CLEVELAND — The white charter bus pulled up to the swank restaurant, and even from afar it was obvious there were only a few passengers.

One of them was Stephen Curry.

He took a short ride to a team-sponsored dinner from the team hotel the night before Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

If Curry wants to ride atop a double-decker bus in another championship parade, Game 4 on Friday would be a good time to rediscover his game.

The two-time Most Valuable Player has largely been absent for the Warriors in this series. It sounds strange to say, even unfair after all he's done for the Warriors, but they hold a 2-1 lead over the Cavaliers despite him.

Curry's scoring line — 11, 18 and 19 points — prompted him to say he had to play “a hundred times better” after the Warriors were trounced 120-90 on Wednesday.

He outlined how he would do it.

“Not panicking and not over-complicating things and not trying to psych myself out,” Curry said Thursday. “There's a reason I have confidence out there and it's about how I prepare for games and series and seasons and whatnot.”

In other words, keep shooting.

Curry missed four games earlier in the playoffs with a sprained knee and two due to a sprained ankle.

He said he was fine after Game 3, though he's shooting 43.6 percent in the finals and averaging five turnovers, numbers way off his regular-season standards.

Love to return? The Akron Beacon Journal reported that Cavaliers forward Kevin Love is expected to play Friday in Game 4, but likely will come off the bench.

Love still has another medical examination he must pass Friday before he's cleared from the league's concussion protocol, but he took part in some on-court shooting drills Thursday and the Cavs reportedly are confident he will play.