Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Game 4 Preview
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
When: Saturday, June 9, 2017, 9:00 PM ET
Line: Golden State Warriors (-6) at Cleveland Cavaliers (+6); total: 228.5 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: ABC
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Betting on the Golden State Warriors (-240)
Only one more win seperates the Golden State Warriors from being dubbed as one of if not THE greatest team in NBA history.
The Warriors needed every ounce of mettle to escape with the 118-113 win in Cleveland over the Cavaliers in Game 3 Wednesday, and that gritty victory may just be the kiss of death to the Cavs’ hopes of successfully defending their title reign. The Dubs went nuclear from deep, hitting 16 of their 33 three-point attempts, including an NBA Finals record nine three’s in the first quarter.
There’s just too many weapons in Golden State’s arsenal that Cleveland could contain. Kevin Durant had 31 points – 14 in the final period along with a dagger three with less than a minute left to put the Warriors up for good. Stephen Curry was just as electric with his 26-13-6 stat line, and fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson also erupted for 30 points.
With a more balanced attack and composure down the stretch, the Warriors went on an 11-0 run in the final three minutes of the game to break thousands of Cavs fans’ hearts.
Despite risking losing millions of dollars in revenue, setting an unprecedented milestone will be this Bay Area franchise’s ultimate goal nonetheless. Golden State aims to become the only North American professional sports history to go undefeated throughout its entire playoff run, and with 16-consecutive wins all the more.
Betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers (+200)
There’s no denying the sheer willpower and basketball prowess exhibited by LeBron James in this series for his beloved Cleveland Cavaliers. James had another spectacular performance in Game 3, nearly finishing with yet another triple-double behind his 39 points, 11 boards and nine assists. The King was even aided tremendously by his right hand Kyrie Irving, who exploded for 38 points to give the Warriors one heck of a scare.
However, James logged-in 46 minutes of action, while Irving saw 44 minutes himself. In turn, Cleveland’s dynamic duo really appeared gassed down the stretch, and that ultimately led to their team’s brutal loss at Quicken Loans.
That’s been the biggest chink in the Cavaliers’ armor: a competent supporting cast for LeBron and Kyrie. One particular player who deserves a brunt of the criticism is starting forward Tristan Thompson, who missed his lone shot attempt and ended up with just four boards on Wednesday. In fact, Curry had more rebounds in Game 3 than Thompson has in the entire series.
To add further insult to injury, the Cavs got just 11 points from their bench; eight of them coming from Kyle Korver alone. Former All-Star point guard Deron Williams went ice cold yet again, as he has now missed all 11 of his field-goal attempts in the Finals (0-for-2 in Game 3).
Is one day of rest and preparation enough for the Cavs to recuperate from this crippling blow? No team in NBA history has clawed out of a three-game hole in the playoffs, let alone in the Finals. If you ask James himself, he’ll probably tell you that he and his team need more than just one day off, and that they’re likely readying themselves for the next season to try and figure out the best way on how to reclaim their kingdom from the mighty Warriors.
Writer’s Prediction
The 2016-17 Warriors (-3.5) cement themselves as modern-day legends by completing their sweep of the Cavs and the entire NBA postseason with a 117-108 victory in Game 4.
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