Cavaliers vs. Warriors: Game 4 Stats and NBA Finals 2016 Game 5 Schedule, Odds

Let a conspiracy theorist tell it, and the Golden State Warriors lost Game 3 so they could close out the 2016 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers at home.

It makes for a funny story, at least. Stephen Curry and the Warriors hit cruise control over the first two games of the series before an odd Game 3 throttling on the road, losing 120-90. Then it was back to business Friday night, road game or not, in a 108-97 victory.

The score was arguably uglier than it looks, too, because the Warriors pressed the advantage in the second half and never looked back.

Now the 3-1 series shifts back to Golden State Monday for what could be the capper. Let's take a look at Friday's affair before previewing the potential end of the series and the crowning of a back-to-back champion.

Game 4 Breakdown

Going into Friday's encounter, which most viewed as a series-defining matchup, Curry had yet to breach the 20-point barrier against the Cavaliers, instead opting to let those around him do the heavy lifting, win or lose.

Curry dropped 38 points Friday, his second-highest output of the postseason.

He did his damage on a 7-of-13 mark from deep while going 9-of-10 from the charity stripe; only three other Warriors reached double digits. His outburst told the larger story of a player taking the game over and forcing a lineup that Cleveland had countered well in Game 3 to score a win.

Here's a look at some of the most important numbers to know:

Stat	GS	CLE
Field Goal %	40.7	46.9
Three Point %	47.2	24.0
Free Throw %	80.6	57.7
Total Rebounds	54	54
Assists	23	15
Total Turnovers	9	11
Points in Paint	20	48

The story almost writes itself. Cleveland shot better from the field, but not at the range it matters against the Warriors—from deep. The Cavaliers also shot themselves in the foot at the line and almost seemed to revert back to a tried-and-failed approach by trying to win in the paint. 

As such, it's not a shock to see LeBron James scored only 25 points. Kyrie Irving posted 34 while trying to keep pace with Curry, but the guard needed 28 shots to do so. The returning-from-injury Kevin Love mustered 11 points in 25 minutes of action.

It just wasn't enough in the face of Curry, who seemed to awaken after what forward Draymond Green classified as "slander," according to ESPN.com.

"All the slander," Green said. "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."

It's Cleveland once again on the receiving end of similar criticism ahead of Monday's affair. 

Game 5 Preview

It's back to Oracle Arena Monday at 9 p.m. ET for Game 5, which ABC will once again broadcast. 

Las Vegas would agree with anyone brave enough to suggest the series ends Monday, too, considering the Warriors sit as eight-point favorites, according to Odds Shark.

And why not? Cleveland seemed to put up the prideful performance at home to avoid the brooms, but otherwise it hasn't shown itself defensively capable of slowing Golden State's small-ball approach or potent enough on the offensive end to keep pace.

Like they have in each of two postseasons now, the Warriors only get better as a series continues, which Mercury News' Tim Kawakami reinforced:

A bit of Finals history on its own, sans anything the Warriors have accomplished thus far, says quite a lot as well:

Granted, if there's one player who can scoff in the face of such history and help a team make a push, it's James. The Warriors understand this well and have already touched on the topic, 3-1 advantage or not.

"At any moment, the guy can just turn into an uncontainable player," Andre Iguodala said, according to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. "You've got to have the appropriate fear."

No matter how Monday's affair shakes out, it's not an occasion to miss. It's either going to crown a champion and cement one of the best teams of all time, or it will extend a series and send it back to Cleveland, where anything can happen—perhaps setting James up for a comeback of historic proportions and a shot at bringing a title to the city. 

In fact, one could argue a 3-1 series has never looked this appealing.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified. Odds via Odds Shark.