The Warriors were in a must-win situation to avoid falling into a 3-1 hole and they did just that after pulling off a 103-82 win in game four of the NBA Finals. The win allowed the Warriors to knot the series at two games apiece as the series shifts back to the Oracle Arena in Ohio, Sunday night.
The Golden State Warriors had to do what they were supposed to and stay alive and now they head back home in the same state they were when they headed to Cleveland, Ohio in game three – all even.
Not only that, they were able to regain home court advantage should the series go the distance. The Warriors lost that heading into game four after losing game 2 but now things have been set back to normal.
Lebron James was held to a series-low 20points which was way below his series average and much of that is credited to Iguodala’s defense. His game 4 output was 21 points below his usual numbers in the previous three games. James was scoreless in the fourth quarter.
James has been carrying much of the scoring load, understandably with the absence of Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.
Only Timofey Mozgov was able to churn in better numbers as the center finished with a game-high 28 points but Matthew Dellavedova, who was still battling leg cramps, could manage only 10 markers this time around.
Steve Kerr went to a small lineup against the Cavs and apparently the gamble paid off.
The Cavs actually scored the game’s first seven points before the Warriors found their rhythm.
Kerr made the necessary changes, opting to go small, and apparently the move paid off. Iguodala and Curry found their stroke and ended up with 22 points apiece when the smoke cleared. But they weren’t the only ones who had a good game.
Other Warriors contributed as well such as Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes who had 17 and 14 points respectively.
Green was moved to the center position in favor of the ineffective Andrew Bogut and the move apparently paid off.
"We said, `Hey let's throw a little wrinkle in it and see how it works," Iguodala said after the game. "It worked for us tonight."
The Cavs didn’t make it easy though as they still stuck around. But in the end, the Warriors’ depth simply stood out and now they head into game 5 loaded with confidence as they look to seize the series lead against the depleted Cavaliers.
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