The Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-120 to win their second NBA Championship in three seasons with a 4-1 finals series victory.

The Warriors, who beat Cleveland in the 2015 finals only to lose to them in 2016 after squandering a 3-1 series lead, went a record-setting 15 victories and just one loss in the playoffs.

Kevin Durant led the way for the Warriors with 39 points, with Stephen Curry contributing 34. </s> The Golden State Warriors need one win to sweep LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers and win their third NBA Championship in the last four years.

This is it. A win in Game 4 of the 2018 NBA Finals and the Golden State Warriors will win their third NBA Championship in the last four years — all of them against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The possible final basketball game of the 2017-2018 season will live stream on Friday. But the game, if Cleveland cannot hold off the Golden State sweep, could also be the last game in Cleveland for the 33-year-old James, according to CBS Sports.

To find out how to watch a live stream of the 2018 NBA Finals Game 4, see the streaming information at the bottom of this article. Opening tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday, June 8. In the Pacific Time Zone, the live stream will get underway at 6 p.m.

James becomes a free agent after this, his fourth season in his second stint with his hometown Cavaliers, and according to Sports Illustrated, the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Miami Heat appear to be the most likely destinations for the “King.” He may also choose to sign a new contract with Cleveland when all is said and done, SI reported.

After dropping Game 3 by a 110-102 score, despite playing on their home court, the Cavaliers now face a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 deficit, a hole that no NBA team has ever dug its way out from, as the Boston Globe recounted. In fact, only three teams in NBA history have ever forced a Game 7 after dropping the first three in a seven-game playoff series.

James said that the Cavaliers winning Game 4 and maintaining at least a chance to stage a historic comeback, the team will need to play smarter than in the first three games, according to ESPN.

“We’ve been in a position where we could win two out of these three games. So what do we have to do? Do we have to make more shots? Is it we have to have our minds into it a little bit more?” James wondered in an interview on Thursday.

Watch a preview of The Warriors vs. Cavaliers Game 4 in the video below.

To watch a free live stream of the potentially series-ending Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Finals Game 4 showdown, use the stream provided by to ESPN3, the no-charge, online-only network of the sports media giant ESPN. The ESPN3 streaming network is available automatically with almost any internet service provider subscription.

There is also another way for fans to watch the fourth and potentially final game of the 2018 NBA Finals using a free live stream — but without a cable subscription. Fans may sign up for a free trial of one of the “over the top” streaming TV packages, such as Sling TV, or YouTube TV, or DirecTV Now. All of those services require credit card information and will charge subscription fees. But they each offer a seven-day free trial period, and if the subscription is canceled prior to the expiration of that week-long trial, fans can watch the Warriors vs. Cavaliers Game 4 stream live for free on Friday. </s> CLEVELAND (AP) Golden State Warriors beat Cleveland Cavaliers 108-85 in Game 4 for third NBA title in four years. </s> Golden State Warriors beat Cleveland Cavaliers 108-85 in Game 4 for third NBA title in four years

CLEVELAND (AP) — Golden State Warriors beat Cleveland Cavaliers 108-85 in Game 4 for third NBA title in four years. </s> Golden State Warriors center Zaza Pachulia (27) celebrates with Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in game four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Golden State Warriors have defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers to bring home their third NBA championship in four years. They defeated LeBron James and the Cavs with a final score of 108-85 on Friday evening, completing a perfect 4-0 sweep.

It was a pretty competitive Game 4 to start, as the Warriors jumped out to an early nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter, only to see the Cavaliers battle back and take a lead of their own in the second quarter, CBS Sports reports. But the Warriors used a late burst to push their advantage back to nine points at halftime, and the Cavaliers never got closer.

The Warriors used one of their patented third-quarter takeovers to seize control of the game. Up by 21 points at the end of the third quarter, they then cruised in the final 12 minutes. Steph Curry finished with 37 points, six rebounds, four assists, three rebounds, and three steals, while Kevin Durant registered 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

James finished with 23 points and spent the final minutes on the bench, contemplating what went wrong and maybe his next move. He said in a post-game press conference that he had a broken right hand, an injury he said was self-inflicted.

"What happened? Self-inflicted, post-game after Game 1," James said. "Very emotional, for a lot of different reasons. Understanding how important Game 1 is on the road for our ballclub, what would that have done for us. The way we played, the calls that was made throughout the course of that game, I had emotions on the game was taken away from us. I had emotions of you just don't get opportunities like this on the road, versus Golden State, to be able to get a Game 1. And I let the emotions get the best of me. I pretty much played the last three games with a broken hand, so that's what it is."

Overcoming obstacles all season long, the Warriors were not going to be denied and won the fourth straight finals matchup against Cleveland with ease.

It was the first sweep in the NBA Finals since 2007, when James was dismissed by a powerful San Antonio team in his first one. His eighth straight appearance didn't go well either, and now there's uncertainty where the superstar will play next.

Act IV between the Warriors and Cavs featured a drama-filled and controversial Game 1. But from there on, Durant, Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and the rest of this California crew showed why they're the game's gold standard.

And they may stay that way.

Not wanting to give the Cavs or their fans any hope despite the fact that no team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs, the Warriors built a nine-point halftime lead when Curry ignored a closeout by James and dropped a 3-pointer.

Then the league's best team tightened the screws on Cleveland in the third quarter, outscoring the Cavs 25-13 and prompting Golden State fans to begin those drawn-out "War-eee-orrss" chants that provide a perfect musical accompaniment to their 3-point barrages.

By the start of the fourth quarter, the only question was whether Curry would win his first NBA Finals MVP or if it would go to Durant for the second year in a row.

After surviving a rougher-than-usual regular season and beating top-seeded Houston in Game 7 on the road in the Western Conference finals, the Warriors withstood an overtime scare in Game 1 and joined an elite group of teams to win multiple championships in a four-year span.

Only Bill Russell's Boston Celtics, the "Showtime" Lakers and the Los Angeles squad led by Kobe and Shaq, and Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls have been as dominant in such a short period of time.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> The Golden State Warriors have won their second NBA championship within 3 years after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in 5 games.

See you at the parade! </s> The Cleveland Cavaliers are in an unfavorable position. Game 4 of the NBA Finals is an all-or-nothing situation in Cleveland. The Golden State Warriors, however, look for history. The Warriors will look to be the only team to sweep LeBron James in an NBA Finals series since the 2006-2007 San Antonio Spurs.

The Cavaliers organization is preparing for their toughest test in Game 4. Down 0-3, the team’s gameplan must be a near-perfect solution to the Warriors’ puzzle. Head coach Tyronne Lue feels that they are ready to keep their championship hopes alive, and likes their chances.

After receiving some help, James is preparing to lay it all on the line for a win in this series. Leading the team in points, assists and steals in the postseason, he will need another legendary performance to push the series one game longer.

Firstly, the Cavs must limit their turnover rate, having 14 to Golden State’s 11 in Game 3. They dominated Golden State in Game 3 in offensive rebounds, bagging 15, with 32 defensive rebounds.

Secondly for Cleveland, if they can avoid the third-quarter rush from Golden State and weather the storm, they could have success tonight. Across the previous three games, the third quarter has been the team’s weakness, giving up more points to Golden State than any other quarter. In Game 3, the Cavs would give up 31 points, giving Golden State the lead that they never took back.

The final key for Cleveland will be to play unbreakable defense. The team would shut down Stephen Curry from behind the line, keeping him at bay with a 1-for-10 three-point ratio. If the team can shut down the team’s best shooter, and avoid another 43-point performance from Kevin Durant, the Cavs may very well secure a victory at home tonight.

Golden State is riding a wave of confidence and momentum right back into Cleveland. After the video game-like performance of Durant, they look to develop an iron-clad gameplan against a desperate Cleveland team looking to secure a W.

Firstly for the Warriors, making more field goals than they did in Game 3 will be critical. Going 42-for-81 in Game 3, their 51.9 percent must improve, as Cleveland was only eight percent lower.

The long game for Golden State will also come in the form of Curry. Dubbed “the best shooter in the NBA”, he cannot get shut down behind the arc.After breaking the NBA Finals record for triples, Cleveland locked him down. The lack of production in Game 3 could contribute to the Cavs being within striking distance of the win.

Durant believes that Golden State knows exactly what to do in order to cash-in on another championship ring for the bay.

Curry is preparing to have the performance of a lifetime in Game 4. His third championship in four years will hanging in the balance in Cleveland.

In potentially the final game of the NBA season, the Cavs look to get their first win and build momentum. Tipoff for the clash is at 9 p.m., and the game will take place at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers will look to take the series to Oakland for Game 5.

Finally, ESPN 98.1 FM – 850 AM WRUF will have coverage of the battle beginning at 8 p.m. </s> The 2019 NBA Finals between the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors will be historic in several ways.

Toronto is making its NBA Finals debut, and it will be the first time the league’s championship series will feature games played outside of the United States. Golden State has reached the Finals for the fifth consecutive season, a feat accomplished only by the Boston Celtics, who went to 10 Finals in a row from 1957-66.

Game 1 is tonight at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto (9 p.m., ABC).

The Warriors, the top seed in the Western Conference, can become only the third franchise to win three consecutive titles in the past 50 years (the others are the Bulls from 1991-93 and 1996-98 and the Lakers from 2000-02). Golden State has won the title in three of the past four seasons.

The Warriors have won six NBA Championships, tied with the Bulls for third place all-time, behind the Celtics (17) and Lakers (16).

The Raptors, who finished second in the Eastern Conference but defeated top-seeded Milwaukee in six games in the conference finals, have won at least 50 games in each of the past four seasons and swept the two-game season series from the Warriors for the first time in 17 years.

Warriors star Kevin Durant will miss Game 1 due to the calf injury that has idled him the past five games (Golden State is 5-0 without him). DeMarcus Cousins (torn quad) is listed as questionable.

Kawhi Leonard is averaging 31.2 points per game in the playoffs for Toronto. Stephen Curry is averaging 27.3 points for Golden State.

Join the conversation in the comments </s> For the second time in three years, the Golden State Warriors are NBA champions.

Courtesy of a 129-120 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals, the Warriors earned the third title in franchise history in front of the home fans at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California Monday night.

On the way to his first NBA Championship, Warriors forward Kevin Durant scored 39 points on 14-of-20 shooting, including a five-of-eight showing from three-point range, to go along with seven rebounds, five assists and one steal.

Additionally, the Warriors got double-digit scoring efforts from shooting guard Stephen Curry (34 points), shooting guard Klay Thompson (11), power forward Draymond Green (10) and reserve forward Andre Iguodala (20).

Durant averaged 35.2 points over the five-game series against the Cavaliers.

Four of Cleveland’s five starters reached in double figures, led by small forward LeBron James. James converted 19 of his 30 attempts from the field en route to a game-high 41 points. James added 13 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and one blocked shot over 46 minutes of play.

Point guard Kyrie Irving (26 points), shooting guard J.R. Smith (25) and center Tristan Thompson (15) also finished in double figures.

11:11 p.m.-CAVALIERS CUT WARRIORS LEAD DOWN TO FIVE AFTER THIRD

Needing a run to get back into the game, the Cleveland Cavaliers outscored the Golden State Warriors by six points out of the halftime break, which cut the deficit down to five, 98-93, after the third quarter of Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena in Oakland.

Point guard Kyrie Irving emerged as the Cavaliers’ offensive leader early in the third quarter, as he used his mid-range game to score a game-high 10 points in the period on four-of-six shooting mixed in with a pair of free throws.

Small forward LeBron James and shooting guard J.R. Smith added six points each, while center Tristan Thompson converted two looks from the field and three of his four attempts from the free-throw line on his way to seven points.

As a team, the Cavaliers knocked down 12 of their 20 looks from the field, while they limited the Warriors to nine of 19 in the third quarter.

For the third straight quarter, Smith buried a three-pointer in the final 20 seconds of play, as he connected on an off-balance, contested triple from the left wing with just 18 seconds remaining in the period.

The Golden State Warriors put together a monster run in the second quarter, and by virtue of a 15-point edge in scoring, took a 71-60 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers at halftime of Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena in Oakland.

The Cavaliers started the second quarter with a pair of baskets from small forward LeBron James, including a dunk over the outstretched arm of Warriors forward Kevin Durant, who appeared to smack James in the face on his way toward the rim.

During a timeout from Golden State, James took umbrage with an official about the lack of a call on Durant, but the complaints went for naught, and the Warriors used that break in the action to settle themselves.

Down by eight points, the Warriors responded with a 30-8 scoring run over the next seven-plus minutes of play.

Golden State started the run with six straight points, including an 18-foot jumper and second-chance bucket from forward David West. West missed a short jumper as it rolled off the rim, but after the Warriors hustled after the offensive rebound, West got the short-range jumper to fall.

Following a steal off of Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving, reserve forward Andre Iguodala threw down an uncontested dunk and forced the Cavaliers to use a timeout with their lead down to two points, 41-39, with 7:58 to play in the first half.

Out of the break in the action, Durant hit a pair of three-pointers, which put the Warriors in front, 45-43, and then, point guard Stephen Curry hit his first triple of the game at the 6:13 mark of the second quarter.

Shooting guard J.R. Smith broke the Cavaliers out of their slump with a deep two-pointer from the right wing, but Warriors power forward Draymond Green answered with a three-pointer from the left corner of the floor that Durant followed with a triple of his own from the right wing.

Down by as many as 16 points, the Cavaliers outscored the Warriors, 8-2, over the final minute of play thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Smith, who buried the first from the right wing, and then, with the final seconds ticking off the clock, pulled up from well beyond the arc on the left side of the floor and sunk his third triple of the half.

The Cleveland Cavaliers came out like a team with its back against the wall, and their hustle on both ends of the floor, as well as unselfish passing and ability to attack the rim led to a 37-33 advantage over the Golden State Warriors after the first quarter of Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena in Oakland.

The Warriors started the game on a 9-4 run, including back-to-back three-pointers from power forward Draymond Green and shooting guard Klay Thompson, but the Cavaliers had an answer in the form of a 9-0 run in just 95 seconds that forced a Golden State timeout with 8:44 to play in the period.

Shooting guard J.R. Smith got the run started with a driving layup on a pass from center Tristan Thompson, and then, small forward LeBron James continued the spurt with a driving layup of his own, which Smith set up with a pass in the lane.

Fouled on his drive to the hoop, James made it a three-point play with a free throw, which tied the score at 9-9, but it would not remain that way for long.

Point guard Kyrie Irving picked the pocket of his Warriors counterpart, Stephen Curry, and raced toward the hoop for a layup. Then, James intercepted a pass from small forward Kevin Durant and took it in for the basket.

Out of the timeout, the Warriors got a layup from Durant, but the Cavaliers answered that with a layup from Thompson and a pull-up three-pointer from James from the left wing, which gave Cleveland a 20-11 advantage.

Although the Warriors made it a two-point game, 22-20, with a 9-2 scoring run over the next two minutes, the Cavaliers outpaced the home team, 15-13, for the remainder of the quarter.

With the Cavaliers down, 31-30, with inside a minute left, Irving sunk a pair of free throws, and then, hit an off-balance two-pointer from 21 feet away. Then, in transition after a steal from reserve guard Deron Williams, Smith caught a pass from Irving and buried a three-pointer from the left wing with 4.7 seconds left.

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers fought their way to a 137-116 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals Friday night, which forced the best-of-seven series back to Oracle Arena in Oakland for tonight’s Game 5 matchup.

And in order for the Cavaliers to force The Finals back to Cleveland for Game 6, small forward LeBron James knows it will take a maximum effort against the best team in the league for the third straight season, who will go for the close-out win in front of its home fans.

“We have to bring our best game every game against this team,” James said. “Like I said before, they create so many different problems out on the floor, so much firepower, that we always have to play great in order to win.”

The last three times the Cavaliers played at Oracle Arena, including a regular-season game on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day back in January as well as Games 1 and 2 of The Finals, the Warriors dominated the pace of play and won by an average of 25.33 points.

“We didn’t play well in Game 1 or Game 2,” James said. “We have watched the film, we see what we didn’t do well, and if you don’t do something well, they will make you pay for it. So we have to be 20 times better in this building, and we understand that.

“If we don’t protect the three-point line and if we turn the ball over, then we don’t stand a chance. So we know what our keys to victory are that are going to give us the best possible chance to go back home with a Game 6. And if we don’t stick to that game plan, then we’ll be going back home without a game.”

After the Cavaliers won the Eastern Conference Championship at TD Garden in Boston late last month, James talked about how stressful it was to think about The Finals so quickly after clinching their third straight trip to the championship round.

But as the series continues, James is able to process the stress by focusing on the task at hand.

“The Playoffs (are) stressful and just the preparation, things of that nature, but that’s just from how I prepare,” James said. “There’s no added stress going on playing basketball. Your coaching staff is giving you a game plan, you just try to execute it. There’s no added stress of that.

“If you’re able to get a win or get two, get three, get four, you don’t win, I guess I’ve been a part of all of it. I don’t think you have more stress. You know what you need to do. If you’re prepared, then you’re prepared. There’s no reason to add more to it.”

And as for which team has the most pressure on it heading into Game 5, the Cavaliers, who are one win away from elimination, or the Warriors, who could win a championship in front of the home fans, James knows what he and his teammates are focused on.

“I feel like this is the game we’ve got to get, or it’s over with,” James said. “I think everybody’s feeling that way.”

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In basketball, the Golden State Warriors defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games to win the National Basketball Association Championship.