LeBron James and Stephen Curry have now met three times in the playoff and records are falling to the wayside.
After three games and 583 points scored, the combined scoring difference between the two teams is just ONE POINT, Golden State has 292 and Cleveland 291, though Cleveland holds a 2-1 lead in games.
The first two games ended in overtime, a new NBA record, and LeBron James scored 123 points in the first three games, another new NBA record.
As the referees allow an amazing amount of physical contact, the floor of the game is often covered with bodies in hot pursuit of the ball. Such enthusiasm was almost lost in the deluge of cash pumped into professional basketball and it is great to see it resurface.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, in existence since 1970, have never won an NBA Championship during the forty-five year history, although LeBron James won two while with the Miami Heat. Unlike his stint at Miami, James is no longer surrounded by a supporting cast of superstars.
Out west the Golden State Warriors, who were founded in Philadelphia in 1946 and moved to the west coast in 1962, have won three NBA championships but it has been forty years, 1975, since they last won.
In terms of television interest, and noting that TV viewership nationally continues to fall, the first two games drew the largest audiences since ABC took over the broadcast in 2003. Game 1 drew about 17.8 million viewers and game two 18.8 million viewers, new ABC records and up 26% from last year.
Highlights include a maturing of LeBron James into one of the greatest team leaders, most inspirational motivators, and relentless physical stalwarts to ever play the game.
His success in leading the Cavaliers is in spite of the loss of two stars at the beginning of the finals, and being the decided underdog against the Warriors.
As for the favored Golden State, Curry knows he must be far more aggressive from the start of the game, take more shots rather than pass off so often, and turn up the emotion in order to lead his team back into the lead.
America is being served a dose of basketball the way it used to be before money dominated the game. This series is all about passion, grit, and guts and the battle between the opposing superstars. It should be a great finish.
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