Warriors vs. Cavaliers: Live Stream Schedule, Odds and Pregame 4 Comments

A series seen as a coronation for the league's best team might suddenly be fit for a King. Behind LeBron James' historic statistical output and gritty defense, the undermanned Cleveland Cavaliers have shockingly taken a 2-1 series lead over the favored Golden State Warriors. Halfway to the upset, the Cavs could seize control at home with a Game 4 win.

No team has ever lost an NBA Finals series when up 3-1, so the pressure is squarely on the 67-win Warriors. Golden State's league-leading offense has been stymied thus far, though Stephen Curry's hot second half, which nearly fueled a 20-point comeback, could be the slump-buster the Dubs need to retake home-court advantage.

Laying out the Game 4 live stream viewing information and pregame line, via Odds Shark, let's take a look at some of the most insightful player and coach comments leading up to Thursday's contest and place them in the larger context of the series.

Date	Location	Start Time	Stream	Line
Thursday, June 11	Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland	9 p.m. ET	WatchESPN	CLE -1

Matthew Dellavedova's Health

Matthew Dellavedova is one of the last players you'd expect to headline a story after an NBA Finals game, but the endearing Aussie has arguably become Cleveland's most important player in this series outside of LeBron.

The guard delivered a brief scare to Cavs fans by going to the hospital after the game, but according to NBA.com's Steve Aschburner, David Blatt isn't planning on limiting Cleveland's most energetic spark plug:

"

I told him I was going to limit his minutes, and he said, ‘No, you’re not.’ Look, we’ve got to be realistic and keep our eyes on him and see how he recovers. He emptied the tank last night. Hopefully in the ensuing 48 hours he’s going to be able to catch up and to get back up to par, so to speak, in terms of his body. But he’ll be out there, and we’ll just monitor how he’s doing.

"

James' incendiary all-around game has elevated the Cavaliers to an unlikely series lead, but in truth, Dellavedova's ability to turn a presupposed weakness into a strength has played a huge supporting role.

Before the series, most figured a hobbled Kyrie Irving would forge little resistance against Stephen Curry. However, Dellavedova has harassed the MVP into one of his worst shooting stretches of the season:

Consequently, Curry has posted a negative plus-minus in two consecutive games, an occurrence that happened just four times in the entire regular season. Though he doesn't necessarily possess the quickness to defend Curry for 40-plus minutes, Dellavedova has been the Cavs' most effective changeup against Golden State's engine.

Game 4 specifically could present a tough turnaround for Dellavedova and the Cavs. Injuries have whittled the rotation down to the point where six Cavaliers played at least 31 minutes in Game 3 with the rest of the bench playing 15 minutes combined. With its third game in a six-day stretch, this Cavs team, which is built on a relentless, limit-pushing effort, won't enter the game with its gas tank full.

Unlocking the Cavs D

As well as Dellavedova and the rest of the Cavs have played on defense, it seems unlikely that they'll repress the league's best shooter for the remainder of the series. According to Pro Basketball Talk's Kurt Helin, Curry believes he's already found a crack in Cleveland's pick-and-roll defense:

"

I think I found something when it comes to how I’m going to be able to attack their pick-and-rolls and even certain iso situations. I’ll keep that in the memory bank going into Game 4, and hopefully it has a trickle over effect into the first quarter of the next game.

We became the aggressors. Just like the last three minutes of Game 2. For us to win this series, we have to play that way the whole game. We have the depth, we have the talent to do it, whether we’re at home or on the road.

"

Most observers point to the second half as evidence of Curry busting out of his brief slump, as 24 of his 27 points came after the intermission. However, the key might not be Curry's actual shooting touch, but rather his aggressiveness in seeking to create his own offense:

Curry took just six shots the entire first half, an unacceptable total for a Warriors offense in need of a spark. With ancillary options like Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes struggling when presented with decision-making opportunities, Curry might actually do well to take a page from LeBron's playbook and take a larger slice of the Dubs' offensive pie.

The Cavs have executed a terrific game plan in forcing the ball out of Curry's hands. But if his postgame comments are any indication, Curry might take on some of those ostensibly less favorable situations with the understanding that his game can transcend what the probabilities suggest he should do.