The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated Golden State Warriors in NBA Finals Game 4, 137-116. They extended the series, forcing Game 5 on Monday Night back in the Bay Area. The Warriors were up 3-0 and were looking for the sweep. The Cavaliers came out with incredible energy in Game 4 and scored an incredible 49 points in the first quarter.
NBA Finals Game 4: Cleveland Cavaliers defeat Golden State Warriors 137-116
The Warriors entered Game Four thinking that they could go 16-0 in the playoffs and set another NBA Finals record. The Cavaliers stymied the Warriors championship intentions by putting on an incredible offensive display.
Kyrie Irving scored 40 points and LeBron James continued his triple double in the NBA Finals with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Kevin Love shot six for eight from three-point range for 23 points. Love also had some incredible full-court passes that demonstrated that Love is the best passer in Cleveland including the Browns roster.
The Cavaliers set NBA Finals records for most points in a quarter with 49. The Cavaliers also set a NBA Finals record for most points in a half with 86 points in the first half. James’ 9th career NBA Finals triple-double put him ahead of Magic Johnson for the most in Finals history.
The Cavaliers knew that the Warriors would have runs in the second half. They were ready and called appropriate timeouts to effectively stop those Warrior runs.
“We have championship DNA,” said James after the game. “We showed that tonight. We just kept our composure. We shared the ball, we moved the ball and defensively we were physical. It’s one game.”
Controversy Strikes
There was a controversy when the referees called what looked like a second technical on Draymond Green. The technical foul was “re-assigned” to head coach Steve Kerr. This appeared as a way to keep a star player in the game.
The Warriors were seeking to sweep the Cavaliers and go for a record 16-0 record in the NBA playoffs. They had surprised the Cavaliers in Game 3 with an 11-0 end to steal a win in a game the Cavaliers led almost wire to wire.
Comeback Possibilities
Kevin Durant continued his dominance in NBA Finals By scoring 35 points. Stephen Curry scored only 14 points and was not a huge factor in the game. The Cavaliers now travel back San Francisco to try to win in game five. No team has come back from a 3-0 deficit although the Cavaliers came back rom a 301 deficit last year to win the NBA Championship.
The Cavaliers feel that this game, along with their 3-1 comeback last year, gives them hope to be the first team to pull off a miracle.
“Believeland is not going to give up,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said, “and we’re going to keep fighting. We’re going to keep scrapping.”
