The Golden State Warriors were outplayed in the NBA Finals Game 3 against Celeveland Cavaliers, which helped LeBron James and co. win their first match of the best-of-seven-series. Now, the Cavaliers will be keen for another repeat performance, and win Game 4 at Quicken Loans Arena on Friday, to level the series at 2-2, which will make matters interesting in the NBA Finals.
The Cavaliers will be a confident unit after thrashing Warriors by incredible 30 points, score reading 120-90. It was one of those below par performances of the season by Warriors, where they were weak on defence, and failed to get things right when required on the offensive front.
Cavaliers after taking a healthy 33-14 lead in the first quarter looked in full control of the game. If the Cavaliers manage to come up with a similar blistering start, it is going to be a difficult task for the Warriors to stop James and his team from taking advantage of the home crowd, who were on the top of their voices in the last match.
"We're all to blame. We win together and we lose together," cleveland.com quoted Warriors guard Klay Thompson as saying. "We lost the game in that first quarter, and we can't let them get out to a 33-14 lead."
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who are the star players for Warriors, have not been able to showcase their skills in the first few matches of the NBA Finals, which is a growing concern. They have been decent, but not the usual dominating self in the NBA Finals. The Warriors are heavily reliant on the Splash brothers, as witnessed during the regular season.
The Cavaliers seem to have a good plan against Curry, who only scored two points in the first half in Game 3, so there is a serious need for the MVP to find ways to get back to his scoring ways.
More than that, Warriors have been making some silly turnovers in the NBA Finals as well, which seems to be costing them points. Coach Steve Kerr wants his players to play a tough Game 4 in the NBA Finals.
"We weren't tough enough. We weren't strong enough with the ball. We can't be soft in Game 4 if we want to win," Kerr said.
The task is not easy for Warriors as Cavaliers' top stars including James and Kyrie Irving have been brilliant in the NBA Finals, and can inspire them to defeat Warriors for a second straight game. James, as expected, has been a leader against Warriors.
Besides the duo, Richard Jefferson produced a great defensive performance, which has given a selection headache to coach Tyronn Lue. Kevin Love is available for Game 4, but will he start ahead of Jefferson? Love is a genuine starter, but after Jefferson's quality showing in Game 3, it would be no surprise if the latter is picked.
Irrespective of which player is picked in the starting five, home fans will wants to see their team win Game 4, and thus increase their hope of winning the NBA title. However, Cavaliers' James and Irving will hold the key in Q2. Can they outshine Warriors once again NBA Finals Game 4?
Where to watch live
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors NBA Final Game 4 is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (6:30 a.m. IST, 2 a.m. BST) start. Indian viewers can watch it live on Sony Six/HD, with live streaming on Sonyliv.
Viewers in the US can watch the Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors NBA Final Game 4 live on ABC, with live streaming ABC GO.
BT Sport will provide live coverage of the NBA Finals Game 4 in the UK, while the game can also be live streamed on Watch BT Sport.
NBA fans can also watch the Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors NBA Final Game 4 live on NBA.com.
