Spurs close in on finals victory

Cleveland star LeBron James has been well marshalled

San Antonio Spurs are on the brink of winning their fourth NBA title in the last nine years after taking a 3-0 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Spurs won game three 75-72 and on Thursday could seal the first NBA finals clean sweep since 2002.

Manu Ginobili hit two free throws late on to give the Spurs a 75-72 lead and LeBron James missed a three-pointer that would have forced overtime.

James led Cleveland's scoring with 25 but he only hit nine of 23 shots.

He also missed all five of his three-point attempts and had five turnovers.

"We gave ourselves a chance to win and that's all we can ask for," said James. "Everybody has to still believe."

The Spurs shot only 41% from the floor but hit 10 out of 19 shots from three-point range to seal the win.

"It's great to win like this because you know you can struggle with your shot and still win," said Ginobili.

"But I guess the same thing happened to them. They did not have a happy night. We both played a tight game, no open shots. Kind of ugly."