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The Latest from the NBA Finals and Thursday’s Game 1 (all times local):

8:50 p.m.
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The Golden State Warriors pulled out a 124-114 overtime victory over Cleveland in Game 1 of the NBA Finals after a bizarre ending to regulation.

The game went to OT after Cleveland’s J.R. Smith failed to take the go-ahead shot after a missed free throw [url=http://www.baltimoreravensteamauthentic.com/customized]Customized Baltimore Ravens Jerseys[/url] , apparently believing the Cavaliers led by one when it was tied.

The Warriors took advantage of their second chance, opening OT with a 9-0 run to blow it open.

LeBron James‘ highest-scoring postseason game was wasted, as he finished with 51 points.

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8:30 p.m.

Cleveland and Golden State are headed to overtime in Game 1 of what is LeBron James’ highest-scoring game ever in the NBA Finals.

George Hill made a free throw with 4.7 seconds to tie the game, but J.R. Smith apparently didn’t realize the game was tied when he grabbed the rebound of the missed second shot. Smith dribbled backward toward midcourt as teammates pointed toward the basket, and the Cavs couldn’t get a potential winning shot off.

James has 49 points.

The teams also went to OT in Game 1 in 2015, with the Warriors pulling out the victory after Kyrie Irving was injured.

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8:15 p.m.

The 3-pointers haven’t been falling much in Game 1 of the NBA Finals [url=http://www.steelerscheapauthenticstore.com]Youth Pittsburgh Steelers Jerseys[/url] , but the Warriors got a couple to go to give them a six-point lead heading to the final stretch.

Draymond Green, who had been struggling badly from outside, snapped a 94-all tie with a 3-pointer with a little more than 5 minutes left. Stephen Curry followed with one to give the Warriors a 100-94 advantage.

Curry has five 3-pointers but the Warriors are just 10 for 32 as a team.

LeBron James has 40 points for the Cavaliers.

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7:55 p.m.

Golden State tried to throw its third-quarter knockdown punch in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but Cleveland took it pretty well.

The Warriors lead 84-78 but it appeared it could be worse after they raced to a quick seven-point lead. Cleveland erased that but Golden State spurted away again a bit toward the end of what’s so often been its dominant period.

LeBron James went to the bench for his second break of the game after missing five straight shots in the quarter. He also matched Michael Jordan during the period by reaching 30 points for the 109th time in a postseason game.

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7:35 p.m.

JaVale McGee got his chance and is making the most of it.

The center was inserted into the starting lineup in the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals and is making an impact on both ends as the Warriors surged into a 66-59 lead.

McGee had played in only nine of Golden State’s 17 games entering the NBA Finals -and only three minutes total in the Western Conference finals- but was sent out with the first unit when the teams returned from the locker rooms.

He played terrific defense on LeBron James on one possession, and later had two baskets to spark another impressive third-quarter start for the Warriors.

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7:10 p.m.

Stephen Curry got the Warriors back to even, and now they get ready for their favorite part of the game.

Curry drained a 3-ponter from about 30 feet to beat the halftime buzzer [url=http://www.saintsfootballauthentic.com/marcus-davenport-jersey-authentic]Youth Marcus Davenport Jersey[/url] , tying Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday night at 56-all. Golden State had trailed by 11 points earlier in the second quarter before a strong finish.

Curry had 18 points, while LeBron James led all scorers with 24.

Now the teams regroup before a quarter the Warriors dominate. They have outscored opponents 519-389 in the postseason, a difference of 130 points, and turned around both Game 6 and 7 against Houston in the Western Conference finals with huge runs in that period.

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7:05 p.m.

LeBron James actually got a rest in the NBA Finals.

After playing all 48 minutes in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, James sat down midway through the second quarter.

He earned it. James had 20 points on 8-for-9 shooting to carry Cleveland to a 51-45 lead over Golden State.

Kevin Love also is playing well with nine points and Larry Nance Jr. is giving Cleveland a lift off the bench.

But Kevin Durant, the MVP of last year’s NBA Finals [url=http://www.authenticsjacksonvillejaguars.com/cheap-t-shirts]Cheap Jacksonville Jaguars T-Shirts[/url] , is struggling. He started 2 for 8 for six points, missing all three 3-point attempts. Stephen Curry was keeping the Warriors close with 15 points.

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6:40 p.m.

The Cavaliers have the lead but the Warriors appear to have good news.

Klay Thompson returned from the locker room just before the first quarter ended with Cleveland leading 30-29. The All-Star guard missed about half the period after J.R. Smith slid into his left leg while trying to intercept a pass, knocking Thompson to the court.

He got treatment for what the Warriors said was a left lateral leg contusion and returned to the bench to cheers as the period was about to end.

LeBron James had 12 points on 4-for-4 shooting, while Stephen Curry had 11 for the Warriors. Both teams had to be pleased with their starts after falling behind early and having to climb back in their Game 7 victories in the conference finals.

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6:30 p.m.

Golden State guard Klay Thompson has gone to the locker room, limping gingerly after J.R. Smith slid hard into the Warriors left leg at the 6:17 mark of the first quarter.

Thompson lay grimacing in pain, slapping his hands on the court immediately after the play. Thompson appeared to injure the same left knee he hurt in the Western Conference finals.

Smith was making a play on the ball when he seemed to unintentionally undercut Thompson [url=http://www.chargersfootballauthentics.com/derwin-james-jersey-authentic]Youth Derwin James Jersey[/url] , who did return to the Warriors’ bench afte. [url=http://www.officialusafootballs.com/detroit-lions/tracy-walker-jersey]Authentic Womens Tracy Walker Jersey[/url] , [url=http://www.officialusafootballs.com/oakland-raiders/martavis-bryant-jersey]Authentic Womens Martavis Bryant Jersey[/url] , [url=http://www.officialsbaseball.com/houston-astros/anthony-gose-jersey]Anthony Gose Jersey Womens[/url] , [url=http://www.officialsbaseball.com/philadelphia-phillies/rhys-hoskins-jersey]Rhys Hoskins Jersey Womens[/url] ,

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They had their chances.

All of these events were downright ideal for the Cleveland Cavaliers: Stephen Curry’s shooting game was awful for most of the night [url=http://www.jaguarsfootballauthentic.com/taven-bryan-jersey-authentic]Youth Taven Bryan Jersey[/url] , Klay Thompson’s wasn’t much better, the Cavs led by as many as 13 in the first half and some non-producers from the first two games of these NBA Finals were starting to finally give LeBron James the contributions he’s craved.

And it still wasn’t enough.

Another chance was wasted, and the season is now just about over.

Game 3 went down as a loss, and now the Cavaliers find themselves in the hole from which no NBA team has ever escaped. Golden State rallied to top Cleveland 110-102 on Wednesday night to take a 3-0 lead in the finals, with a chance to clinch their second straight championship Friday when this series resumes.

”It’s definitely a tough loss and we had our chances,” James said. ”We have another opportunity on Friday to win on our home floor … to extend the series. But we’ve got to come out and got to play 48 minutes.”

James was fantastic, again: 33 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. The Cavaliers rolled the dice and put Rodney Hood into the series, and got 15 points from him. Kevin Love had 20 points and 13 rebounds and J.R. Smith finished with 13 points [url=http://www.miamidolphinsteamonline.com]Dolphins Authentic Jerseys[/url] , finally making some shots.

They just couldn’t stop Kevin Durant.

”Incredible, even by his standards,” Love said.

With Curry and Thompson non-factors much of the game, combining for 21 points on 7 for 27 combined shooting, Durant finished with a playoff career-best 43 points.

”We got stagnant,” Love said. ”We were ultra-aggressive in that first half, myself included. But third quarters have kind of been our Achilles heel all year. … I think that was mostly it.”

Game 1 of this series will be remembered by how Cleveland let it get away; the botched rebound by Smith to be forever played as one of those quintessential wish-you-had-it-back moments. Game 3 of this series will probably be remembered by how the Cavaliers, even with Curry missing 13 of his first 14 shots, dominated stretches of the first half and went into the locker room only up by six.

They were asking for trouble.

They’re now in trouble.

”I thought we played a good first half [url=http://www.patriotscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-hoodie]Cheap New England Patriots Hoodie[/url] ,” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said. ”They’re going to make runs. That’s what this team does. To be up six at the half after being up 13 … they’re going to make runs. We understand that.”

So this series is just about finished, or at least, that’s what the history books say. The 3-0 deficit has, until now, been insurmountable in NBA playoff annals. Not even the most optimistic Cleveland fan could expect that to change in the coming days.

The next two days will be angst-laden for Cleveland, though hardly anyone should be fretting the outcome of this series. The mystery is gone, and Golden State – which hasn’t lost four consecutive games in the same season since 2013, back when Mark Jackson was coaching the Warriors instead of calling their games on ABC and ESPN – needs only to avoid an apocalyptic collapse to win their third title in four years.

”That margin for error is so little, so thin against them [url=http://www.cowboysfootballauthentic.com/bo-scarbrough-jersey-authentic]Youth Bo Scarbrough Jersey[/url] , I think in some cases you have to be perfect,” Love said.

But a lot of the angst won’t be about the Warriors, it will be about James. Again.

Another ”Summer of LeBron” could start as early as Friday night.

James can be a free agent, and there’s a real sense around the NBA that this summer – just like in 2010, when he left for Miami – could be packing up and leaving his native northeast Ohio once again. He has taken Cleveland to the NBA Finals now five times, and this now looks certain to be his fourth loss in those. He was 2-2 in four trips to the NBA Finals with Miami.

A bounce here, a couple stops there, the Cavs could be leading in these finals and the conversation would be different.

Instead, Cleveland is only left to wonder if James is a game from leaving. But he’s not going anywhere [url=http://www.giantsfootballauthentic.com/will-hernandez-jersey-authentic]Youth Will Hernandez Jersey[/url] , even mentally, until this series is over.

”For me, tonight will be tough,” James said. ”Tomorrow I’ll replay some plays and some moments, things of that nature. I’ll wake up Friday morning, I’ll be locked in on the game plan and what needs to be done to help our team win. That’s who I am.”

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