Warriors look to finish off sweep of Cavaliers

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(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

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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

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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.