NBA Finals 2015 Schedule: Warriors vs. Cavs Game 4 TV Info and Predictions
For the Golden State Warriors, this is it.
If they fall down 3-1 to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the fairy tale that ends with league MVP Stephen Curry and the Warriors raising a championship banner for the first time in 40 years will take a very different turn.
LeBron James will not lose three out of four games in the NBA Finals, which is what the Warriors would need should they drop Game 4. For the Dubs to have a chance at hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy, they need to come away with a victory Thursday night.
It's a must-win, for sure. But will they win?
How to Watch
| Thursday, June 11 | Warriors at Cavaliers | 9 p.m. | ABC |
Catch Game 4's live stream through WatchESPN.
Predictions
Steph Curry Will Explode
Imagine how Curry, who was crowned as the league's top individual player for the 2014-15 season, feels about Matthew Dellavedova-mania.
Everybody loves Delly. The 24-year-old Australian has all but glued himself to Curry, who has seldom been able to spot up for a clear look throughout these Finals.
The underdog deserves praise, and lots of it. But how do you think Curry feels about it?
As relayed by Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, the All-Star isn't loving it:
Now, the Delly love affair is justified. He came into these playoffs relatively unknown, but his star has shined brighter the deeper Cleveland has gone into the postseason. In Game 2, he legitimately locked up the MVP:
Afterward, Curry was asked about what Dellavedova did that was so successful.
"Nothing really just besides playing their game plan and playing defense like every pro is supposed to," he said with some subtle disdain, as relayed by Jimmy Spencer of Sporting News.
After struggling again with just three points in the first half of Game 3, Curry played legitimately mad down the stretch and caught fire. He finished with 27.
Expect that same fire, that same anger to propel Curry to an even bigger night in Game 4.
Warriors Will Win
It's hard to pick against Golden State on Thursday, even if you think (as do I) that Cleveland will win the series.
This is a team that has proved to be dominant all year. But they've also been pushed to the brink by the Memphis Grizzlies, who also took a 2-1 lead in the conference semifinals that resulted in the public's doubting of the Dubs.
On Wednesday, Curry talked about the similarity in the series against Cleveland and the one against Memphis, as relayed by Kawakami:
"We're down 2‑1 on the road. Same sequence of games. Win‑loss‑loss, so very similar situations, obviously a different team. So you've got to adjust accordingly.
But the mission is we've got to win Game 4. Go home with an even series and take it from there. We'll figure out our game and the adjustments we need to make as we watch film later today, and we'll be ready tomorrow to give our best effort.
That's all we can control. I feel like we're pretty confident we can turn this around.
"
After falling behind to the Grizz, Golden State responded with three straight wins to take the series. The Warriors won by 17, 20 and 13.
Now, that is unlikely to happen in this case. They won't whip up a bulletproof plan to stop James, who has been absolutely legendary.
But this team won't go down without a fight. The Dubs are desperate for Game 4, and it's likely they'll get it.
Stats are accurate courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
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