Warriors vs. Cavaliers: Best Highlights, Comments from Game 3 of 2016 NBA Finals

When one hears Game 3 of the 2016 NBA Finals was a 120-90 affair, the first knee-jerk reaction would be to feel almost sorry for LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Don't.

Few could rightfully deserve blame for the hiccup, though, not after Golden State trounced Cleveland 104-89 and 110-77 to start the series.

Wednesday's result has changed the complexion of this series. The narrative has gone from suggesting there's nothing James and the Cavaliers can do against one of the best teams of all time to stressing the importance of home-court advantage.

Sans Kevin Love, the Cavaliers did what many figured would be a death knell and went with a small-ball lineup. Instead of imploding with no answer to stop Stephen Curry and Co., the Cavaliers got 20 or more points from J.R. Smith, Kyrie Irving and James while shooting 52.7 percent from the floor.

The Cavaliers exhibited a new intensity, winning most every notable item on the stat sheet:

Category	Warriors	Cavaliers
Three-point percentage	27.3	48
Rebounds	41	60
Fast-break points	8	15
Points in the paint	32	54

CBSSports.com's Matt Moore provided another important note: 

"

Second chance points
Cavaliers: 23
Warriors: 3

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) June 9, 2016"

"We finally got back to our game," James said, according to ESPN.com. "It was a good flow, a collective team win."

Given the dominance from a sheer numbers standpoint, one can expect the highlights to catch the eye. 

Irving, who posted 30 points and eight assists—which gives him 20 or more points in 14 postseason games out of 17—put on a show with dazzling moves:

Then there's this, which has a bit of Space Jam flair for James:

And that's what it was all about for the Cavaliers—intensity. One of the oldest cliches in the book, suggesting one team wanted a game more. Such was the case Wednesday, when Golden State appeared to treat the contest like a Game 3.

Cleveland treated it like a Game 7.

Here's the night's best example of the difference in intensity:

"We were soft," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said, according to ESPN.com. "When you're soft, you get beat on the glass and turn the ball over."

James spoke with the media about his block of Curry.

"When you have the greatest shooter in the world trying to get an easy one or trying to get in rhythm, it's our job to try to keep him out," James said, according to Diamond Leung of the Mercury News. "No matter if it's after the whistle or not."

The Warriors expanded on Kerr's comments from after the game:

It's now a matter of how both teams adapt moving forward.

Cleveland hasn't lost at home this postseason; according to ESPN.com, the Cavaliers have won their home games by an average of 22 points.

Nobody needs comments from the Cavaliers to understand they will attempt to do much of the same in Friday's Game 4, coming with an intensity backed by a rabid home crowd.

More interesting is Curry, who has looked like just another guy on the court during these Finals. The Warriors got 45 points from their bench in the Game 1 rout and a well-rounded effort in the second game while Cleveland failed to defend much of anything.  Still, the fact remains Curry has scored just 11, 18 and 19 points, respectively, in the three games while converting no more than four shots from deep in a contest.

Curry spoke about his struggles after the game, according to Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post: "I’m disappointed I didn’t do anything to help my team win tonight. It’s not about living up to a certain expectation other than the one that I have for myself, and I haven’t done that. I’ve got to be better."

One could argue if the Warriors were going to lose a game in the series it would be Game 3, as the team has lost every third game in each series this postseason. Then again, another angle suggests the Cavaliers finally have the monkey off their back after snapping a seven-game skid against the Warriors, which makes this a new series (albeit one still sitting at 2-1).

Regardless, the highlights tell the story of a team that was borderline ashamed with how it started this series and is now ready to claim history by coming out with the same intensity it showed in Game 3.

The comments show the defending champions are calm and collected. Golden State seems to understand what went wrong and how to fix it.

The most important game of the series provided plenty of entertainment alongside an unexpected result, but it's how the teams adjust that makes the Finals must-see drama.

If it feels like a new series going forward, that's because James and the Cavaliers made it so Wednesday.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.