LeBron James was unstoppable throughout Game 3, but Draymond Green believes he slowed down late

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving turned in otherworldly performances in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night, but got next to nothing from their supporting cast, and the team came up just short when it mattered most.

James led everyone in scoring (39 points), and teamed up with Irving to combine for 77 of the team’s 113 points. LeBron was extremely efficient, making 15 of 27 shots he attempted, while also dishing out nine assists to five turnovers. His team was a +7 for the 45+ minutes he was on the floor, which speaks to how strong of an effort he put forth, leaving it all on the floor. It’s safe to say James gave it his all in the game.

Unfortunately for the Cavs, the 2.5 minutes of rest that James managed to sneak in featured the rest of the team struggling to score the ball. Kevin Love, Richard Jefferson, Iman Shumpert, Tristan Thompson and Deron Williams combined to make just one of 17 total shots they attempted (!), and that’s where the game was lost, so James and Irving shouldn’t garner any of the blame, because they were spectacular.

But the Cavs didn’t score any points in the game’s final three minutes, as the Warriors finished the game on a 11-0 run to come back and win. This tweet sums up how it all went down.

The final 3 minutes that will be remembered for years: GSW – 11 pts, 3-for-3 FG, 4-for-4 FT; CLE – 0 pts, 0-for-8 FG (0-for-5 3FG), 1 TO

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 8, 2017

Draymond Green was asked about that stretch, and he believes that fatigue played a big role in what happened. James went 0-for-3 during that time, so he does raise a good point, and that argument carries weight. Here’s what he had to say:

“I caught LeBron walking off at the end of the third quarter and you could just tell he was exhausted,” Green told NBA TV.

"I caught LeBron walking off at the end of the third quarter and you could just tell he was exhausted." – Draymond Green#NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/A7ns6WQKVc

— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 8, 2017

That’s certainly understandable, as James has been tasked with the arduous job of guarding Kevin Durant throughout the series. Chasing around one of the league’s top two scorers is certainly not easy, especially when you look at how many minutes James has been playing.

If you round tonight’s minutes up to 46, James has played 125 minutes combined in the first three games of the NBA Finals so far, and very few players in NBA history have logged that much time. It’s going to take a toll on anyone, and as great as LBJ was in the game, it seemed to play a part down the stretch.

Still, if the Cavs’ bench had done a better job, and actually knocked down a few shots, James could’ve snagged a few more minutes of rest, and the result may have been different. But it wasn’t to be, and the Cavs now have their work cut out for them, facing a 3-0 deficit.