Warriors one win from the National Basketball Association title

It marked a 17-point turnaround from the third quarter when Cleveland, who went without a field goal for a six-minute stretch of the fourth, led by eight points.

James and Irving became the first teammates to score 40 points in an NBA Finals game as the Cavaliers pulled within 3-2 and sent their best-of-seven series back to Ohio. Now, Curry and Co. must try to win on the road just the way the Warriors did a year ago and also in their only other championship season out West in 1975.

Green and James also got in a scuffle with 2:42 remaining in the game, getting tangled up on a Cavaliers offensive possession and eventually being called for double fouls after being separated.

Nope, there are both a championship and an NBA Finals MVP still up for grabs.

Since injuring his knee in Game Four of a first round matchup with the Houston Rockets, the two-time reigning NBA MVP appears to still be feeling the effects of that injury. In the first half of that game, the three-time All-Star was struck in the back of the head by Golden State’s Harrison Barnes while going for a rebound. After a rebound scuffle in the same possession, Green and James had to be separated from one another after exchanging words in a chest-to-chest distance.

As Irving finally ended the drought with a layup, Curry buried a dagger triple to push the Warriors’ lead to 10, 96-86, with 3:22 left to keep the Cavaliers at bay.

Love came off the bench for the first time in several years, providing 11 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes.

The tightly-contested first half, easily the most intense 24 minutes of the series so far, included 15 lead changes, which was more than the previous three games combined.

Cleveland led 55-50 at halftime.

“A lot less breakdowns than we had last game”, Curry said, adding that they set the tone early.

“He’s one guy I don’t ever worry about bouncing back from a bad game”.

Kerr’s second Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, echoed the same sentiment.

Through the first four games of this series, LeBron has turned the ball over 23 times – and astonishing number for a guy who averaged just 3.3 turnovers per game during the regular season. Unlike past year, when Love was out with a dislocated left shoulder and Irving was knocked from the finals with a shattered kneecap, James was getting help and didn’t have to carry the Cavs virtually all by himself.

“Well, (Curry) hit an incredibly tough baseline shot right in front of our bench that was, I don’t know many people on the planet who could make that shot”, said Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

Jefferson has not been told if he’ll start in Game 4, and James wouldn’t offer any preference on the lineup.

“And then at the other end, we were the opposite defensively”. “I’m not quite sure what I can do personally to get to the free-throw line, but I’ve got to continue to be aggressive for our team. Two possessions and watch the tape and you might as well turn the rest of the game off, that’s it”.

“So that’s all you need to know”. After he went through a rigorous pregame workout along with assistant coach James Posey, Love ran off the floor, where a Cleveland fan had a stern message for him. “So we’re prepared for it, and it’s going to be a fun night”.

And the visitors were.

It’ll be nice, but it’s not the title Cleveland craves.

“My mindset is, ‘Get one, ‘” James said.