CLEVELAND — Substance over style. That's the San Antonio way.

The Spurs may be boring. They might not make TV ratings soar. And they certainly aren't America's team.

Maybe they should be.

Rude and ruthless, the Spurs ruined Cleveland's 37-year wait to host the NBA finals yesterday, beating the Cavaliers, 75-72, in Game 3 to move within one win of a fourth title.

Bruce Bowen, the defensive stopper, emerged as an unlikely offensive star as the Spurs, who despite not nearly playing up to their usual standards, won anyway to take a commanding 3-0 lead in a series few are watching.

No team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit. It doesn't look like the Cavaliers will be the first, but they may become the first finals sweep for the Spurs, who are shooting for their fourth title since 1999.

"Oh, it's great, beautiful ... we didn't play good," guard Manu Ginobili said. "We won in a tough arena like this one and we are just one game shy of making it."

Tony Parker scored 17 points and Tim Duncan had 14, but Ginobili, who scored 25 in Game 2, had just three — all free throws in the final 10.4 seconds — to help hold off the Cavaliers and crush the hopes of their rowdy, towel-waving crowd.

Cleveland's chances, and maybe its last hopes of extending the season, ended when LeBron James, who led the Cavaliers with 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 12 points and 18 rebounds — 10 offensive — for the Cavaliers, who were hoping three straight games in their own building could help them get back into the best-of-seven series.

Bowen, who had just nine points in the first two games, scored 13 and Brent Barry made three 3-pointers for the Spurs, who can all but plan their victory parade on the scenic Riverwalk back home.

"It doesn't change at all," Duncan said of the Spurs' attitude. "We need to get one more, and that's it, however it comes."

The Spurs can wrap up their third title in five years with a win in Game 4 tomorrow. If they do complete the eighth sweep in finals history, they'll join the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls as the only franchises to win four or more titles.

The grind-it-out game tied for the second-fewest points in NBA finals history, matching San Antonio's 80-67 win over the New York Knicks in 1999.

James, the 22-year-old who saved Cleveland's franchise, couldn't rescue this series.

He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, threatening to take over as he did in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against Detroit, with drives through the teeth of San Antonio's smothering defense.

But James had several layups dance off the rim, and he got little help from his teammates as the Cavs went just 3 of 19 on 3-pointers and failed to take advantage on a night when the Spurs were not themselves.

"Game 3 is usually the toughest game possible," Duncan said. "And Game 4 brings a whole other challenge. It's a little bit of desperation. It's a little bit of laying it on the line."

James scored seven straight points as the Cavs cut a 10-point lead to 69-67 with 1:22 remaining on another layup by Cleveland's star. But Parker countered with a 3-pointer before Sasha Pavlovic hit a deep one for the Cavs to make it 72-70 with 48.1 seconds remaining.

Parker, so dominant in Games 1 and 2, made a turnover but the Cavs failed to capitalize. James, criticized early in the playoffs for being too unselfish, passed to Anderson Varejao and the mop-topped Brazilian, nicknamed "Wild Thing," flung up a wild shot that wasn't close.

James expected a return pass, but it never came.

"I was definitely going to get it back from Andy, but Andy made a good move," James said. "He just over shot it. I wanted to try and get a better look, but it was just miscommunication."

Ginobili was fouled, missed his first throw but finally got something to fall to give the Spurs a three-point lead. James again got to the rim for a basket before Ginobili's two free throws gave San Antonio its final margin.