Basketball On The Internet.

MATTHEW Dellavedova scored a playoff and NBA career high 20 points, set social media alight and played Batman to LeBron James' Superman today as Cleveland took a 2-1 lead over Golden State in the best-of-seven Final.

While Andrew Bogut played just 17 minutes for the Warriors, sharing his centre role with Festus Ezeli and David Lee, Delly had a field day, leading his team in loose-ball dives and setting an example others quickly followed to a 96-91 victory.

James Jones dived on a loose ball as did Mike Miller, Dellavedova's grit infectious.

“He has to be made of steel or something,” King James said.

“If there’s a ball on the ground, he’s the first guy to the ground.

“He showed it multiple times tonight, he’s huge for our team. He gives it that grit, that grit that we need.

“He gives us everything until the tank is empty. He has a small little reserve tank that he continues to work through. He’s huge for us.”

That was high praise indeed from the King who was his customary regal self with 40 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, while controlling the tempo and marshalling his team throughout.

He threw down two vicious dunks too, both with Dellavedova involved. The first came in the first half off a Delly backscreen, the second off a lob pass from the Mayor of Maryborough on a sizzling fast break.

LE-BAM! LeBron James throws down a statement slam

Despite Iman Shumpert hurting his left shoulder early, the Cavaliers continued to play exemplary defence, mainly focusing in on GSW's league MVP Stephen Curry.

When Dellavedova wasn't hounding him, others were, switching to ensure he rarely had open looks. And when he did, he was often rushed, knowing the heat was milliseconds away.

Inserted for the last play of the first half, Jones swished a three for the Cavaliers to be 44-37 up at the interval, Golden State's lowest first-half score of the season, Curry 1-of-6.

It got a little crazy in the third as the Cavs started pulling away, the lead blowing out to 20 points at one stage as the Warriors had only Andre Iguodala playing up to his form.

While GSW's Steve Kerr and Cleveland's David Blatt both are rookie NBA head coaches, Kerr was the man genuinely looking like this was his first season helming a pro team.

Meanwhile Blatt's experience as a championship-winning coach in Europe was to the fore, the Cavs covering Shumpert until he returned and playing to their strengths.

Golden State continued to play reactive basketball, rarely looking like the team which won 67 regular season games.

It wasn't until the Cavs were ahead by 20 that the Warriors loosened up and started playing as if they had nothing to lose and, suddenly, the shots began to fall.

Curry had 17 of his 27 points in the last quarter - possibly an ominous sign ahead of Game 4 - and with Lee effective, the Warriors clawed back into the game.

Curry drew them to 80-81 before Dellavedova completed the three-point play of the game, a falling, driving bucket on which he launched a prayer which was answered off the backboard ... and with a Curry foul to boot.

DELLY DRIVE: The biggest play of the night

He calmly slotted the bonus free throw to send the lead back to 84-80, Curry threw a behind-the-back pass out of court and James then swished a monster 3-pointer for 87-80.

The Warriors didn't go quietly from there but go they did as the city of Cleveland celebrated its historic first Finals win.

Fans lined the streets around Quicken Loans Arena for hours, chanting "LBJ", "Let's go Cavs", "Delly", "Two to go" and "MVP" as their blue-collar team - best exemplified by Dellavedova's blue collar work ethic - reached the halfway point of its four-win championship goal.

"He plays as hard as he can every day. He plays right. He's not afraid. He plays courageously," Blatt said of Dellavedova. 

And suddenly, all the loose and ill-informed chatter about "dirty play" and "reckless endangerment" is exactly where it should be - shrinking into the recesses of America's lost consciousness as the nation instead recalls just how joyous it is to see someone actually bust his a$$ to win.

"Whatever it takes," James said. And Delly is a good listener.