By Adam Johnson
It felt wrong to not post anything in the aftermath of game 4 of these NBA Finals. The urgency may not have been there seeing as this was the least competitive of the games so far but whatever it was it is time to actually get this piece up. I have watched the four games in six different locations so far which probably doesn’t mean anything to anyone but it is true so do with that information whatever you like. Anyway, my basketball obsessed mind will not let me leave this site without any thoughts being posted on game 4 so here are five big picture things I took away from the Warriors 103-82 win in Cleveland.
It felt wrong to not post anything in the aftermath of game 4 of these NBA Finals. The urgency may not have been there seeing as this was the least competitive of the games so far but whatever it was it is time to actually get this piece up. I have watched the four games in six different locations so far which probably doesn’t mean anything to anyone but it is true so do with that information whatever you like. Anyway, my basketball obsessed mind will not let me leave this site without any thoughts being posted on game 4 so here are five big picture things I took away from the Warriors 103-82 win in Cleveland.
1. Steve Kerr inserting Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup was not a huge surprise to me, however I was surprised that it was Andrew Bogut who was pulled rather than Harrison Barnes. The move proved to work even though the numbers (that unit was -1 in the minutes they played together) didn’t totally say so. I thought the energy was much better from the Warriors all night and maybe it was because that small group set the tone early.
2. LeBron James, and every other Cavalier for that matter, looked totally gassed at times in this game. They are only really playing seven guys and that is starting to really take its toll. Despite a good run in the third quarter Cleveland overall did not look anywhere close to as active on the defensive end as they were in the first three games. I know Shawn Marion and Mike Miller can’t really play anymore but you would think they could buy the Cavs three minutes here or there.
3. Draymond Green looked like a shell of himself through the first three games. He was passing up open shots, committing foolish fouls and generally being indecisive on the offensive end. In game 4 he was back to the brash, versatile force that he had been from October to May.
4. I thought it was interesting that Andrew Bogut didn’t even check in until midway through the third quarter and ended up playing less than three minutes. Maybe this team doesn’t even need a big to beat a Cleveland squad that is having such a hard time scoring.
5. The fact that both of these teams are just two wins away from a title is pretty cool. One on hand if the Cavs win we see LeBron get his third championship and deliver on a promise to bring Cleveland a long awaited victory parade. On the other hand we have a historically great regular season team who represents a lot of the future of basketball and would break a 40-year basketball title drought in the Bay Area. Obviously there is still a lot that can happen but any rational neutral (judging by Twitter there aren’t many rational people in general) will probably be fine with either of these ball clubs winning it all.
2. LeBron James, and every other Cavalier for that matter, looked totally gassed at times in this game. They are only really playing seven guys and that is starting to really take its toll. Despite a good run in the third quarter Cleveland overall did not look anywhere close to as active on the defensive end as they were in the first three games. I know Shawn Marion and Mike Miller can’t really play anymore but you would think they could buy the Cavs three minutes here or there.
3. Draymond Green looked like a shell of himself through the first three games. He was passing up open shots, committing foolish fouls and generally being indecisive on the offensive end. In game 4 he was back to the brash, versatile force that he had been from October to May.
4. I thought it was interesting that Andrew Bogut didn’t even check in until midway through the third quarter and ended up playing less than three minutes. Maybe this team doesn’t even need a big to beat a Cleveland squad that is having such a hard time scoring.
5. The fact that both of these teams are just two wins away from a title is pretty cool. One on hand if the Cavs win we see LeBron get his third championship and deliver on a promise to bring Cleveland a long awaited victory parade. On the other hand we have a historically great regular season team who represents a lot of the future of basketball and would break a 40-year basketball title drought in the Bay Area. Obviously there is still a lot that can happen but any rational neutral (judging by Twitter there aren’t many rational people in general) will probably be fine with either of these ball clubs winning it all.
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