said before the game, adding that he had no idea whether Kerr might return for Game 2. ... At his State of the NBA press conference before the game, Silver noted he is in favor of changes in the draft lottery and minimum playing age, but said he is conflicted on the paucity of competitive games this postseason featured leading into the Finals. "The fan in me would love to see more competition at times," he said, "but on the other hand, I think we should also celebrate excellence."

NBA 2K17 Simulation of the NBA Finals 2017 Sees Warriors Win Epic Seven-Game Series

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in an epic seven-game series to capture their second NBA title in three years during an NBA 2K17 simulation of the NBA Finals 2017 run by 2K Games.

The trilogy, the third consecutive time the two teams have met in The Finals, featured a dominant Game 7 performance by the Warriors’ Kevin Durant, who scored a game-high 41 points and led his team to a 132-106 victory in the deciding game.

NBA 2K17 is currently the highest-rated and highest-revenue generating sports title in North America with nearly 9 million total copies sold.  Game 1 of the actual NBA Finals begins tonight night at 9:00 pm ET on ABC.

Here is complete game-by-game breakdown of NBA 2K17’s Finals simulation:

GAME ONE: Rust or Rest?

We learned a lot from Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Historically speaking, Game 1s haven’t been Golden State’s best friends. The Warriors came out with a bit of rust in Game 1 of this NBA Finals matchup while LeBron James and the Cavs looked as sharp as ever. As they proved in the Eastern Conference Finals, they elevate their game on the road arguably more than they do at home. And that’s exactly what they came out to prove in Game 1 as they beat the Warriors 112-95. The Cavs made it tough on the Warriors, slowing down the pace of the game and holding Golden State to just 43% shooting, and in doing so, handing Golden State their first loss of this year’s historic NBA Playoff run.

GAME TWO: REDEMPTION

Game Two was the moment where the Warriors fired back. Defeating the Cavs 119-87, they tied up the finals 1-1. Cleveland’s sloppy game resulted in 18 turnovers which the Warriors capitalized on. Kevin Durant shined in the game, contributing a whopping 45 points in the blowout.

This game reinforced why KD signed with Golden State in the biggest way possible.

GAME THREE: PROTECT THE LAND

With the series tied 1-1, Cleveland was focused on protecting home court, which is exactly what they did, defeating Golden State 93-89. This game, however, came down to the final moments. With 30 seconds to go the game was tied 89-89 when Kyrie Irving came up with yet another clutch three pointer. After the Warriors failed to answer, they fouled Tristan Thompson who was able to make one of two free throws to seal the victory for Cleveland in Game 3.

GAME FOUR: ANYTHING YOU CAN DO I CAN DO BETTER

The defending champs now found themselves heading into Game 4 with a 2-1 series lead. One more victory, and the Cavs could find themselves in control of the series with a commanding 3-1 lead. Problem was, the Warriors weren’t having any of that. Shooting a staggering 61%, Golden State put on a shooting clinic. A late run by Cleveland cut the deficit to 4 but wouldn’t be enough, , with the Warriors prevailing  116-111. Once again, this epic NBA Finals series was headed back to the Bay knotted at 2-2.

GAME FIVE: DUB NATION, STAND UP

The Warriors were focused and primed in Game 5, defeating the Cavs 110-84 and to take a 3-2 series lead. The Cavs struggled offensively, shooting just 32%. In contrast, Warriors fired on all cylinders to emerge victorious. Their three point shooting barrage (14 triples on 50% shooting)put the Cavs in a bad position early on in the game.

Golden State looked as sharp offensively as they had all season, and now were ONE win away from the NBA championship.

GAME SIX: NOT SO FAST

If NBA 2K has taught us anything about this simulation, it’s that this series has gone back and forth every single game. Game 6 was no different.

The Cavs dominated the Warriors 111-89. Despite a close game late in the third, Cleveland’s exceptional three point shooting and solid defense helped them take a commanding lead late in the game. A triple-double performance by LeBron James capped off an unbelievable fourth-quarter run and sealed Game 6 for the Cavs.

GAME SEVEN: ONE MORE TIME

The Warriors found themselves back in a Game 7 on their home court, a year after losing a heartbreaker at Oracle Arena to complete an epic Cavaliers comeback. The time for redemption was now and they were ready for the challenge. 

Simply put, the Warriors put on one of the greatest offensive and defensive displays in NBA history, absolutely crushing the Cavs in Game 7. Shooting 60% from the field, 59% from behind the arc, the Warriors claimed their 2nd championship in three years defeating the Cavs 132-106!

Kevin Durant had chased that elusive championship for years, and now he finally got it. His 41 points in Game 7 led the Warriors to a title.

What do the NBA Finals have in store? According to NBA 2K17, it’s another epic, 7 game series between these two elite squads.

How do you see it playing out?

Warriors, Cavaliers begin Round 3

Stats, LLC

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors both believe they have more to offer than in years past as they meet for the third consecutive year in the NBA Finals beginning Thursday night.

The Warriors, by virtue of having compiled the best record in the league during the regular season, will host Game 1. They hold the home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series.

Golden State also enjoyed the home-court edge in the 2015 and 2016 Finals, capturing the title two years ago on Cleveland's home floor in Game 6 before watching the Cavaliers celebrate in Oakland after Game 7 last season.

Having been held scoreless over the final 4:39 of the decisive Game 7 last year, the Warriors made the biggest splash of the NBA offseason when they signed high-scoring Kevin Durant in free agency.

Golden State has looked stronger than ever this postseason, having recorded consecutive four-game sweeps over the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs, becoming the first team in NBA history to reach the Finals with a 12-0 record.

Durant replaces Harrison Barnes, whose offensive struggles played a big role in the Warriors' failure to repeat as champions in 2016.

Despite often being left unguarded as the Cavaliers focused on stopping Warriors guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Barnes shot 5 of 32 over the final three games as Cleveland rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the series.

Durant is shooting 89 of 160 (55.6 percent) so far in the playoffs, connecting on at least half his shots in each of his past six games.

The first-year Warrior is aware the Cavaliers, who made a 12-1 run through the Eastern Conference playoffs, have been impressive defensively in the postseason. They have limited the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics to 45 percent shooting, ranking third in that category during the playoffs after being barely average (16th, 45.8 percent) in the regular season.

"They stepped it up a level in the playoffs defensively," Durant said of the Cavaliers. "It's not like there's going to be a lot of wide-open shots out there. But if we move the basketball and move our bodies, I think anybody can find a crack in the defense or some space to make a shot. But we've just got to take care of the basketball."

Three-point shooting played a critical role in Cleveland's success against the Warriors last June. The Cavaliers made 37.6 percent of their threes in their four wins, as opposed to just 26.1 percent in their three losses.

With in-season acquisition Kyle Korver having hit 22 of his 53 shots from beyond the arc (41.5 percent), the Cavaliers have been the most accurate 3-point shooting team in the 2017 playoffs, connecting on 43.5 percent.

"It's amazing. Especially since this is Year 14 for me, for this to happen now, this means so much," Korver said of his first trip to the Finals. "You work all summer, you work all season for so many years in a row hoping to get to this point. I don't think it's sunk in all the way yet, but it's really special."

Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday, also in Oakland.

The scene shifts to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4 on June 7 and June 9.

LaVar Ball may owe $495 shoes to each of his travel teammates

After music icon Ice Cube stated that he'd purchase 10 pairs of NBA Draft Prospect Lonzo Ball's $495 signature sneaker if Lonzo's father LaVar Ball was able to knock down the four-point shot that will be featured in the Big 3 League once they debut later this summer.

As you can see from the video clip below, courtesy of the Big Baller Brand Twitter account, Ball tried to raise the stakes by challenging Ice Cube to buy LaVar's entire travel team a pair of Lonzo's signature shoes if he's capable of making the shot before Ice Cube does.

Let's Run It! @icecube pic.twitter.com/wvavd2OQbu

— Big Baller Brand (@bigballerbrand) May 30, 2017

The video shows no actual proof that the shot was successfully made. If Ice Cube can make this shot before LaVar can prove it, than not only will LaVar dig a bigger hole for himself by having to by a huge amount of $495 sneakers for his whole team, but he will once again prove that he is trying way too hard to help his son.

UNB! Network owner and creator Joey Gucciardo had some intense thoughts on LaVar as a whole.

"I feel so bad for Lonzo," Gucciardo said. "The poor kid must wake up everyday and say to himself 'I am a great basketball player, but my dad is embarrassing the [heck] out of me.' LaVar is a true bigot who has no remorce for insulting any sports analyst or reporter on live television or radio. In fact, the only reason I feel that people even pay attention to LaVar is that he is so embarrassing that it's actually enjoyable to watch him make a bigger fool of himself, and Lonzo deserves much better than this. LaVar Ball should be a prime example of how a father should not represent himself, publicly especially. Forcing a successful career out of your son by threatening reporters, and losing big sponsors on a shoe brand that should not even exist this early on in Lonzo's career, is not good for Lonzo's mentality. It just doesn't make sense. I can't make sense of why [LaVar] can't just back off one hundred percent and let Lonzo control his own destiny."

Obviosly some heated thoughts there.

But will LaVar owe his whole travel team a pair of Lonzo's signature shoes? We'll just have to see if Ice Cube responds.

NBA Finals: 10 things to watch

When the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers meet in a third consecutive NBA Finals beginning Thursday, it will mark the first time the same clubs staged a three-peat performance on the game's biggest stage.

There are plenty of intriguing storylines ahead of the best-of-seven showdown between the 2015 champion Warriors and the 2016 champion Cavaliers. Here are 10 things to watch:

1. LEBRON JAMES: Andre Iguodala earned MVP honors of the 2015 Finals mostly for his defense on James, who was harassed into 39.8 percent shooting in the series. Last season, James lit it up for 49.4 percent to wrestle away the hardware and the championship. As the 2017 road to the Finals has demonstrated, James appears to be getting better with age.

2. KEVIN DURANT: At some point, the TV debating duo of Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson are bound to take sides on whether the first-year Warrior should opt out of his contract and return to Oklahoma City next season or unpack his bags and settle in. The question will become: Is he more likely to leave if the Warriors win or if they lose?

3. EXTRACURRICULARS: It has been a relatively quiet 2017 postseason in terms of flagrant fouls, technicals and ejections. Chalk that up to all the blowouts. But now it's high-tension time, so it is worth noting: Durant, Stephen Curry and Shaun Livingston were all ejected from playoff games last season; Draymond Green drew a league-high five technical fouls and 10 other participants in this year's Finals got nailed with at least one in the 2016 postseason; and Green's momentum-turning flagrant foul wasn't the only one detected among current Warriors and Cavaliers last spring -- Durant, Kevin Love and J.R. Smith crossed that line as well.

4. 3-POINT DEFENSE: Forget Kyrie Irving vs. Curry. Irving had 34- and 26-point games in losses in last year's Finals. Curry had 11- and 18-point games in wins. They have, and quite possibly will, offset each other. More significant in this matchup will be which team defends the perimeter the best. The final stats show the Warriors outshot the Cavaliers 37.3 percent to 32.9 percent on 3-pointers last year, but don't be misled. It was 37.6 percent to 34.0 percent for the Cavaliers in their wins, 42.7 percent to 26.1 percent for the Warriors in the Golden State wins.

5. SHOE WARS: James vs. Curry is Nike vs. Under Armour. And then there's Big Baller. Or haven't you noticed that LaVar Ball is everywhere, and the NBA Draft is just four days after a possible Game 7 is scheduled?

6. TYRONN LUE VS. MIKE BROWN: Lue seemed to have the Steve Kerr offense figured out by their seventh meeting last June, a 93-89 Cleveland win that ended with Golden State missing its final nine shots and going scoreless over the final 4:39. Lue has more weapons at his disposal this time around, and the Warriors will have one fewer with Kerr relegated to watching on television from the locker room due to a back ailment.

7. KYLE KORVER: One of the great chess matches in the series will be how Lue uses arguably his best long-range shooting weapon, and how Brown attacks arguably the series' worst defensive player. When Cleveland is on defense, the 6-foot-7 Korver would seem to match up best with the Warriors' 6-7 Shaun Livingston, a stand-still shooter who likes to use a height advantage to shoot over smaller guards.

8. AKRON, OHIO: Will we be able to see the lights of Akron, 39 miles to the south, when ABC gives us an aerial view of the Quicken Loans Arena? You better believe we're going to find out given the link between Ohio's fifth-biggest city and the Finals. Both Curry and James were born there. Are there vacancies at the Timber Top Apartments complex on the north side of town, where Curry first lived? Is James' first house, in the Akron inner city and condemned when he was 5 years old, still standing? Stay tuned.

9. CELEBRITIES: There is more than Drake (Curry) and Dr. Dre (James) to this series. It's Jim Brown and Joe Montana. Nine Inch Nails and the Grateful Dead. The Cleveland Clinic and Kaiser. And then there's Tom Hanks, born in Oakland but having adopted the Indians in last year's World Series. Too bad there's no Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. After all, this is the most highly anticipated best-of-three rubber match since the Thrilla in Manila.

10. TACOS: The most likely person to get fired after the Finals? The promotions director at Taco Bell. In a matchup of teams undefeated (13-0) on the road in the playoffs, Taco Bell is offering "Steal a Game, Steal a Taco" -- one free taco to everyone interested should either team win a road game in the Finals.

NBA announces officials for The Finals 2017

NEW YORK – The NBA today announced the list of 12 referees who earned spots to officiate the 2017 NBA Finals.  The championship series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors tips off on Thursday, June 1 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

“The Finals is the pinnacle for our officials, just as it is for our teams, coaches and players,” said Byron Spruell, NBA President, League Operations.  “Earning this opportunity is a testament to each official’s work ethic and unwavering commitment to their profession.”

Finals officials were selected by the NBA Referee Operations management team based on their performance throughout the first three rounds of the 2017 playoffs.  Officials were evaluated after each round to determine advancement in this year’s postseason.

The 12 referees assigned to The Finals are below:

Tony Brothers (6th Finals)
Mike Callahan (14th)
James Capers (6th)
Danny Crawford (23rd)
Marc Davis (6th)
Scott Foster (10th)
John Goble (1st)
Ed Malloy (5th)
Ken Mauer (12th)
Monty McCutchen (9th)
Derrick Stafford (7th)
Zach Zarba (4th)

Five of the 12 have officiated at least 15 Finals games, highlighted by Crawford with 33 and Callahan with 18.  The officiating roster also includes one first-time Finals referee, John Goble.

NBA officials Tom Washington and Sean Wright have been assigned as alternates for The Finals 2017.

Individual game assignments for referees are posted at NBA.com/official at approximately 9 a.m. ET each game day.

James, Cavs KO Celts, set up rematch vs. Warriors

(TSX / STATS) -- BOSTON -- The Cleveland Cavaliers were supposed to get there, and they did.

They were supposed to play the Golden State Warriors there, and they will, deciding the league title for a third consecutive year.

LeBron James and the defending champion Cavaliers are headed back to the NBA Finals.

"We all need to soak this up. This is a great moment, and this is not promised," James said after scoring 35 points and becoming the NBA's all-time leading playoff scorer in a 135-102 blowout of the Boston Celtics in Game 5 on Thursday to clinch the Eastern Conference title.

James, who was joined on the podium by teammates, pointed out that it is a special moment for Deron Williams and Kyle Korver, two veterans heading for their first Finals.

James, who also had eight rebounds, eight assists, three steals and a blocked shot, then talked about "the beast of an opponent" that is waiting.

Kyrie Irving had 24 points and seven assists and the Cavaliers, who sat their starters for the entire fourth quarter.

When James takes the court June 1 in Oakland, Calif., he will be appearing in his seventh straight Finals while seeking his fourth title.

The Warriors, who beat Cavs for the 2015 championship before losing the rematch in 2016, are 12-0 in this year's playoffs.

"They've been playing great, but you can't get too far ahead of yourself," Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said of the Warriors. "You saw that in Game 3 against Boston. ... To be honest, I didn't do one (bit of) prep for Golden State yet because I really believe that this (Boston) team is a good team."

James, who shot 13 of 18 from the floor and 4 of 7 from 3-point range, hit a 3-pointer with 2:41 left in the third quarter to pass Michael Jordan and move to the top of all playoff scorers.

James finished the night with 5,995 playoff points, topping Jordan's mark of 5,987. Jordan appeared in 179 postseason games; James played his 212th.

Before the game, James said, "It's just a personal goal of mine. It has nothing to do with passing the rings, passing the points, passing MVPs. It's just my personal goal to keep me motivated -- that's all."

For the third time in as many TD Garden games in the series, the Cavaliers never trailed. They won the three road games in the series by a combined 90 points, the last two by a total of 77.

Kevin Love had 15 points and 11 rebounds and was a game-high plus-43, and Williams added 14 points in 17 minutes off the bench in the win that made Cleveland 12-1 in the postseason.

Avery Bradley led the Celtics with 23 points, and Gerald Green scored 14.

"We're definitely disappointed. I felt like if we weren't, it would be a problem," Bradley said. "We feel like we should be here, and we feel like we should be a championship-contending team."

With 2:44 left, the remaining Boston fans began a "Let's Go Celtics" chant that kept going until the final horn, cheering every basket as if the game were close.

"I leave with a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth not playing as well here, and man you want to play well here," said an emotional Celtics coach Brad Stevens, who earned his first two playoff series wins this year.

James said he embraced Isaiah Thomas, who sat out the last three games of the series after playing the first two with a hip injury, later paying tribute to Boston's little big man.

"It was a matchup that we were all looking forward to, and I'm glad that we prevailed," Irving said. "But they tested us every single minute, and we needed that."

The Celtics made some noise near the end of the first half, but Irving scored Cleveland's first 11 points in the opening 3:18 of the second half. Two baskets by James ballooned the lead to 25 with 6:39 left in the third quarter. It soon grew to 32 and then to 35 by the end of the quarter.

James scored 15 and Irving 13 in the period, with James hitting three bombs in the final 2:41.

Irving, who shook off a Game 4 twisted ankle, shot 9 of 15 from the floor and 4 of 8 from 3-point range.

"If we have a great game plan and play inspired basketball, we're tough to beat," Love said.

The Cleveland regulars were 16 of 33 from behind the arc through three quarters -- after the Cavs went 19 of 39 on treys in a 44-point win in Game 2. They finished 19 of 41 Thursday.

The Celtics were 9-9 during a playoff run that capped a successful season.

"It's pretty cool to think that in three weeks you've got the No. 1 pick in the draft," Stevens said.

Added Bradley: "Sky's the limit if we're able to keep the core guys together."

NOTES: Cleveland's 109 points through three quarters marked the most the Celtics have allowed in the shot-clock era. ... Like LeBron James, F James Jones is also going to his seventh straight NBA Finals, all with James. Bill Russell holds the record of appearing in 10 consecutive Finals. ... All three of Boston's walking wounded -- Fs Jae Crowder, Jaylen Brown and Amir Johnson -- were able to play. ... Acting Golden State coach Mike Brown, asked about Cavs coach Tyronn Lue's comment that the Celtics are harder to defend than the Warriors, said, "That's his opinion. It's cute." ... The Cavaliers' 43 points in the first quarter made Cleveland the first playoff team since the 1990 Celtics with three 40-point quarters in the same series. ... The teams observed a moment of silence for the victims of Monday's bombing in Manchester, England.

Cavaliers look to finish off Celtics

Stats, LLC

BOSTON -- Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue, whose Cleveland Cavaliers are one win away from an NBA Final rematch with the Golden State Warriors, said Wednesday coaching against the Boston Celtics without Isaiah Thomas has presented a whole different set of obstacles.

Obstacles different even than the Warriors, who await the winner of the Eastern Conference Final.

"The stuff they're running, it's harder to defend than Golden State's (offense) for me, as far as the actions and all the running around and all the guys who are making all the plays, so it's a totally different thing," Lue said. "Like, they hit the post, Golden State runs splits and all that stuff but these guys are running all kinds of (stuff). And Brad (Stevens has) got them moving and cutting and playing with pace and everybody is a threat."

That's why, when asked whether he is thinking about a possible third straight title meeting with the Warriors, Lue, whose team is up 3-1 on Boston, said, "You can't. As much as you want to, it's not over.

"(The Celtics are), like I told you guys before, it's like we're preparing for a whole new team. Like, we didn't know what they were going to run. Isaiah (Thomas) goes down and they're running a totally different offense than we prepared for so it's been tough on us. And defensively, they're a lot better. They don't have a lot of weak links to go to, to go at.

The Celtics left TD Garden after their Game 2 beat-down anything but sure they could give their fans at least one more home game. Then they found out for sure their star, Thomas, was done for the year.

Thursday night, the Boston fans do in fact get another home game as the injury-riddled Celtics try to send the series back to Cleveland for Game 6.

A win and LeBron James goes to his seventh straight finals and the Cavs will see a team that is 12-0 in these playoffs.

The Celtics pulled off the improbable comeback upset in Game 3 before Kyrie Irving and James combined to bring the defending champions back from 16 points down to win Game 4 Tuesday night.

Irving, who scored a career-playoff-high 42 points, rolled his left ankle with 1:49 left in his 21-point third quarter but is expected to play Thursday.

"I've twisted my ankle so many times that plays like that, you have two choices, either you can sit there and kind of wallow in the sorrow of you twisting your ankle or capture the moment," Irving said.

With Thomas already gone, the Celtics played without Amir Johnson in Game 4 because a shoulder injury suffered in the third game. He and Jae Crowder (groin) are listed as probable for Game 5 while rookie Jaylen Brown (hip pointer) is questionable.

Asked about suffering his injury, Irving said, "My adrenaline is still going at this point, so I'm pretty sure when I get home my body will probably hate me, but it's the magnitude of the moment and what's at stake, and I wasn't coming out for any margin. I wasn't coming out.

"I knew how much we needed this game and how much my teammates needed me and the importance of me leading these guys as well as 'Bron.

"I'm saying to myself, 'They cannot tie up this series. They cannot. We cannot go to Boston 2-2 and then it becomes almost an even series."

The Celtics have to know they let one get away Tuesday night, but may well have just fallen victim to the fatigue that resulted from the dramatic -- and totally unexpected -- win in Game 3.

"The first half we played some of the best basketball we played all season," Brown said of Game 4, "against one of the best teams in basketball."

They did. And they built a 16-point lead, before the Cleveland stars, more notable Irving, stole the game right back.

"We had really good athletes, quick guys that make things tough on people, guarding him, and he was able to raise up and make a lot of tough shots," said Stevens. "He was able to get by us and make tough shots in the paint. Again, sometimes I think that -- I'll go look at it and see all the things that we did wrong, but I think it's more of a tip-your-hat kind of thing with those two guys tonight."

NBA announces 2019 All-Star game will held in Charlotte

By STEVE REED
Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) The NBA All-Star game is headed back to Charlotte in 2019, a couple of years longer than anticipated.

The NBA announced that the All-Star weekend will be held Feb. 15-17 in Charlotte and the game will be played at the Spectrum Center, home of the Charlotte Hornets.

The league had selected Charlotte to host the 2017 All-Star game, but later moved the game to New Orleans because of the state law restricting the rights of LGBT people. However, a compromise was struck in March to partially erase the impact of the House Bill 2 law limiting anti-discrimination protections for lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people.

"While we understand the concerns of those who say the repeal of HB2 did not go far enough, we believe the recent legislation eliminates the most egregious aspects of the prior law," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a release. "Additionally, it allows us to work with the leadership of the Hornets organization to apply a set of equality principles to ensure that every All-Star event will proceed with open access and anti-discrimination policies.

"All venues, hotels and businesses we work with during All-Star will adhere to these policies as well. Sports have a long history of helping to change attitudes around important social issues. We believe holding our All-Star activities in Charlotte will be a powerful way for the NBA to continue this tradition."

Hornets owner and longtime NBA great Michael Jordan said in a release he is "thrilled" the game is coming back to Charlotte.

"We want to thank Commissioner Silver for his leadership throughout this process and for the decision to bring NBA All-Star back to Buzz City," Jordan said in the release. "All-Star Weekend is an international event that will provide a tremendous economic impact to our community while showcasing our city, our franchise and our passionate Hornets fan base to people around the world."

Charlotte previously hosted the All-Star game in 1991 at the Charlotte Coliseum, which has since been demolished.

---

More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

Irving's 42 carry Cavs to win, 3-1 lead over Celtics

(TSX / STATS) -- CLEVELAND -- Imagine being down by 13 points and losing the best player in the world to his fourth foul before the second quarter of Game 4 in the Eastern Conference finals is even over.

And then handing the ball to Kyrie Irving, getting out of the way, and watching him bring the team to the doorstep of the NBA Finals.

That was reality for the Cavaliers on Tuesday night, as Irving set a playoff-career high with 42 points in Cleveland's 112-99 win over the Boston Celtics.

The Cavs, ahead 3-1 in the series, can reach their third straight NBA Finals, and LeBron James his seventh in a row, with a win in Game 5 on Thursday night in Boston.

James scored 34 points to go with six assists in Game 4, even though he left the game with 6:46 remaining in the second quarter after picking up his fourth foul. He never previously had that many fouls in the first half in his 14-year career, and Cleveland trailed 46-33.

Irving scored 36 points after that, including 21 during a game-turning third quarter in which Cleveland outscored the Celtics 40-23.

"In the back of my mind, I was like, I'm saying to myself, 'We cannot -- they cannot tie up this series,'" Irving said. "They cannot. We cannot go to Boston 2-2 and then it becomes almost an even series."

Kevin Love added 17 points and a career playoff-high 17 rebounds for Cleveland. The 93 points produced together by Irving, James and Love are the most they have amassed as a group and the second highest for a trio in team playoff history.

Avery Bradley led the Celtics with 19 points, and Jae Crowder added 18 points and eight rebounds. Al Horford contributed 16 points and seven assists.

The Celtics, who are missing their best player, injured guard Isaiah Thomas, led by as many as 16 points in the first half and appeared primed to stun Cleveland again while James flirted with trouble.

Irving kept the game close until halftime with 12 points. Then he tied a team playoff record with his 21 points in the third, set a Cavs postseason record with nine field goals and scored the final 14 points of the period.

When his 3-pointer splashed with a half-second left in the third quarter, the Cavs led 87-80. The circumstances were different and the primary author of the comeback was Irving instead of James, but Cleveland fighting back from 16 down was in some ways reminiscent of the 26-point halftime deficit the Cavs erased in Game 3 of their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers.

"I'm telling my guys on the court the whole entire game, we've seen this before, we've been through this, we've experienced this, and we're going to get through this, and from that point on, it clicked," Irving said.

Irving also rolled an ankle on a drive and bucket with 1:47 left in the third but was able to stay in the game.

James recovered from an 11-point, 4-of-13 shooting night he endured in Cleveland's stunning Game 3 loss. He shot 15 of 27 from the field Tuesday and closed the game with 15 points in the fourth, including a 3-pointer with 3:52 remaining for a 106-97 lead.

"I don't think I've ever had four fouls in a game before in the first half, so my rhythm is kind of broken and you've got to figure out ways you can still help the team, and my teammates said be aggressive, be you," James said. "You got us to this point and continue to do that, so I just tried to find ways to get into the lane, get into transition, when they backed off, shoot the jumper, and felt very comfortable."

The Celtics proved to be a tough cover without Thomas again in the first half, bringing to mind their second-half success in their 111-108 win in Game 3. However, they committed nine turnovers that led to 13 Cleveland points in the second half.

Bradley shot just 7 of 19 from the field. Crowder started the game 4 of 5 but finished 6 of 12. He also sustained a strained left thigh in the third quarter but returned to the game.

The Cavs had nine turnovers for 13 points in the first half. In the second half, they shot 27 of 38 (71.1 percent) from the field.

"Kyrie Irving and LeBron James would be the two answers," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said when asked about the difference from the first half to the second. "They were unbelievable. Irving was incredible at the end of the third, and then obviously LeBron had all those baskets in the fourth.

"I thought that we played, you know, as well as we've played maybe the entire playoffs in the first half. We were really good defensively. Offensively, I thought we moved and cut and played together, and then for whatever reason, all those things became a little bit more difficult. But that's what great teams do. They make it really hard on you.

"As we all know, a 10-point lead at halftime is nothing, especially against those guys. But they deserve a lot of credit. Those two guys were incredible."

NOTES: Celtics G Isaiah Thomas (right hip) visited with an undisclosed specialist to determine the course of action for his surgery. Coach Brad Stevens said no decision had been made yet on whether Thomas would undergo an operation but reiterated that the guard is out for the remainder of the playoffs. Stevens said Thomas may consult with two additional specialists. ... Boston F Kelly Olynyk made his first start of the postseason in place of Amir Johnson (sprained shoulder), and he scored 15 points. The Celtics used their third different starting lineup in four games against Cleveland. ... Cavs G J.R. Smith and his wife brought home from the hospital their baby daughter Dakota, who had been in a Cleveland-area NICU since her birth in January. She was born nearly five months early. ... Cavs F LeBron James trails Michael Jordan (5,987 points) by just 28 points for first place in NBA playoff history in scoring.

Warriors finish off Spurs behind Curry's 36

(TSX / STATS) -- SAN ANTONIO -- The celebration was subdued on Monday after Golden State made history in its four-game sweep of the San Antonio Spurs in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals.

The Warriors refuse to be deterred from their ultimate goal of a second NBA title in the past three years.

Stephen Curry scored 36 points and Kevin Durant added 29 points and 12 rebounds as the Warriors strolled to a 129-115 win over the short-handed but game San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center, in the process earning the right to play either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.

The Warriors will have nine days to rest for that series, which begins in Oakland, Calif., on June 1.

The Warriors have swept all three of their playoff series and are the first team in NBA history to start the postseason 12-0, eclipsing the record established by the 1989 and 2001 Los Angeles Lakers. Golden State has won 27 of its past 28 overall games (including the regular season) and has won six straight road playoff games, a franchise record.

"It's a great run, and we had an opportunity to get it done tonight, but more importantly, it was obviously just a closeout kind of mentality and trying to take care of our business and play a good 48-minute game," Curry said. "For the most part, we did.

"We had some slip-ups and some mental errors, but for the most part it was a solid night. Contributions from everybody.

"Going 12-0 is great, but it doesn't mean anything going into the next series, and we have to understand that."

The Spurs announced about 90 minutes before tipoff that both injured star forward Kawhi Leonard (left ankle) and reserve forward David Lee (left knee) would miss the game, likely dooming any chance San Antonio had to extend the series.

But even with a full complement of players, the Spurs -- or any opponent for that matter -- would have been hard-pressed to beat Golden State the way the Warriors are playing. Despite the fact that the Warriors have cruised to their spot in the Finals, they are adamant that they can play better.

"There are things on both sides of the ball that we can clean up, and that's what's, I guess, got our guys' attention or focus," Warriors acting head coach Mike Brown said. "We've been preaching certain things, and for the most part, they've been doing it, but to get to our ultimate goal of winning the whole thing, we've got to be better on both ends of the floor."

Draymond Green contributed 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for Golden State. Ian Clark tallied 12 points, and Klay Thompson scored 10 points (on 3-of-13 shooting) for the Warriors. Golden State outshot the Spurs 55.8 percent to 42.3 percent, had 53 rebounds to San Antonio's 41 and dominated despite 17 turnovers that led to 22 San Antonio points.

Kyle Anderson led the Spurs with 20 points, and Manu Ginobili added 15 in what might have been the final game of his 15-year NBA career.

Ginobili left the game in the final minutes to chants of "Manu, Manu" and "one more year." He has said he will take three or four weeks off before deciding whether he wants to return to the league next season, when he will be 40 years old.

"The opponent was, in this case, way better than us," Ginobili said of the Warriors' domination off the series. "When you lose by an average of 20 points per game in the last three games, you look at them in the eyes and say, 'Congratulations, man, you beat us fair and square. You were better than us.' It's the easiest thing to do."

San Antonio's Patty Mills and Pau Gasol hit for 14 points each, and Jonathon Simmons scored 13. LaMarcus Aldridge, arguably the Spurs' most important player after Leonard, scored just eight points and did not play in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors shot 50 percent in the first quarter against San Antonio's makeshift lineup, built as much as a 14-point advantage and led 31-19 after 12 minutes as Curry pumped in 13 points despite shooting just 1 of 6 from 3-point range. The Spurs hit just 9 of 31 shots in the first quarter and wasted the momentum and boost from the crowd that was provided by the ageless Ginobili's first start in a playoff game since 2013.

Golden State was even better from the floor in the second quarter, hitting 14 of 19 shots and leading by as many as 19 points before settling for a 65-51 advantage at halftime. Durant and Curry each had 18 points in the half to lead the Warriors, while Anderson led San Antonio with 10 points.

The Warriors worked to finish off San Antonio in the early stages of the third quarter, moving to a 78-56 lead on two Green free throws at the 8:25 mark. But the Spurs would not quit, forging a 19-7 run to cut the lead back to 85-75 on a jumper by Bryn Forbes with 2:49 to play in the period. Golden State responded with an 11-3 surge of its own to end the period and took a 96-78 cushion into the final period.

The fourth quarter was mostly mop-up time for the Warriors, who never let San Antonio get within 13 points while closing out the victory.

"Everybody tries to put together as much talent as they can, and that's what (Golden State) did," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Make no mistake -- they're really talented. But that's not the whole equation. That's not everything that describes them.

"(Golden State is) maybe the best defensive team in the league on top of everything. So they don't just play with talent. They execute at the defensive end of the floor. On offense, no team is more unselfish finding the open man and that sort of thing. Coaches are always trying to get their team to do that. But they've got a multitude of people who are unselfish in that regard and play a beautiful game. They're way, way more than just their talent."

NOTES: Golden State has won at least one road game in each of its past 14 playoff series dating back to the first round in 2013, extending a franchise record. Gs Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and F Draymond Green and have played with the Warriors for all 14 of those postseason series. ... Since the Spurs joined the NBA in 1976, they have made 10 conference finals appearances, which ranks as the most in the league in that time frame. San Antonio is also tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most NBA championships during that span (five). ... Spurs G Manu Ginobili is the only player in NBA history besides LeBron James to record at least 800 rebounds, 800 assists and 300 3-pointers in the postseason. ... The Spurs are now 0-3 under coach Gregg Popovich is series in which they lost the first three games.