Expert
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Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors |
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2017 NBA Finals, Game 4, Saturday June 10 |
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Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio | ||
Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors | |
137 | SCORE | 116 |
49 | Q1 | 33 |
37 | Q2 | 35 |
29 | Q3 | 28 |
22 | Q4 | 20 |
The Cleveland Cavaliers came back from 3-1 last year, but they will be doing it from 3-0 this time around as the Golden State Warriors look to take the NBA Championship away from home in Game 4. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 11am (AEST).
The Warriors have been simply on fire during the playoffs and now hold a 15-0 record, just one game away from sweeping the Cavaliers.
The finals series has been a domination of itself. The first two games at home saw the Warriors skip away with ease as Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant led the charge, despite Klay Thompson going quiet.
With Draymond Green leading the defensive effort, it was impossible for the Cavaliers, who looked lost with LeBron James on the bench for even a few minutes.
It was a similar story in Game 3 with regards to LeBron having a few minutes off the court, but the Cavaliers on the whole were a lot more competitive.
The Cavaliers should have won Game 3. They held the lead into the final minutes with LeBron receiving plenty of support from Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and J.R Smith, who finished with 16, but they found a way to blow it.
On the back of a Durant masterclass, the Warriors would score the last ten points to turn a deficit into a five-point win during the final minute.
Cleveland were powerless to stop it as a Durant three turned the lead over, before the hosts defended poorly, then turned it over immediately from an inbound to ensure there was no way back into the ball game in the dying seconds.
While LeBron is averaging 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists per game so far for the finals, which is astronomical he simply can’t do it on his own.
Love and Irving have been below their best, and with the defensive intent not coming from Tristan Thompson in the paint, Durant has been laughing all the way to the rim for dunk after dunk.
Durant, due to the lack of defence and his combinations with Green, Curry and Thompson is averaging a ridiculous 36 points per game, and simply hasn’t been challenged nearly enough. He is also providing on defence with five blocks in Game 2.
While the Cavaliers snatched defeat from the jaws of victory last time out, they have been comprehensively outplayed and to turn it around will take a minor miracle.
Prediction
With Durant, Thompson and Curry firing, how do you stop the Warriors? LeBron managed it last year with some strong support, but there was no Durant. He is the tipping factor, and the Warriors will sweep the series away from home.
It concerns me though, that if they go into the final quarter with any sort of lead, this could blow out. I don’t think it’ll happen, but the threat is there.
Warriors to take the championship by 6.
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