NBA Finals 2016: Warriors vs. Cavaliers Game 4 Result, Quotes, Updated Schedule
Behind 38 points from star point guard Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-97 in Game 4 of the 2016 NBA Finals, putting them one win away from cementing the greatest season in NBA history.
After a disastrous 30-point loss in Game 3 in Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena, Golden State showed it could indeed be road warriors with a crucial away victory. Curry was magnificent after three-straight lackluster performances, knocking down seven of his team's NBA Finals-record 17 three-pointers, and backcourt mate Klay Thompson added 25 points to help pace the squad.
Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers with 34 points, while LeBron James put in another comprehensive shift with 25 points, 13 boards and nine assists. The Cleveland bench—now featuring Kevin Love—still wasn't up to standards, managing just 15 points in support of the starting five.
With a 3-1 series lead, the Warriors can finish off the Cavaliers at home at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. Here's the remaining schedule for the championship series.
| 5 | Monday, June 13 | 9 p.m. | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors | ABC | WatchESPN |
| 6* | Thursday, June 16 | 9 p.m. | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | ABC | WatchESPN |
| 7* | Sunday, June 19 | 8 p.m. | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors | ABC | WatchESPN |
Warriors fans certainly had reason to worry after watching Curry score just 48 points over the first three games and their team take a beating in Game 3. However, Curry alleviated those fears with a barrage of three-pointers and an MVP-worthy performance. Warriors forward Draymond Green knew Curry had it in him to respond to the criticism of his game.
"All the slander," Green said, per Tom Withers of the Associated Press (via NBA.com). "He's a competitor. He's been under a heavy microscope, and rightfully so. Two-time MVP, you're expected to have a great game in the finals. He struggled the first three, tonight he was our guy."
When Curry's off, his lack of size and strength can make him look particularly ineffectual. Fortunately for the Warriors, those stretches are few and far between. Even though the Warriors trounced Cleveland in Games 1 and 2 at home, Curry isn't looking to back off upon returning to Oakland, per SportsCenter:
Like Curry, Green had a noteworthy game, although for different reasons.
Green had an off night on the offensive end, but he wrangled 12 rebounds while adding three blocks and two steals to make up for it.
He also got into a fourth-quarter scuffle of sorts with James (seen in the video above), with the latter telling USA Today's AJ Neuharth-Keusch that something Green said during the altercation didn't sit well with him:
"Draymond said something that I don't agree with. I'm all cool with the competition, I'm all fine with that, but some of the words that came out of his mouth were a little bit overboard. Being a guy with pride, a guy with three kids and a family, things of that nature, just some things go overboard, and that's where he took it.
"
Green has been involved in several high-profile incidents this postseason, most of them concerning apparent cheap shots to the groin.
He appeared to hit James in the groin with his hand, and Yahoo Sports' Eric Freeman notes since Green picked up a flagrant foul against the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier in the postseason, his status for Game 5 could be in jeopardy if the league tags him again:
"That situation means any league review that ends in a Green flagrant will keep him out of Game 5. The league could attempt to issue a lesser punishment again and assess the play as a technical — where Draymond has more wiggle room — but this incident should be looked at as a potential flagrant if it's reviewed at all.
"
For his part, Green said he didn't appreciate the way James disentangled himself from their tie-up.
"I felt he stepped over me. You're not just gonna step over me like that," he said on NBA TV, via Neuharth-Keusch. "There's many routes you can take, don't just step over me like that. We had our words, it is what it is. I don't care who you are, I'm not gonna back down from you."
If it's any consolation to Green, the San Jose Mercury News' Tim Kawakami thinks he could be on his way to winning the Finals MVP:
Despite holding a slim lead at halftime, the Cavaliers couldn't keep up with the Warriors in the second half. Irving and James tried to carry the team through the tough stretches, but the supporting cast wasn't enough, and the Warriors' three-pointer party was too much to overcome.
Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue admitted to leaning heavily on his stars in the fourth, per Sports Illustrated's Ben Golliver:
The Cavaliers laid waste to the Eastern Conference with heavy barrages of three-pointers in their run to these NBA Finals but haven't been able to find the mark for much of this series. On Friday, the Cavs were just 6-of-25 from beyond the arc.
Trips to the Oracle Arena haven't been kind to the Cavaliers in this series, but James believes they can steal a game on Sunday.
"Let's get one," he said, per Withers (via NBA.com). "We've already got to take a flight home anyways, so we might as well come home with a win and play on our home floor again."
Of course, no Game 4 wrap-up could be complete without Curry's take on Twitter's reaction to the all-white version of his latest shoes with Under Armour, the Curry Two Lows. Curry said he would've laced them up had he had them with him, per ESPN.com's J.A. Adande:
Footwear-related shenanigans aside, the lows Curry and the rest of the Warriors experienced in this series are likely to be replaced by the highest of highs, winning the Larry O'Brien Trophy. No team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals.
The Cavaliers offense is all too quick to resort to letting James and Irving trade taking over possessions, while the Warriors have proven they can win big and keep scoring points when Curry and Thompson are struggling.
Capping off the winningest season in NBA history is tantalizingly close for the Warriors, and completing the feat at home in front of adoring fans would make it that much sweeter. King James and the rest of the Cavaliers have work to do if they are to spoil this coronation.
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