Curry, who averaged 16 points in the first three games of the series, scored 13 points in the fourth quarter. Harrison Barnes scored 18 and Klay Thompson 10 for Golden State, which had won seven straight over Cleveland – the first two finals games by a combined 48 points – and came back to the birthplace of rock and roll looking to party like they did after winning the title in Quicken Loans Arena past year. Thompson, for his part scored 25 points, and the Warriors set an NBA Finals record with 17 3-pointers. The Cavaliers started quickly with Richard Jefferson staying in the starting lineup over Kevin Love, who came off the bench for the first time since 2010. The Warriors didn’t look too bad while he was resting either, and maybe for the first time in this series it looked like the Cavs had no idea what to do against him and Klay Thompson (25 points), or the Warriors pick and roll in general, especially in the second half. “When you have obviously Klay knocking down 3’s on the wing, H.B. the way he stepped up, it kind of softens the defense because they’ve got to be aware of everybody, and then lanes open up and that’s when we’re at our best”. When they got back on track, everyone from Cleveland to California knew that the Cavaliers had no chance, but for a half, it didn’t look that way.
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No team has ever come back to win an NBA Finals series after being 3-1 down.
Golden State kept hitting shots, in the second half, and with Curry and Thompson both on, the Warriors kept their pressure on the Cavs. LeBron, the “King”, had 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists which is a solid stat line except for his 7 turnovers. After the game, James said he only has a problem with one of the two.
James proceeded to make just one free throw and Curry drove and scored to put the Warriors up 98-89 with 54.4 seconds left.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was looking for a much better start to the game.
The Warriors took a 29-28 lead into the first break, with Curry and Harrison Barnes scoring eight points each, but Cleveland wrestled their way back into the game with a strong second half, taking a five-point lead into half-time. “We have to come out (for Game 5) with the mindset that our coaching staff will give us a great game plan and we have to execute it”. But they’re a plus-51 in 93 minutes without a true center (and with Draymond Green at the five). Surprisingly, one of Kerr’s first substitutions was James Michael McAdoo, who had not played a single minute in the first three games. That would be Draymond Green. The Warriors rebounded so well because they rebounded so well.
“So, you know, we answered the bell, especially in the first quarter, controlling the pace of the game and not losing it like we did in game three”.
The Warriors quickly took over in the final quarter when they shored up their defense and kicked their offense into a higher gear. You’ve got everybody in ear.
“When I had the ball in my hands, I had to be more assertive and decisive with what I was doing”, Curry said, when asked about the difference between Friday night and his listless performance in Game 3.
Yet it was in the third quarter that the Warriors’ determination peaked. We played well. So I just made a decision to stick with RJ.
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It took three games, but the NBA Finals finally delivered a compelling, competitive contest.
