Cavs go cold in the fourth, drop Game 4 to Warriors
CLEVELAND -– After three blowouts to open the series, Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors was shaping up to be a classic, until a late surge by the defending champions put the game -– and perhaps the championship -– out of reach for the Cavs.
For the first time in nine playoff games on their home floor, the Cavs lost, seeing an eight-point lead in the third quarter turn into a deciding 11-point final margin, 108-97.
By the end of it, what was already a bad loss turned truly bizarre. LeBron James scrapped with Draymond Green after stepping over him, a la Allen Iverson, who once stepped over James’ coach, Tyronn Lue. James and Steph Curry talked trash at center court during a stoppage in play. And a shirtless fan ran onto the court with “Trump Sucks” painted across his chest and was summarily tackled by security and escorted out.
A Cleveland fan came up to press row late in the fourth quarter and announced, “This crushes our soul.”
The Cavs, down 3-1 with Game 5 this Monday at Oracle Arena, will need to win three straight games (two on the road) for a chance to snap a 52-year title drought in the city of Cleveland.
The Cavs, up by five at halftime, were outscored 58-42 in the second half as the Warriors repeatedly hit timely 3-pointers (17-for-36 from downtown as opposed to 6-for-25 for the Cavs) and shut down Cleveland in the final quarter, save for a final flurry of buckets by James with the game already all but over.
Kevin Love came off the bench for the first time in his Cavaliers career after being cleared from his concussion and mustered 11 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes.
James’ final numbers –- 25 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists and two steals -– looked OK until you consider that he had seven of the Cavs’ 11 turnovers.
So many preconceived notions about the series were dispelled -– that Curry was too hurt to be his old MVP self (38 points, six assists), that Kyrie Irving’s over-dribbling leads to nothing but all sizzle and no steak (34 points on 14-for-28 shooting), that James Michael McAdoo was nothing but a bench player (did anyone have him playing in the fourth quarter in their office pool?).
But the end result was the same notion most people had coming into the series: The Warriors are the better team and the Cavs would have to defy the odds to make it a series.
