Golden State Warriors/Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Finals Game 4 Analysis

16 Wins A Ring Writers offer 3 different perspectives on NBA Finals, Game 4 results: Cavaliers 137—Warriors 116

Golden State Analysis by: Rich Condon

What Worked:

Not much worked for Golden State in the chaos of Game Four. Cleveland came out with a very physical game plan, and Golden State was never able to adjust. Unfortunately, the horrific job by the referees cast a pall over what was a historic effort from Cleveland. However, it took a historic effort from Cleveland to beat the Warriors. It seems unlikely that they can produce four historic efforts in a row to beat the Warriors in this series.

Kevin Durant was the only Warrior to play even remotely close to the lofty standard the Warriors had set over the course of the first three games, scoring 35 points.

Lessons Learned:

Even though Durant scored 35, he shot 9–22 from the field, and 2–9 from deep, which are jarring numbers for the efficient scorer. Stephen Curry (14 points, 30 percent from the field, 22 percent from deep) and Klay Thompson (36 percent from the field, 40 percent from deep) both struggled for the majority of the game.

Draymond Green finished with a 16 point, 14 rebound double-double, but shot 6–16 from the field and 1–6 from three. However, Draymond nearly got ejected if not for a controversial mistake on a technical foul call. Draymond should know by now that he has to keep his emotions in check, especially in Game Four of the Finals in Cleveland.

Golden State struggled hitting shots in Game Four, shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 28.2 percent from deep. The vaunted defense of the Warriors also didn’t show up as Cleveland set several NBA Finals records: most points in a quarter, most points in a half, and most three-pointers in a Finals game.

Game 5 Adjustments:

Hopefully, the same officiating crew won’t be at Game Five, as they completely failed to keep this game under any sort of control. They missed several calls (including two backcourt violations, which is baffling), seemed to be rather selective on other calls, and often times were so confused by what happened on the court the game had to stop. I’ve never seen a referee get a technical foul call wrong.

At times, the game felt like it was a drawn out match-up between a pitcher and a batter in a baseball game, which obviously doesn’t benefit Golden State. By stalling the game so much, the refs allowed the Cavs to get set on defense and killed a significant amount of transition opportunities that benefit the Warriors. More importantly, the significant amount of pauses in the third quarter allowed Cleveland to catch their breath, and that fatigue had been a major factor in the first three games of the Finals. Despite this, Cleveland was the superior team tonight. They dominated the Warriors in every facet of the game. The fact that the officiating even needs to be mentioned in such a way is a shame.

As for the Warriors, they need to re-establish themselves on defense. The shots didn’t fall on offense, but they still got a fair number of good, clean looks. Sometimes, the shots don’t fall, and it’s a rarity when the Warriors shoot under 30 percent from three.

However, they got punked on defense tonight. Golden State needs to get back to the defense they played in the first two games of this series, and let the offense flow from their defense. In addition, the Warriors need to re-establish their pace and tempo in Game Five.

Game 5 Prediction:

Hmm, Golden State is up 3–1 over Cleveland going into Game Five in the Finals. This seems familiar. However, Draymond Green isn’t suspended for Game Five this year, and there’s still that dude Kevin Durant on Golden State. I don’t think Game Five is going to go the same way it did last year. I also expect Roarcle is going to be louder than the Quicken Loans Arena was tonight. Even though they’re up 3 games to 1, Game Five feels like a must-win for Golden State.

And win they shall.

Cavaliers Analysis by Brendan Vogt

What Worked:

Nothing went Cleveland’s way in the first two games of this series, and there was plenty they would change about game 3 if they could. But Cleveland finally found their swagger in Friday night’s matchup, and virtually everything worked for the Cavaliers as they lead from start to finish in a 19-point blowout.

Game 3 featured a mesmerizing offensive performance from Kyrie, but it also featured some brutal shot selection, horrid defense, and a game-deciding twenty-four second-long isolation against one of the league’s best perimeter defenders when his team needed a good possession. But that’s who Kyrie Irving is. He’s a scorer, and a one on one demigod: armed with some of the world’s best handles, a propensity for hitting high difficulty shots, and Cojones the size of Key Tower.

Kyrie didn’t adjust his shot selection in game 4, he took the same impossible and ill-advised shots that he always does — but this time he knocked them down.

The Cavaliers need his production to have a chance in these games, and as a fan you die by those same shots you’re willing to live with when he brings his A-game. He brought his A+ game this time, and finished with 40 points on 55.6 percent shooting while hitting seven of his twelve three pointers.

It was a gorgeous performance, but it was far from a one-man show.

Despite the disappointing results of the first three games, LeBron James has shown up all series long.

As good as he was to start these Finals, he was even better on Friday as he dropped 31-points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists on his way to a +32 night in the box score, and the 9th triple-double of his NBA Finals career.

James was simply locked in, and he looked omniscient out there on the offensive end. He was the best passer on the floor, and he had full awareness of when it was time to take it to the rack and when it was time to find a teammate. Hell, even when he wasn’t sure what to do with the ball he was effective:

But unlike game three, James and Irving weren’t alone in this game. Virtually every player on Cleveland’s roster showed up to play, and they dominated from the tip. Cleveland combined the usual hot start from Kevin Love, 22 (!!) free throw attempts, and a boat load of three pointers to drop 49 points in the first quarter: the most by any team in any quarter in Finals history.

They didn’t slow down. The Cavaliers continued their torrential downpour from 3-point range in the second quarter, and they limited Golden State’s possessions by keeping their turnovers down, and keeping the Warriors out of transition. When the two teams broke for half, the scoreboard read 86 next to Cleveland — 86 points, in one half of an NBA Finals game.

No matter what the final score read, Cleveland was leaving this game either down 3–1 in the series, are with the Warriors celebrating on their home floor. Golden State is still in full control of this series. But Cleveland was in full control of this game, as they finished with more total rebounds, more assists, less turnovers, a better percentage from the floor and an absolutely mind boggling 24 three pointers on 45 attempts.

Lessons Learned:

In a game in which every single thing went Cleveland’s way, somehow the biggest takeaway is still Golden State’s greatness. Basketball is a game of long runs, and back and forth play, it’s common to see teams open up big leads, only to see that lead shrink by the time the fourth quarter rolls around.

But the Cavaliers are the defending champions of the basketball world, and this is the NBA Finals. A 20-point lead should feel a safe one — especially when a team is shattering offensive records left and right. But at no point in this game did Cleveland’s lead feel insurmountable.

It was a rare off night for Curry, who finished with just 14 points on 30.8 percent shooting and hit only two of his nine three pointers. It’s hard not imagine how different this game might have been should Steph had found his stroke.

The Barney’s Beanery on Santa Monica Ave. was full of passionate basketball fans that apparently had no idea that this was a 20-point game in a series featuring a 3–0 lead. The tension was palpable, and not a soul left early. This is the Golden State effect. No lead is safe.

On the Officiating:

Leading up to game 4, there was a lot of noise about the potential financial incentives that both Golden State and the league would have to extend this series a little longer.

The “conspiracy” talk was gaining momentum, after all, it was Game 4 last year when Draymond Green was ejected and ultimately suspended.

So, after more than 20 first quarter free throws from Cleveland, but only nine for the rest of the game, almost 10 technical fouls, a phantom ejection, and a WWE stare down between James and Durant — what have we learned about a potentially rigged league?

Nothing. All we learned was that this officiating crew was in way over their heads, and they lost control of this game in the first quarter. It was bizarre, it was chaotic, but ultimately, the game was still compelling. The whistles didn’t decide this game, nor did they ruin it.

The conspiracy talk is exhausting and boring. Look at the disparity in three-point shooting instead, that’s what decided this game.

Game 5 Adjustments:

Cleveland hit all of their shots in this game, but their shot selection still leaves much to be desired. If they’re fortunate enough to find themselves with another lead in game 5, they should try to slow the pace down. They can’t expect to make over 20 threes on 50 percent shooting, and they can’t expect Curry to remain ice cold. The same approach is unlikely to yield the same results. They might benefit from putting LeBron and Love in the post more.

This would help them to limit Golden State’s possessions, while possibly creating foul trouble and forcing Steve Kerr to adjust his lineups early. But most importantly, it would help limit Golden State’s fast break opportunities. The Warriors only scored 9 such points on Friday, and that’s an important part of the blueprint to another improbable win for Cleveland.

They’ll also need a similar performance from Tristan Thompson. He finally showed up in this series, and grabbed three offensive rebounds in the first quarter alone after managing only two all game on Wednesday. He also seemed to have a much better grasp on his role. Thompson has a propensity to force the put back opportunities after muscling his way to the offensive boards, but not in this game. He looked to kick the ball back out almost immediately, recognizing the importance of each and every possession.

But all of this means very little if LeBron James is not on the basketball court for every possible second. James’ durability is the stuff of legends, but he might need to take it to a herculean level in game 5. I don’t know if it’s fair, or even physically possible, but as long as the game is close, James has to play the entire time. That sounds hyperbolic, but the Cavaliers crumble like a Nature Valley bar when the King sits down.

Game 5 Prediction:

Cleveland needs everything to go right and most things to go wrong for Golden State if they have any shot at extending this series any further. Much of this will be out of their control: their defense was markedly better in this game, but at the end of the day this is a miss or make league, and Steph Curry makes a lot of his shots. You can expect him to bounce back strong at home, and we’ll likely see Durant return to his peak form as well.

This is the best basketball team on the planet, and they elevate their game to a unprecedented level when they play at home. A storm is brewing in the Bay Area, and Cleveland will have no shelter in front of a hostile crowd when this team unleashes their fury.

The Warriors will win this game, and Kevin Durant will finally finish in first place.

Neutral Analysis by Tamberlyn Richardson

Why Cavaliers Won:

History was made at the Q tonight- just not the type of history everyone was expecting. From the jump the Cavaliers were the aggressors and were by far more cohesive as a unit then they have been this entire series. Moreover, ill advised shots which wouldn’t fall consistently in prior games were dropping at an unprecedented rate. Cleveland looked like the team fans expected to see in Game 1.

I’ll dive in to this more below, but the referees did the Cavaliers a disservice with all the whistles.

Overall Cleveland dominated every category:

• Field goal percent 52.9 percent (GSW 44.8%)
• In a reversal of fortune Cleveland shot 53.3 percent from deep (GSW: 28.2 percent)
• Rebounds 56 for Cavs (GSW: 52)
• Points in the paint advantage went to GSW with 40 points, but they only bested Cleveland by 4 points (36)
• The key category where Cleveland gained real benefits was fast break points where they limited the Dubs to 9 points (scoring 8). This was also aided by the copious stoppages in play.
• While the Warriors have moved the ball to great effect it was Cleveland who won the assist battle 27 to 26.
• In terms of total shots taken the Cavs have won the attempt battle in most games, but lost out on efficiency. In Game 4, the teams drew even on attempts. However, the key takeaway here is more than half of Cleveland’s 87 attempts came from behind the arc (45 of 87) of which they connected on 24.
• Golden State’s reserves continue to hold the game by game scoring advantage (32 to 23), but the Cavs unit performed much better then they have in the series with multiple contributors.

LeBron James was sublime with a triple-double performance for the ages. Cold early, he elected to (hello- Kyrie, take some notes) integrate his squad and allowed the game to come to him. For the most part I felt his actions (speaking in terms of commentary and following stoppages) were fine. As a leader he needs to boost his team, which he did. And, other than one blatant infraction his effort was what you would expect from a player of his ilk facing elimination.

Why Warriors Lost:

The Warriors didn’t match the Cavaliers intensity to start the game nor were they particularly hot from the field. Golden State also had arguably their worst defensive effort of the series.

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala all picked up two fouls in the first quarter. The bizarre officiating on this night left a multitude of questions to be answered. Punctuating how odd the foul trouble was for Golden State they finished the first quarter with Steph Curry, Shaun Livingston, Patrick McCaw, James Michael McAdoo and Matt Barnes on the court.

Cleveland got to the line 22 times in the first quarter (11 for the Dubs), but oddly only made 9 additional trips the remainder of the game. In fact, if you are a Cavs fan you should be annoyed by how the game was called, as it only offers fodder for theorists. Given the Cavs two main issues were pace and fatigue, theoretically all those first quarter stoppages helped to offset those issues.

Bottom line, the resulting effect of the fouls to four key players was GSW were unable to find an offensive flow or rhythm. Nor could they be aggressive defensively which was dictated by the fouls assessed. Picking up a third foul would have sent those players to the bench for an entire quarter. We can quibble about foul calls, but if you can’t match your opponents energy, odds are you aren’t going to win on either end of the court.

While Kevin Durant led the way for Golden State, his offensive performance was no where on par with his previous games. His 35 points were a team high, but 15 came at the line. It was oddly reminiscent of the style he played in OKC — jacking up ill advised 3-point shots or forcing play in the paint. As the game progressed, so too did his reliance on forcing shots. Cleveland doubled KD on multiple occasions and when they did he seldom moved the ball or looked for alternatives.

Mockery of Officiating:

Okay, so let me be clear. The officials did not decide this game, but that doesn’t excuse the mockery of a show Mike Callahan’s crew put on last night. Sending 4 Warriors to their bench with two fouls a piece and Cleveland to the line 22 times in the opening frame was head scratching.

Factor in the Cavaliers only went to the line a further 9 occasions in the game and we’re left to wonder what precisely Callahan and co were doing. Draymond Green was clearly given a technical foul in the first quarter, but somehow Callahan managed to divert the tech onto Steve Kerr, but only after it appeared he was getting tossed in the third quarter. All 3 attendants at the desk said they were told the initial tech was on Green. And unless I’m suffering from early on-set dementia they announced that in arena.

Perhaps they recognized how much worse things would be if they had thrown out Green on what wasn’t a technical in the third quarter.

Then there were ditties like over and backs such as this which weren’t called (twice).

I’ll repeat, I think Cleveland would have won this game and deservedly so, but this officiating tainted the contest. Officiating shouldn’t even be a discussion point, but it will be now.

Callahan’s crew had zero control of this game, allowing situations to escalate far beyond necessary boundaries.

My biggest issue however, comes from something that occurred between a player and an official. To my knowledge the rule still exists that players cannot touch officials. This was beyond egregious and if any other player had committed this infraction they would not only have been ejected, they would have been suspended in the next game.

Game 5 Adjustments:

Don’t get blinded by fool’s gold. The shot attempts Kyrie Irving is taking are still ill advised. They are hero ball shots and too often Irving elects to go into iso mode and ignore his teammates. With so many Cavs connecting it would’ve behooved Uncle Drew to feed the troops. Granted the Warriors are more than capable of erasing massive deficits. But, with multiple Cavaliers shots hotter than a Trinidad Scorpion “Butch T” pepper he should have worked to build upon their confidence.

For example, watch as Irving over handles and all his teammates watch. Not once does he consider an option to taking his own shot.

I’m uncertain how much the whistle positively affected Cleveland’s ability to defend, but that’s a game I would have preferred to watch.

As for the Warriors, if losing out on making ‘perfect’ history isn’t enough inspiration, perhaps the T-Mac All-Star, off the back board dunk by LeBron James was.

For as much as Irving and Durant led their respective teams, Durant was equally guilty for forcing play and falling into iso habits.

Certainly the Dubs can’t afford another performance that sends four-fifths of their Hampton line-up to the bench with 2 fouls a piece in the first quarter. Though the Dubs remain the deeper squad with overall better talent they can’t afford to get cute. An injury could easily affect the dynamics of the series, so a return to ball movement, pace/tempo control and aggressive lock down defense is imperative.

Game 5 Prediction:

My pre-series prediction was for the gentleman’s sweep, so I’m not changing my tune now. With no vested interest in either teams’ success or failure, I will send a missive out requesting for a consistent, definitive whistle.

Tonight’s officiating only served to shine a bright light on the one aspect of the NBA which hasn’t grown with the game. It was a blemish on what was a history setting night. Here’s hoping Adam Silver is swift and definitive with his actions.

Expect an electric house of ‘ROAR’acle, and Larry O’Brien to be handed out on Monday.