Welcome in to the full recap of game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers where the Warriors respond with a decisive 103-82 victory over the Cavs to even the series up as the NBA Finals shifts back to the Oracle Arena in Oakland.
Well, we got out first rout of these finals after the first three games were decided by single digits. I expected to this to be another grit and grind it out type of game and the Warriors will pull it off, but not in this kind of fashion. Steve Kerr made one heck of an adjustment going small and their small ball has been a winning formula all season long. It didn't work early on as the Cavs got off to a fast start, but the Warriors remained poised and started firing from all cylinders. Down 2-1, almost choked on the lead in the 3rd quarter, but the Warriors persevered and finished with a dominating victory.
Golden State Warriors
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Andre Iguodala, 22 points, 8 rebounds, 8-15 shooting. Andre Iguodala has been inserted into the Warriors' starting lineup for the first time this season and he looked like he hasn't missed a beat. All game long, Iguodala set the tone on both the offensive end and the defensive end, pushing the basketball, making plays for a couple of easy dunks, making three pointers when needed when the Cavs were making a run, and containing LeBron with a couple of help. He has been the constant for the Warriors in these series.
Draymond Green, 17 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 6-11 shooting. For being inserted as the starting center, Draymond Green managed to hold his own down low. Despite the five fouls due to the fact that Thompson and Mozgov were unstoppable all game long, Draymond Green did other things to lure both of the Cavs' big men away from their game. Whenever he is pushing the basketball like Iguodala, the Warriors are clamping down the defense and they're stretching the floor and he has drawn some fouls as well when penetrating to the basket.
Defense. The Warriors defense generated 9 turnovers and held LeBron to a 7-22 shooting. The defense for the Golden State Warriors just hounded LeBron, putting a body on him, and helping at the right time. This is one of the reasons why the margin wasn't as close as it is the last 3 games and why LeBron didn't put up 30+ points. They are constantly doubling him on defense and when LeBron's getting disrupted, it disrupts the flow of the Cavaliers when they are setting their offense.
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Like the Cavs last game, there aren't any negatives to pinpoint from the Warriors. Despite Klay Thompson having an off game, the way the Warriors played a complete game today offsets the negatives that were addressed.
Cleveland Cavaliers
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Timofey Mozgov, 28 points, 10 rebounds, 9-16 shooting. Only the big men of the Cavs showed up this game as the Warriors small lineup didn't affect their game. Timofey Mozgov was one of them and was just having a field day when the rest of the Cavs were having off days. Mozgov recorded a career high and he successfully used his size against the smaller Warriors team. He's just putting up shot after shot from inside the paint without much effort needed, some of them were from LeBron penetrating to the basket, but Mozgov for the most part had his way and the Warriors could live with that since they contained the Cavs' offensive spacing.
Tristan Thompson, 12 points, 13 rebounds, 6-10 shooting. Tristan Thompson continues to be a force on the boards as usual. He didn't have a great night as his counterpart Mozgov had, but Thompson contributed some solid numbers and it was just another day in the office for Thompson in the rebounding department.
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The Knicks cast offs. Iman Shumpert, 5 points, 2-9 shooting, 1-5 from three point land, J.R. Smith, 4 points, 2-12 shooting, 0-8 from three point land. They were brought in from the Knicks to bolster the supporting cast of the Cavs and they just stunk it up, J.R. Smith in particular. When he was young, seeing him play against the Lakers when he was still in Denver, he could hit those shots when dribbling and stepping back, regardless of which defender is in his face. Smith's shots can't hit the net this game and it hurt the Cavs big time. Shumpert had an awful game as well. After shooting his first shot, which was a 3 pointer, he couldn't hit anything. The former Knicks were just off.
Matthew Dellavedova, 10 points, 3-14 shooting. A part of it may be the cramps he suffered in game 3 and a part of it may not have been. All fairy tales must have a point where it's fallen on hard times and it showed this game. After playing his heart out in the last two games, Dellavedova took a step back and luckily he has until Sunday to recharge and continue to play like he did in games 2 and 3.
Conclusion
Overall, a great game for the Warriors. They should follow the old saying that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Starting small, extending playing time for David Lee, Steve Kerr has pressed the right button at the opportune time and they look to repeat the process as they head back home for game 5. For the Cavs, it was a lethargic effort in front of their home crowd. It's not the type of performance they want to put up if they were going to lose this game. LeBron looked gassed out there, Delly looked gassed out there and it took a toll on the Cavaliers' flow. Momentum has shifted towards Golden State a little, but don't count Cleveland out yet as they have responded with much better effort in the next game when a series is tied 2-2. I'll see you guys on Sunday for Game 5.
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