Cavs' Outlook Even Bleaker Knowing Brilliant Performances Still Aren't Enough

CLEVELAND — Less than a year after the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, the Cleveland Cavaliers have dug an even deeper hole.

Despite superhuman performances from LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, the Cavs dropped Game 3 by a final score of 118-113, giving the Golden State Warriors a 3-0 series lead.

James finished with 39 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, while Irving sliced through Golden State's crowded paint for 38 points, making 16 of his 22 shots from inside the arc. Admittedly, Irving struggled mightily from the three-point line, but his ability to take over with his scoring was on full display for the first time this series, which is what we thought Cleveland needed.

For one night, the Cavaliers had the best duo on the court. And as it turns out, it still didn't matter.

We just felt like the way they play, Kyrie and LeBron had it going the whole game, but that's pretty taxing to go one-on-one the whole game," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said.

"Both those guys were amazing, 38 and 39. But that takes a lot out of you. We just kept telling the guys, 'They're going to get tired. Stay in front of them. Force them into outside shots if you can. Fatigue will play a role.' And I think when you get guys playing 45, 44 minutes, basically attacking one-on-one the whole game, ... you hope eventually it's going to take its toll."

As Golden State went 11 deep in its rotation, Cleveland could only rely on two.

While J.R. Smith provided a spirited 16 points after combining for just three in Games 1 and 2, no other Cavalier scored in double digits. Cleveland's paint duo of Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson combined for 1-of-10 shooting from the field

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