Sometimes it is about how you start, and the finish takes care of itself.
The Cleveland Cavaliers won Game 3 by blitzing the Golden State Warriors twice, at the beginning of the first quarter and the beginning of the third quarter. They've made this a series, with Game 4 set for Friday night.
The Cavaliers snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Warriors (the longest for any LeBron James team against one opponent) and improved to 8-0 at home this postseason (5-4 on the road).
Game 3 has been a Warriors weak spot -- they've lost five straight. They are 18-3 in all other postseason games since the start of the 2015 Finals.
The Warriors are 3-5 on the road this postseason.
This is the second NBA Finals to have each of the first three games decided by at least 15 points. The other was in 2005 between the Spurs (who won the first two) and the Pistons (who won Game 3).
James and Irving combined for 62 points, their second-most points in a game this postseason (they had 63 in the Game 6 clincher against the Raptors). James finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. His seven 30-10-5 games are tied for the most in NBA Finals history.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson accounted for 35 points with their points and assists, their second fewest in a game in the past two seasons. They totaled 33 against the Jazz on Nov. 24, 2014.
The start
James and Irving looked like different players from the ones who had issues in the first two games of the series. They made 11-of-13 shots and combined for 24 points.
Irving's 16 points were the most by a player in the first quarter of an NBA Finals game since James had 17 in Game 5 of the 2014 Finals.
Irving was 6-of-8 on pull-up jumpers in the first quarter. He was 4-of-19 on pull-up shots in the first two games of the series.
Irving's pull-up jumper wasn't the only part of his game working Wednesday.
The Cavaliers shot 8-of-9 off Irving passes in Game 3, including 4-of-4 on open looks. The Cavaliers shot 5-of-9 off Irving passes in Games 1-2 combined, with only two open looks (1-of-2).
The Warriors had a 22-point advantage in the paint in the first two games of the series. The Cavaliers were 8-of-10 and outscored the Warriors by 10 points in the paint in the first quarter.
The putaway
The Cavaliers had the game in hand by the start of the third quarter but applied the final blow over the next 12 minutes. They made 15-of-20 shots (75 percent) and tied their mark for the best shooting quarter of the season.
James made more shots outside the paint in the third quarter (four) than he made in the entire series before that (3-of-14).
Earlier in the game, he dominated in the paint. James finished 10-of-18 in the paint for 20 points. It's the second time this postseason he scored 20 points in the paint (Game 1 vs Raptors).
The big Cavaliers run in the third quarter was a 19-5 burst spanning the first 6:11. Their first-quarter run to start the game was similar -- 19-4 in the first 6:58.
No stopping James on this night
Andre Iguodala has stopped James in the past, but not in this game. James was 5-of-7 when guarded by Iguodala in Game 3. He was 2-of-5 in the first two games of the series.
Looking ahead
Per our Basketball Power Index, the Cavaliers now have a 15 percent chance to win the series. They're trying to become the fourth team to overcome a 2-0 deficit to win the NBA title, the first since the 2006 Heat.