NBA Finals 2015: Warriors vs. Cavs Game 4 Result, Quotes and Updated Schedule
It's a three-game series for the 2015 NBA Finals after the Golden State Warriors' 103-82 drubbing of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 Thursday knotted things up at two games apiece. The series now heads back to the West Coast.
There were some bumps along the way, but the Warriors return to Oracle Arena tied in the NBA Finals, just like they were when they last left it. Behind a dominant fourth quarter that saw Golden State hold LeBron James scoreless, the momentum of this championship series shifted directly back to the Warriors' side.
With two full days off before Sunday night's pivotal Game 5, there's plenty of time to dissect a wild Game 4 full of dramatics and talking points. Take a look below for the updated Finals schedule and more analysis from Game 4.
2015 NBA Finals Schedule
| 5 | Sun., June 14 | Cleveland at Golden State | 8 p.m. | ABC |
| 6 | Tue., June 16 | Golden State at Cleveland | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 7* | Fri., June 19 | Cleveland at Golden State | 9 p.m. | ABC |
Even without his supporting cast clicking, James has found ways to win in this series. But it's taken near-perfect basketball from the King, which wasn't in the cards Thursday night.
After averaging more than 40 points per game throughout the opening three contests, the Cavs superstar finished with just 20 points on 7-of-22 shooting. He struggled to finish at the rim, never settled into any sort of groove on the perimeter and missed five of his 10 free throws.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr noted his team didn't change much of their defense on him, save for a mindset alteration, per SLAM Magazine:
Of course, it didn't help that James' hands were virtually tied with the ball. He was relegated to either driving and finishing over tough defense or dumping it to Timofey Mozgov, with the backcourt of Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Matthew Dellavedova struggling mightily from the floor.
As told by Jerry Hinnen of CBS Sports, the combined shooting of the trio was ghastly:
Much more than just poor Cavaliers shooting and James' struggles gave Golden State the push it needed Thursday, as that came early on. Kerr surprised by going with the smaller starting lineup of Andre Iguodala over Andrew Bogut, and after a quick 7-0 Cleveland start, the athleticism and the speed of Golden State began to wear on the Cavs.
In particular, Iguodala has been huge on James defensively in the series. His 22 points and eight rebounds were massive, but his ability to get stops on the 30-year-old have been even bigger, per ESPN Stats & Info:
Many wondered how Iggy would react to a sixth-man role under Kerr's first season, and it admittedly hasn't been easy, but Kerr noted it helped the 31-year-old, making his first Finals appearance, to stay fresh, per Bleacher Report's Ethan J. Skolnick:
Iguodala's activity on James wasn't the only benefit that a smaller lineup gave Golden State, as it allowed fresher bodies to gang up on the boards. The Cavs still out-rebounded the Warriors 49-44, but Harrison Barnes, Shaun Livingston and Iguodala each getting eight rebounds shows just how much of a team effort it was.
Part of that could be inevitable wear and tear on the injury depleted Cavs, who are playing virtually a seven-man rotation against as many as nine or 10 Warriors. Head coach David Blatt even admitted as much following the game, as Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix noted:
An extra day of rest may help somewhat in that regard, giving obviously drained players like James, Dellavedova and Tristan Thompson the chance to get right for Sunday night. But that rest may be all for naught, if the Warriors come out like they did Thursday.
Golden State set the pace of Game 4 and controlled it for the majority of the game, only allowing the Cavs back in it when the Warriors got away from what worked. Cleveland may not shoot this poorly in Game 5, but it's safe to say the Dubs will defend nearly as well.
If that happens, the Warriors will be in position to move one win away from the franchise's first championship in 40 years come Sunday.
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