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The Golden State Warriors were on the brink of post season history. Sitting at 15-0, the elusive perfect postseason record of 16-0 seemed to be right at their fingertips.
They had the Cleveland Cavaliers backed up into a corner. But the Cavaliers finally responded as a team in Game 4, pushing the series at least one more game.
LeBron James was expected to be amazing and he has been. He is currently averaging an incredibly effective triple-double during the Finals, while Kyrie Irving continues to hit big shots.
I pointed out in my previous article that the key to victory, or even a realistic competitive shot, was for the Cavaliers’ other main players do their jobs on defense at a high level and be productive on offense. Especially Kevin Love.
The Cavaliers are going to absolutely need him to hit shots and never go 1-9 from the field, 1-7 from three point range, and finishing with only 9 points like he did Game 3.
Unlike in Game 3 where Stephen Curry had a good game, along with Klay Thompson scoring 30 and Kevin Durant adding 31, Game 4 was a different story.
Curry struggled to score, finishing with 14 points while Thompson only scored 13. Durant did not bat an eye as he went for 35 but only shot 2-9 from three-point range.
I had also mentioned that the Warrior’s offense goes as Curry goes. Even with Durant going for 30+ every game and playing well, his production alone would not be enough. Much of the Warrior’s scoring is dependent on Curry that when he has a bad night they seem to fall short.
The Cavaliers finally accepted they could not stop Durant and tried to live with his production while trying to minimize the impact of the smaller, more one-dimensional player in Curry instead. A strategy I agree with. They go as Curry goes.
The Cavaliers succeeded in slowing down Curry and controlling the tempo of the game much better offensively. On offense for the Cavaliers, it was not just James and Irving making stuff happen.
J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson, and Love all had a very productive game. Smith went for 5-9 from three, finishing with 15 points. Thompson did not score, nor attempt many shots but finally had ten rebounds and had great moments where he did productive basketball moves that do not show up on the box score. Love ,the key for the Cavaliers, had his best night from three, shooting 6-8 from deep finishing with 23 points.
Irving also had a much better game from three, hitting 7-12 and finishing with 40 points. These are the types of performances the Cavaliers are going to need from these guys to compete with the Warriors.
In the third quarter, things began to get chippy between the two teams after Zaza Pachulia punched Iman Shumpert on the thigh while fighting for the ball.
Zaza & Shumpert get into it pic.twitter.com/Ef5YEs2dSL
— NBA RETWEET (@RTNBA) June 10, 2017
Not long after, Love fouled Durant pretty hard going to the basket. This went on to spark an intense verbal altercation between James and Durant. The crowd began to get loud, chanting and giving the series a genuine Finals Series vibe.
Then confusion ensued.
Draymond Green was given what seemed to be his second technical foul of the game. Instead, The third quarter ended 96-115 with the Cavaliers up, but the Warriors still looked like they had a shot to go on another run in the fourth quarter.
The Cavaliers did a great job getting stops in the fourth quarter putting them in a position to win the game. The first technical came in the first quarter. However, as the officials spoke, it was determined that the first technical was initially charged to Steve Kerr. Doris Burke clarified the confusion after receiving an explanation from the scorer’s table.
Doris Burke Explains why Draymond Green did not receive a second technicalpic.twitter.com/7GcvQ4y4qR
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 10, 2017
The Cavaliers were able to keep the lead by turning into the equivalent of a football team with a lead late in a game. Running out more of the shot clock while also being able to put points on the board.. Slowing down the pace and scoring efficiently limits the amount of quick transition baskets the Warriors can score. Many times those transition baskets are three point shots off of a Green rebound that tend to spark dangerous runs from the Warriors.
Withwith 3:18 left in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers led by 15. The consistent shooting from Smith, Love, and Irving enabled the Cavaliers to finally get some separation from the Warriors late in the game; while doing a great job on containing Curry in the second half.
This series is on on the backs of the Cavaliers role players and the team slowing the pace down.
James can average a triple-double and just play out of his mind, while Irving goes for 40 points a night. Without the rest of the team contributing, they don’t have a shot. The Warriors have too many scorers. The Cavalier’s best shot at making this series interesting is:
- Continue to contain Curry.
2. Slow down the pace offensively.
3. Cavaliers role players continuing to hit shots.
Continuing all of the above will provide much of the same results for the Cavaliers, giving them a shot at extending this series.