Posted on 06/10/2016 10:00:42 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The Warriors are one win away from posting back-to-back NBA championships.
Powered by a second-half comeback, the defending champions vanquished the Cavaliers 108-97 Friday night in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena.
The victory gives the Warriors a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. They can close it out Monday night with a win in Game 5.
Four Warriors scored in double figures, with Stephen Curry pouring in 38 points to lead the way. Klay Thompson put in 25, with Harrison Barnes tossing in 14 and Andre Iguodala adding 10 off the bench.
The Warriors were 17-of-36 from 3-point distance, while holding the Cavs to 6-of-25 behind the stripe in dealing Cleveland its first home loss of the postseason.
In a game that featured 18 lead changes and 14 ties, the Warriors trailed by as much as eight before coming back to outscore the Cavs 58-42 in the second half.
Kyrie Irving scored 34 points to lead Cleveland, while LeBron James totaled 21 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. STANDOUT PERFORMER NBA Finals: Warriors Beat Up on Cavaliers in Game 2 The Splash Brothers opened the doors, and their teammates followed.
Curry’s line: 38 points (11-of-25 from the field (7-of-13 from beyond the 3-point stripe), six assists and five rebounds. He played 37 minutes and was plus-11 for the game.
Thompson’s line: 23 points (7-of-14, 4-of-9) and four rebounds. He played 39 minutes and was plus-11.
Green’s line: 9 points (2-of-8, 0-of-3), team-high 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots and two steals. He played 42 minutes and was plus-15.
Barnes’ line: 14 points (5-of-11, 4-of-5), eight rebounds and two assists. He played 40 minutes and was plus-6. TURNING POINT
After James slammed through a follow shot to give Cleveland an 83-81 lead with 10:21 remaining, the Warriors went on a 12-1 run to go up 93-84 with 5:56 remaining.
The run was punctuated by a Barnes 3-pointer, which forced a Cavs timeout. Cleveland never got closer than seven the rest of the game.
INJURY REPORT
Warriors: F Kevon Looney (L hip surgery) was listed as out and, along with F Brandon Rush (healthy), placed on the inactive list. Cavaliers: F Kevin Love (concussion) was listed as questionable prior to clearing NBA Concussion Protocol and being declared active one hour before tipoff. C Sasha Kaun (healthy) and G Jordan McRae (healthy) were placed on the inactive list.
WHAT’S NEXT
Game 5 is set for Monday night at Oracle Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. PDT.
If the Warriors lose Game 7, they may very well be the first team to lose as many games (9) in the post-season as during the regular season.
That of course would exclude football.
That was a great game!
I favor neither team, but I do enjoy watching Lebron and Curry. Lebron is an overwhelming powerhouse, while Curry is breathtakingly phenomenal.
I thought the series that mattered this year already came and went, namely GSW vs OKC, but this series is will end on a high note.
I’m glad Lebron isn’t gonna give up this series so easily.
Curry is learning what happens when the Hunter becomes The Hunted.
GSW had two bad games in a row. But it had less to do with them, and more to do with Lebron. For now, Lebron has shown he wants this more than anyone else on the court.
In this game 6, Curry the point gaurd ended up going up against power forward Lebron on way too many plays, both on offense and defense. It worked out badly for him more often than not.
Well, considering Adam Silver is Cleveland’s sixth man...
I can see him demanding the series should go to Game 7.
the nba wanted 7 games and they made dang sure it would be 7 games....
I’m not too sure about the conspiracy, because Lebron was beyond perfect in game 6. I think any opposing team would’ve fell apart like GSW did if they had to go up against Lebron’s game-6 performance.
Warriors have not lost 3 games in a row all season. But they’ve looked terrible in the post season. Harrison Barnes is terrible and now their center is out. It’s all up to Curry and Klay Thompson to start burying some three pointers and get a lead on Cleveland and play like they want the series. This season they dominated every team they played, including Cleveland. But if they lose tomorrow they’ll go as being choke artists. No team has ever been up 3-1 in the NBA title game and lost the series.
Always felt there was an Achilles Heel with the Warriors, and the Cavs may have found it.
And I think we all know who the real MVP is. As much as I may not like LeBron, he is showing he is still the King.
I think Cleveland wins tonight. Hopefully James retires. Don’t know what the story-line will be if Cleveland wins. The “greatest” team with the most wins in history blowing a 3-1 lead and losing the title, or Cleveland winning their first title, when a week ago the entire sports world said the series was over and James was washed up. Anyway I think Cleveland wins tonight. All Warriors have right now are two 3 pt shooters who can’t seem to buy a bucket when it’s needed. Their center is not playing and no one to guard James or Irving.
The Cavs Did It!!!!
congrats to Cleveland.
I actually for the first time found myself rooting for LeBron.
Congrats to Lebron, the Cavs, and the City of Cleavland!
Rough looking 4th quarter for both teams, but you can’t ask for anything more out of a final game of the championship: drama until the last moment.
Congrats also to the GSW on their historical season.
They did it, wow! Destiny I guess. Never after the first 2 games did I think this would end up being a compelling series.
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