Game 5 of Finals Will Test LeBron James' Resolve After Hitting Wall in Game 4
First came Andre Iguodala. Then came the double-teams—sometimes triple-teams—followed by passes out to the Cleveland Cavaliers' other sets of heavy legs.
Gone was the free reign over the Golden State Warriors' doe-eyed defense that LeBron James leveraged so effectively in Games 1, 2 and 3. Gone was the extra gear to which James had turned, time and again, to steal a victory in Oakland and secure another in Cleveland. Gone were the miraculous makes from the supporting cast and the team-wide stifling defense.
All that was left at the Q for the Cavs after Game 4 of the 2015 NBA Finals was a 103-82 loss to the Warriors, a tenuous 2-2 tie instead of a commanding 3-1 series lead and a tired, beat-up James eying another Herculean (if not downright Sisyphean) task ahead.
James struggled with his shot to an even greater degree than he had previously in this series (31.8 percent from the field, 50 percent from the free-throw line). More troubling still, James wasn't getting the shots he wanted or taking the ones he got with the same volume. After averaging 41 points on nearly 36 shots through the first three contests, James mustered a mere 20 points on 22 attempts in Game 4, albeit while grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing eight assists.
Golden State's shift in strategy had plenty to do with a night that, by James' ever-loftier standards, was nigh on forgettable for the four-time MVP.
Where once James could comfortably pick apart the Warriors defense from the low post, he found greater resistance from Golden State. Iguodala, starting in place of the ineffective Andrew Bogut, proved once again to be the Dubs' most effective LeBron stopper, using his length and strength to bother James.
Every time James touched the ball with his back to the basket, regardless of who was guarding him, the Warriors collapsed—most often from the baseline—to turn his sweet spot on the left block into a sour patch. The closer James got to the hoop, the thicker the thicket of Warriors arms became, shrouding his shot chart with uncharacteristic misses from close range.
On one such drive in the second quarter, Bogut's limbs sent James out of bounds and to the ground, where the back of his head collided with the front of a baseline camera. James played on, but the gash required a stitching-up after the game.
The lack of support from the rest of Cleveland's perimeter players didn't make matters any easier for James. While Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson took advantage of Golden State's deliberate lack of size, the trio of J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and heretofore Finals hero Matthew Dellavedova combined to shoot 7-of-35 from the field, including an abysmal 3-of-22 from behind the three-point line.
"The fact that we didn't make shots from the outside really had an impact on LeBron's ability to attack," Cavs coach David Blatt said afterward.
But the Cavs can't count on their cast of clunky shooters to turn things around on the road, not after watching that trio combine to shoot 15-of-53 (28.3 percent) from the field in Games 1 and 2 at Oracle Arena. Nor can they wait for the Warriors to start respecting their role players and, in turn, stop harassing James.
What they can do is use the additional day between Games 4 and 5 to rest up and hope that James will be fresh enough to force the issue Sunday, as he has before in crucial situations.
Like Game 5 against the Detroit Pistons in 2007, when James came of age by scoring the Cavs' final 25 points through the end of regulation and two overtimes.
Like Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers in 2012, when James exploded for 40 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists to help the Miami Heat avoid a 3-1 series deficit.
Like Game 6 against the Boston Celtics later that same spring, when James staved off elimination with a 45-point, 15-rebound, five-assist virtuoso performance in Beantown.
Like Games 6 and 7 in the 2013 Finals, between which James averaged 34.5 points, 11 rebounds and 7.5 assists to close out the San Antonio Spurs and claim a second straight title.
Cleveland may need another legendary effort out of James to avoid watching its 2-1 advantage sink into a 3-2 hole. Save for his explosive fourth quarter in Game 3, Stephen Curry hasn't truly come alive yet. Chances are, he will before the next champion has been crowned—and might even be the one to lead the coronation. Curry's supporting cast appears to have found its second wind, while James' is now gasping for air as he grasps at straws.
"We don't have many options for lineups, but we can make adjustments," James said.
The Cavs will have to if they're to solve the new set of riddles with which the Warriors befuddled them in Game 4. First and foremost, they'll have to work harder (and smarter) to get the ball in James' hands, preferably on that left block that he loves so much.
But if Cleveland can't deliver the rock to him there, it'll have to make do with putting James in possession wherever it can. And if the Cavs flounder in that regard, the onus will be on James to demand the ball and retake control of the run of play.
The question is, will James have the requisite stores of energy to shred Golden State's latest game plan? If Game 4 was any indication, this could be a serious cause for concern in Cleveland.
"I ran through the 12 minutes of the third, and I gassed out," James said.
En route to that gassing, though, the Cavs and Warriors alike were reminded of James' power, prowess and importance. He accounted for 24 of Cleveland's 28 points—via either score, assist or his teammates' offensive rebounds off his misses—as the home team whittled what had been a 15-point deficit down to three.
But the deficit expanded back into double digits while James attempted to catch his breath to start the final frame. Once James returned to the action, the Warriors were already well on their way to wrapping up a victory and sending the game into garbage time.
Keeping Golden State from seizing complete control of these Finals will require that James bend his circumstances back to his will. That'll be much easier said than done, now that the Warriors appear to have discovered just enough kryptonite to weaken Cleveland's Superman.
If there's any comfort for the Cavs, it's in the knowledge that James has faced his fair share of fire throughout his time in the NBA and has come out on the other side plenty of times before.
"I've been through a little bit in my pretty cool career," James remarked.
James also mentioned the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals as "the biggest challenge of my career." The Cavaliers can only hope that he'll respond to his latest obstacle in the same way he did that one—with another performance for the ages.
The team's fate, and the city's first pro sports championship in 51 years, will be riding on it.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
