Cavaliers beat Warriors in overtime, evens NBA Finals
Xinhua, June 8, 2015 Adjust font size:
The Cleveland Cavaliers tied the NBA Finals at one game apiece with a 95-93 overtime victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
LeBron James had 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists in 50 minutes, and carrying Cleveland's victory in the second straight overtime game.
The Cavaliers won despite shooting just 33 percent of the floor. They outrebounded the Warriors, 55-45, and made nine more foul shots than Golden State.
Stephen Curry had a horrific shooting performance and missed 18 of 23 shots, including an air ball with 4.4 seconds left in overtime that sent the Warriors to a loss.
"It happens to everybody, whether you're the MVP or a role player. Sometimes the shots don't go in. Sometimes things don't go your way. Steph will bounce back," the coach of Warriors, Steve Kerr, said in an interview after game.
The Warriors shot 40 percent from the field and went 8-of-35 from deep. The Cavaliers led 83-72 with 3:13 remaining in regulation, but the Warriors ended the fourth quarter on a 15-4 run to send the contest into overtime.
Klay Thompson led Golden State with 34 points but the rest of the team shot just 34.5 percent as the Warriors lost for only the fourth time in 51 home games this season.
No other player besides Curry and Thompson reached double figures. Besides Thompson, the best shooter in a Warriors bright, golden yellow shirt on Sunday night might have been the fan who made a halfcourt shot to win a BMW during an in-game contest.
James waved his arms and pounded his chest near center court. He shook hands and hugged teammates emphatically as most of the sellout crowd 19,596 filed out of the Oracle Arena. Endi