The Cleveland Cavaliers also lost the third game of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors (102:110). LeBron James then praised Kevin Durant after his mad throw to victory – and gave an update on his own ankle injury.
James had played 33 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, but in the end had no answer to Durant (43 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assist). He was powerless when Durant sunk the decisive three-pointer in the final minute, similar to last year in Game 3.
James could only acknowledge that: “Kevin Durant is one of the best players I have ever played. One of the best the league has ever seen in its history,” said the three-time final MVP about last year’s title holder. He also described the litter as “Assassin Shot” and Durant as the difference between the dubs and the team that Cleveland had defeated in the finals in 2016.
For today’s Warriors James had another comparison ready: “It’s almost like going up against the[New England] Play patriots. They won’t beat themselves. That’s why you can’t make mistakes. They’ll make you pay for it. The margin for error – it just doesn’t exist.”
This reminded him of other duels from his past: “This has something of the duels I had with the Spurs when I was playing in Miami. They, too, always knew they would punish you if you made a mistake. You know you can never rest. If you rest, it could mean another defeat.”
But James didn’t want to check off the series yet. He had “twisted his right ankle well” in the second quarter, as he himself put it, but he would definitely be ready again for game 4.
“The rest of the evening won’t be easy. I have no idea when I’m coming to bed tonight. Tomorrow we’ll train and study the tape, so I’ll have the replay in my head all day. But when I wake up Friday morning, I’ll be focused and ready for Game 4,” James announced.