Seconds before the opening tip, LeBron James looked over at Jim Brown and bowed to the legendary running back sitting in the front row.

The Hall of Famer last quelled the hunger of title-starved Cleveland 51 years ago.

James has the city halfway from its long-awaited celebration.

James was two assists shy from another triple-double, recording 40 points and 12 rebounds, and the Cavaliers held off the Golden State Warriors 96-91 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

Cleveland nearly squandered a 20-point, third-quarter cushion Tuesday night after letting an 11-point lead slip away in the final three-plus minutes of regulation in Game 2 before winning in overtime.

Stephen Curry hit a 3-pointer to trim the Golden State deficit to a point with 2:45 left, but the Cavs scored the next seven points and kept the Warriors at bay the rest of the way to take a 2-1 series lead.

Game 4 is Thursday in Cleveland.