Warriors vs. Cavaliers: Game 3 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NBA Finals

The LeBron James who showed up to these NBA Finals is unlike any version we've ever seen. The ruthless efficiency, the meticulous shot selection, the mindset of always making the correct basketball play no matter the situation that has so defined his career? All of it is gone.

In its place is a motivated wrecking ball on the precipice of tearing apart the Golden State Warriors.

James scored 40 points, including six clutch free throws with under a minute remaining, to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a wild 96-91 win over Golden State in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. 

The Cavaliers led by 17 points heading into the fourth quarter, which turned out to be a game unto itself. Golden State, finally finding its offensive rhythm after an 11-quarter and two-overtime malaise, scored 36 points as everyone in the city of Cleveland stood with lumps in their throats. The Warriors got as close as one point, but were never able to regain the lead—although the Cavs gave their best effort to help out.

Wild turnovers, awful mental errors and a flurry of Stephen Curry threes allowed Golden State to close a nine-point deficit with 51 seconds remaining to just three 33 seconds later. But with his team falling apart, James did as he has all postseason, coolly knocking down two free throws to stop the damage and give Cleveland a 2-1 series lead. 

Playing before an arena that had viciously booed him not so long ago, James looked at home as he continued the redemptive journey that began with a letter 11 months ago.

He pounded Harrison Barnes over and over down low. He whipped the ball inside to Timofey Mozgov and outside to Matthew Dellavedova. All the while he carried with him a laser-focused scowl, perhaps brought forth by some unnamed motivation he received before the Finals.

"My motivation is to make sure my guys are ready and prepared every night we step on the floor," James told reporters before Game 3, per Matt Moore of CBS Sports. "And I have some other motivation that I won't talk about right now. But I have so many different things to worry about than being an underdog or guys counting us out."

For the third straight game, James used his mind and body to spur a spirited run by his undermanned team. The four-time MVP has all but thrown out his natural instincts, setting career-high usage rates while acting as the Cavaliers' offensive fulcrum. He shot the ball 34 times, making only 14, yet another game that deviated from his hallmark efficiency. By the end of the first half, he'd made 10 of 39 field goals over his last four quarters of play plus overtime.

But what he lacks in field-goal percentage, James has more than made up for in individual excellence. His 123 points thus far are a record through three NBA Finals games, and his effort has allowed those around him to thrive.

Chief among those has been Dellavedova, the controversial scrapper who has drawn as much coverage for his aggressive style as his brilliance shutting down Stephen Curry for the large portions of the night. Game 3 saw Dellavedova at it again, diving at Draymond Green's legs following a hard first-quarter screen.

Of course, he was also knocking down clutch threes, flummoxing Curry into another nondescript performance and at times performing as Cleveland's second-best player on the floor. The former undrafted free agent, who had been all but excised from the rotation in the first-round Boston series, scored 20 points. Ten of those points came in a rousing third quarter that saw the Cavs stretch their lead to as many as 19.

"I don't read or watch that stuff because you could be praising us one day and the opposite the next, so I don't think anyone really pays attention to that stuff," Dellavedova told reporters, per Chris Fedor of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. "I don't think they would be either. At this point of the season you don't need bulletin board material. It's the Finals."

Also stepping up yet again was Tristan Thompson, who pounded the glass for 13 rebounds and added 10 points for his first double-double of the series. Thompson's quick feet have been vital to Cleveland's assertive style against the pick-and-roll, and his toughness has resulted in a stream of offensive boards to give the Cavs second chances.

Meanwhile, Golden State's stars continued to dim on the sport's biggest stage. 

Curry was left again searching for answers against Dellavedova and Cleveland's aggressive helping scheme for the majority of the game. He still managed to finish with 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting, though. The reigning Most Valuable Player had just three points in the first half. He figured it out in a big way in the final two quarters, including a monster 17-point fourth quarter to lead the comeback effort, but the Warriors need their star to show up for both halves the remainder of this series. 

Defined by its offensive brilliance all season long, Golden State has still not found a formula to solve Cleveland's slowed-down attack. It's making 31.3 percent from three for the series, hasn't touched 100 points in regulation and has seen the Cavs dictate its entire offensive identity. SportsCenter added that the Warriors "have not had the lead after ANY quarter in the NBA Finals. They only led after OT of Game 1."

Steve Kerr may have found the inklings of a workable formula in the fourth quarter when he exhumed David Lee for his first minutes of the Finals. Lee scored 11 points in 13 minutes, enlivening the Golden State offense with his scoring and passing out of the high post. After stapling the former All-Star to the bench for most of this postseason, Kerr will have to look long and hard at giving Lee extended run in Game 4.

The rookie Warriors coach may also need to have a tough conversation with Barnes, who went scoreless in 19 minutes and was physically dominated by James. Barnes doesn't have the strength to withstand James' bullying in the post. Golden State has fared much better with Andre Iguodala, who has the strength and veteran savvy to work against the Cleveland isos. 

"

GSW needs to go with a different lineup, Barnes 0-8 and Draymond 2-10. Can't start in a hole again.

— Haralabos Voulgaris (@haralabob) June 10, 2015"

While Kerr may have found a more workable offensive formula, that won't erase Golden State's deficit or the bitter taste in his team's mouth following its ugliest stretch of basketball all season. Maybe the fourth quarter will be a preview to the remainder of the series, and Cleveland's upstart group will run out of gas. Or maybe we're seeing the world's best player pull off one of the most incredible feats in NBA history.

The first three games of the series have us pointing toward the latter. 

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter