Wrap-Up — Including this year’s Playoffs, the Cavaliers have put together 10 streaks of at least three straight wins this season.
They’ll need one more if they hope to make history and wrestle the NBA title away from the World Champs – who outscored the Wine and Gold, 58-42, in the second stanza and held on for the 108-97 victory in Game 4 at The Q.
After holding the Splash Brothers in check through the first three games of the Finals, Golden State’s All-Star backcourt went to work on Friday – combining for 63 points, going 11-for-22 from long-range as the Warriors hit 17 triples to put the Cavaliers on the brink of elimination.
The Wine and Gold’s dynamic duo of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving combined for 59 points of their own, but LeBron committed seven turnovers – and now has 23 in the series – while Irving went 3-for-10 in the fourth quarter.
Both squads were sharp in the early-going, with eight ties and eight lead-changes in a back-and-forth first quarter. The Cavaliers found their rhythm in the second quarter and took a five-point lead into the locker room.
But Cleveland went cold from beyond the arc in the second half – going just 1-for-9 from deep – while also struggling from the stripe, hitting just five of their 11 free throws after intermission. Golden State had no such problem from either location – going 9-of-21 from deep and 15-of-16 from the free throw line.
In that fateful second half, the Cavaliers offense became a two-man show – with LeBron and Kyrie combining for 33 of Cleveland’s 38 shot attempts. The Cavaliers also committed seven of their 11 turnovers in the final 24 minutes.
After missing Game 3 with the lingering effects of a concussion he suffered in Game 2, Kevin Love came off the bench on Friday night – the first time he’s done so since April 14, 2010.
The three-time All-Star led all reserves with 11 points, but attempted just two shots after halftime and was just 3-of-6 from the floor overall, adding five boards and a blocked shot in 25 minutes of action.
“We’ve just got to win,” said Love. “It’s do-or-die for us and we just have to take it one game at a time. Going on the road is a tough thing to do, but we need to get it done.”
Tristan Thompson, coming off his best outing of the postseason, got off to another strong start – tallying eight points and five offensive boards in the first quarter. But Thompson attempted just two more shots and grabbed just two more boards the rest of the way, finishing with 10 points and seven boards in the loss.
J.R. Smith was the only other Cavalier in double-figures, but like the rest of the squad – that went just 6-of-25 from three-point range – cooled down from the floor, going 3-of-10 overall, just 2-of-8 from deep.
“It was a soft game – we played soft and didn’t come out with the energy and effort,” lamented Smith following the loss. “They tried to play physical, which really didn’t affect us. We just have to do better.”
Once again, the Warriors almost completely silenced the remainder of Cleveland’s reserves – holding Iman Shumpert, Matthew Dellavedova and Channing Frye to a combined four points.
As if the second half wasn’t difficult enough to watch for Cavalier fans, the final quarter was marred by a pair of ugly incidents.
Late in the affair, a bare-chested fan with a poignant political message written across his chest ran onto the court and was promptly subdued by a team of security members.
On the floor, with just under three minutes remaining, LeBron James and Draymond Green exchanged heated words after it appeared Green punched James between the legs from behind after the two got tangled up and as LeBron stepped over him near halfcourt.
“I’m all cool with the competition, I’m all fine with that, but some of the words that came out of (Green)’s mouth were a little bit overboard,” said James. “And being a guy with pride, a guy with three kids and a family, things of that nature, some things just go overboard and that’s where he took it.”
The Cavaliers were outrebounded, 43-40, and handed out just 15 assists to Golden State’s 23. Cleveland outscored the Warriors in the paint, 48-20, and on second-chance opportunities, 25-19.
But the Warriors posted the biggest number of the night – 47 percent: their shooting percentage from beyond the arc, going 17-of-36 to put the Wine and Gold in a serious bind as they travel to Oakland for Game 5.
Turning Point — After trailing by six in the third quarter, the Cavaliers clawed back to take a two-point edge early in the fourth. Golden State jumped back in front, but Kyrie split a pair of free throws with 7:30 to play that got Cleveland to within four – 88-84.
But the Warriors – who are known to extend a lead in rapid fashion – did exactly that, with a quick layup by Curry followed by a Harrison Barnes triple that extended Golden State’s lead to nine, 93-84, and put the Cavs in scramble mode the rest of the way.
By the Numbers – 64 … points that Kyrie Irving has scored over his past two games – combining to go 26-for-53 in those contests. The fifth-year pro has now topped the 30-point plateau in a team-high five games during the 2016 Playoffs.
Quotable – Coach Tyronn Lue, on what he’ll tell his team, heading to Oakland, down 3-1 …
“If you don’t think we can win, don’t get on the plane.”
Up Next – Not only do the Cavaliers have to win three straight to win the title – they’ll have to defy NBA history to do so. No team has ever come back from a 3-1 Finals deficit to win the Championship. That history-making attempt begins on Monday night, when Game 5 tips off in Oakland. If the Wine and Gold can win that one, the series returns to Cleveland for Game 6 on Thursday night. If they can go the distance, Game 7 is set for Oracle Arena next Sunday night.
