OAKLAND, Calif. — It was up to LeBron James again to try to salvage what he could against a superior team, to push the Golden State Warriors to the brink as he chased another improbable victory for the Cleveland Cavaliers. So he lined up a shot 34 feet from the basket, and nobody at Oracle Arena on Sunday night seemed terribly surprised when it went in.
LeBron was doing LeBron things in the fourth quarter, giving the Cavaliers a 1-point lead in Game 5 of the N.B.A. finals. But he could not do it alone, not this time, and the spotlight soon shifted to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who hit 3-pointers, and to Andre Iguodala, who attacked the rim, and to Draymond Green, who rebounded and defended.