NBA Finals: Ranking the 10 Greatest Performances of the Warriors-Cavs Rivalry

1.) Kevin Durant torches the Cavaliers for 43 points in Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Finals

Steph Curry and Draymond Green react after Kevin Durant hits the deep dagger three

Stat line: 43 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists

The situation stood exactly similar to the 2017 NBA Finals. The Warriors were up 2-0 and the Cavaliers again were looking to win a crucial Game 3 to keep their season alive. For a second straight year, Game 3 of the NBA Finals will be remembered as the night Kevin Durant sucked all the air out of the Cavaliers’ season.

With the Splash Brothers shooting an awful 7-27 from the field, the Warriors needed every single bucket that Durant could provide them. Durant in that night went from a luxury to a necessity for the Warriors.

Durant’s full repertoire was on display as he torched the Cavs for the entirety of the game.He scored in nearly every way imaginable. He pulled up from beyond the arc and hit repeatedly. He peppered the Cavs with jumpers from mid-range or the top half of the paint, making contested shots look like layups. And when all else failed, he slithered his way to the rim for simple looks.

Still, the Cavaliers had managed to keep the scores close and were only down by three. With just under a minute remaining and with the shot clock running out, Durant again hit the shot of the series, a Deja Vu dagger three to clinch the game. His reaction was even more notable, in the sense that he didn’t react at all. The shot, like the entire game, came easy for Durant. This was, unarguably, the greatest performance of his career so far.

The Warriors won Game 3 and ended up sweeping the Cavaliers. Durant was named the 2018 Finals MVP.