Jefferson starts first NBA Finals game since 2003

Richard Jefferson started in place of Kevin Love for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday.

Love is sidelined with concussion symptoms suffered in Sunday's Game 2 Cavs loss. The choice to start the veteran Jefferson is clearly an attempt to go smaller against the Warriors' lineup. As such, LeBron James can be expected to see heavy minutes at power forward, a role he became familiar with during his days with the Miami Heat.

Jefferson's last start came in Cleveland's regular-season finale. The last time he started a NBA Finals game was in 2003, when James was a senior in high school.