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Warriors have one hand on the championship after 11-point road win

The Golden State Warriors are more likely to chase a championship than records this year. (Photo: AP)
Roar Guru
11th June, 2016
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The Golden State Warriors look like they have all but secured their second consecutive NBA Championship after recording an 11-point win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4.

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Winning one game on Golden State’s home floor was always going to be difficult for the Cavaliers, winning two might be impossible.

Cleveland looked strong in this game but it all fell apart for them in the fourth quarter. Both teams went on runs throughout the game but neither managed to maintain leads – that is, until the fourth quarter when the Warriors really brought it home.

Their defensive intensity was fantastic and after giving up so many offensive rebounds earlier on to the Cavs, Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green fought hard and secured several extra possessions for their team.

Despite being only one assist away from a triple double, Lebron James (25pts, 13rebs, 9asst) started the game far too passively. Yes, Kyrie Irving was hitting some great shots but he is not the unstoppable force James is when he wants to be, he let his side down in this aspect.

Steph Curry had a great game, perhaps without quite looking like the regular season Curry that left us all in disbelief. His 38 points were fantastic but he still had stretches – especially in the first quarter – where he looked like he was struggling. He certainly got better as the game went on.

The Warriors set an NBA record of 17 made three pointers, the most ever in a Finals game. This was particularly helpful after shooting the three ball so poorly in Game 3 – they were up to 47 per cent in this one after 27 per cent last game.

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Kevin Love contributed with 11 points but he still did not look entirely comfortable, whether this was down to his concussion, his fit within the team or both.

No team has ever come back to win an NBA Finals series after being 3-1 down. Can the Cavaliers do it? At this point it seems unlikely, but this is the NBA, “where amazing happens” as they so often tell us.

Final score
Cleveland Cavaliers 97
Golden State Warriors 108

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