Additionally, in Game 4 against the Cavaliers, Thompson scored 25 efficient points with four threes, putting Cleveland in a 3-1 hole.
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Steph Curry made his first two three-pointers of the quarter, Klay Thompson and Curry combined for back-to-back-to-back three-pointers and Curry sank another three.
“Our mindset is to get one”, James, who had 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, said.
Coach Tyronn Lue made the gutsy call to bench Love, his $110 million power forward, and stick with the starting lineup that worked so well together in a 120-90 win in Game 3 on Wednesday.
And there he was, Stephen Curry, in the second half of Game 4 Friday night, taking over at the pivotal moment of the series and pushing the Warriors to the brink of another championship.
Golden State certainly did bounce back Friday night in Cleveland after absorbing a one-sided loss to the Cavaliers in Game 3.
Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (9) reacts during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of basketball’s NBA Finals in Cleveland, Friday, June 10, 2016. “We had just won a game by 30 points”. In Game 6 against OKC, a must-win for the Warriors, Thompson scored 41 points on 11-15 shooting from the three-point line.
The back-to-back MVP spoke briefly on the floor of Quicken Loans Arena after the Warriors final tuneup.
Irving finally scored inside with 3:45 left, but on the next trip, Curry buried a three-pointer for a 96-86 lead.
The point guard was terrific, but Curry and Thompson and their teammates were just better.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr acknowledged Love’s return would affect decisions on the Golden State sideline.
Cleveland never got closer than seven the rest of the game. The Larry O’Brien Trophy will be flying cross-country to Oakland on Saturday, and Golden State will have a chance to mussy it up with joyous fingerprints and champagne baths on Monday night.
There’s no other way to explain how Stephen Curry is playing in the NBA Finals.
Not only do the Cavaliers face the daunting task of winning three straight against a team they have beaten only once all year, but they must also win two of them on the Warriors’ home court.
James has gotten to the foul line just 17 times in the four games, and he is in danger of averaging the fewest free throws per game in any series of his career. Meanwhile, Cleveland defaulted to a series of isolations, stagnating offensively as LeBron James and Kyrie Irving took turns trying (and failing) to score.
“Kevin’s an important player for them”. But it wasn’t James best game, or the type of game the Cavs need from him to even the series.
Curry said the Warriors’ uncharacteristic shooting performance in Game 3 can be traced to “sloppy” passes and ballhandling early in the possession. Soft, we were extremely soft to start the game, and then, they set the tone with their intensity.
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“We knew with LeBron and Kyrie playing the entire second half, if you continue to put bodies on them and battle eventually they’ll wear down”, Draymond Green said.
