Cleveland Cavaliers fans were still celebrating their Game 3 win as they headed into Game 4 of the NBA Finals with a 2-1 series lead. The fatigue level of LeBron James and Matthew Dellavedova have been the key storylines on the off day for the Cavs with questions on how much they have left in the tank. Golden State is in must win mode to avoid going down 3-1 in the series, which no team has ever come back from in NBA history. Both teams here are in need of a win in this big make or break Game 4.
1st Quarter
The Cavs come out the gates firing, jumping out to a quick 7-0 lead by looking crisp and sharp on the offensively. The Warriors missed wide open shots to start the game and looked like they may be in trouble of falling back into the shooting slump they’ve been in all series. The Warriors settled down and began to find their stroke as the teams began to trade baskets. The pace seems to favor Golden State as it is much faster than it has been all series. The Warriors were able to take their first lead since Game 2 with 4:03 left in the quarter at 22-20. Officiating came into question with the crowd as some calls seemed to favor the Warriors as the Cavs were not getting calls they felt thy deserved. The Warriors used this to their advantage as they took the lead into the second quarter 31-24.
1st Quarter Stat Leaders
Cle – Tristan Thompson – 6 pts, 5 rebs
GSW – Andre Iguodala – 9 pts, 2 rebs
2nd Quarter
The Warriors continued the fast paced play and kept Cleveland on their heels to start the second quarter as the Cavs did not seem to have an answer for the speed the Warriors were playing at. The Cavs were struggling to make high-percentage shots near the rim that they have made all series and this allowed the Warriors to grab rebounds and push the ball. With Steph Curry on the bench early in the quarter the pace was noticeably slower, but the other Warriors’ players picked up the slack and continued to play well. LeBron James got fouled hard by Andrew Bogut and he went flying head first into a TV camera on the baseline. He laid on the ground for about five minutes before having a towel applied to his head and getting up. He suffered a serious gash to his head from the collision but it was determined that a concussion test was not necessary. It was a moment that Cavs’ fans held their breath as they saw their leader on the ground in serious pain, but he was able to continue to play. After fouling James, Bogut quickly picked up two more quick fouls and put the Cavs in the bonus, but the Cavs failed to take advantage at the foul line. The Cavs supporting cast did not play well in the game, especially J.R. Smith, who kept taking ill-advised three pointer after three pointer. With James struggling to score, only Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson were productive and able to keep the Cavs within striking distance. The Warriors continued to take advantage of the struggling Cavs and took a lead into halftime, 54-42.
2nd Quarter Stat Leaders
Cle – Timofey Mozgov – 13 pts, 4 rebs, 1 ast
GSW – Draymond Green – 13 pts, 4 rebs, 3 ast
3rd Quarter
The Cavs came out with more pop as Matthew Dellavedova started the half by making two straight three-point shots. He quickly exited the game though, and it seemed like fatigue is starting to wear the Cavs down. Andre Iguodala played great defense on LeBron James, but struggled to find his shooting stroke early in the half. Both team’s star players began to get double-teamed defensively and it became a game of which team’s supporting cast can come up big for their team. The Cavs responded to this challenge and went on an 12-2 scoring run to bring the lead down to three points at the 5:03 mark, it was the closest they’d get the rest of the game. James and the Cavs ratcheted up the defensive intensity and began to execute on offense during the run and forced the Warriors to take a lot of shots they weren’t comfortable taking. Timofey Mozgov found himself to be the focal point of the offense as the double-teams continued on James. The Warriors were able protect their lead though, finishing the third quarter with the score of 76-70.
3rd Quarter State Leaders
Cle – LeBron James – 20 pts, 9 rebs, 7 ast
GSW – Andre Iguodala – 16 pts, 7 rebs
4th Quarter
The Warriors start off with an explosive fast break dunk by Draymond Green, taking advantage of LeBron James being on the bench. The Warriors were able to stretch their lead back out to 10 points using the three ball and unselfish, team play. Timofey Mozgov fought hard to get three straight offensive rebounds on one possession, but J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert went 0-4 in this stretch as the guards for the Cavs continued to struggle to score. Shaun Livingston gave the Warriors the spark that they needed off the bench by playing tough on defense and creating on offense to help the Warriors’ stretch their to an insurmountable level. With a little over two minutes left both teams put their bench players on the floor as the Cavs admitted defeat to the Warriors. The Warriors won Game 4 103-82 tying the series at 2-2.
Wrap-Up
Pace and fatigue will be the two big topics discussed heading into Game 5. The Warriors finally looked like themselves for the first time all series, playing their up-tempo style of play and finding open three-point shots all game long. There were still stretches in the game when you forgot that Steph Curry was on the floor, but he played better and went 4-7 from three, looking more comfortable shooting. For the Cavaliers, fatigue was obvious as they could not keep up with the pace that the Warriors used throughout the game. LeBron James consistently missed routine shots in the paint and did not have the spring in his step that he had the first three games. The Cavs will welcome the two days off heading into Game 5 as they attempt to get their legs back underneath them. Game 5 is back in Oracle Arena in Oakland, California at 9 PM ET on Sunday June 15.
Final Key Contributor Stats
Cle
Timofey Mozgov – 28 pts, 10 rebs, 1 ast
LeBron James – 20 pts, 12 rebs, 8 ast
Tristan Thompson – 12 pts, 12 rebs, 1 blk
Matthew Dellavedova – 10 pts, 1 reb, 4 ast
GSW
Steph Curry – 22 pts, 2 rebs, 6 ast
Andre Iguodala – 22 pts, 8 rebs, 1 stl
Draymond Green – 17 pts, 7 rebs, 6 ast
Harrison Barnes – 14 pts, 8 rebs, 1 ast