After another subpar performance on the defensive end in Game 4, the Cleveland Cavaliers now find themselves in a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals
Kevin Love returned and came off the bench. Kyrie Irving scored 34 points. LeBron James had 25 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists. It still wasn’t enough.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, after their Game 4 loss, are now one more loss away from ending the NBA Finals as the runner-up, again.
After coming out flat in Game 3, the Golden State Warriors can clinch their 2nd consective NBA championship at Oracle Arena in Game 5 after getting back to business as they defeated the King and his fellow Cavaliers, 108-97 in Game 4 at Quicken Loans Arena.
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The Warriors now hold the opportunity to wrap the series up in front of their home crowd as they own a commanding 3-1 series lead over the fading Cavs. Of course, we can’ t count the Cavs out of the series just yet.
If Cleveland can somehow muster out a victory in Game 5, the complexity of this series changes. Especially considering that Game 6 takes place in Cleveland.
However, history is not on the side of King James and the rest of Tyronn Lue‘s wards. Why? No team has ever won the title from being down 3-1. No one. Teams that have fallen behind 3-1 in the NBA Finals are a combined 0-32 in those series.
Can LeBron and company become the first one to do so?
Many claimed that last year’s Finals matchup between these two teams was one-sided due to the mere fact that LeBron was the only one doing everything for the Cavs because of the absence of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.
Yes, they won Game 3 by 30 points, but in Game 4? Where were they? Yes, Kyrie Irving scored 34 points on 14 of 28 field goal shooting. Yes, LeBron had a near triple-double, but he also turned the ball over seven times.
Now, here’s what primarily went wrong: the rest of Cleveland’s starting unit only scored a combined 23 points. Defensively, the Cavs had both good and bad points.
Their bright spot was limiting the Warriors to only 40 percent shooting from the field. They also “held” the Warriors to 108 points. Problem is, Cleveland allowed the Splash Brothers to hi 11 3’s on a 50 percent clip. As a team, the Warriors shot 47 percent from downtown.
The Cavs only connected on 24 percent of their 3’s.
Furthermore, Stephen Curry scored 38 points while Klay Thompson scored 25.
LeBron James and the rest of the Eastern Conference Champions still have a chance to pull the rug off the defending champs but they need to start playing suffocating defense.
must read: Cavs vs Warriors: Three Biggest Takeaways From Game 4
Otherwise, Game 4 might be the last sighting of LeBron James and Kevin Love together in Cleveland. If things go south come Game 5 at Oracle Arena, there’s a huge possibility that we’re seeing LeBron James taking his talent elsewhere, again, come July.