SteemSports Presenter:
SteemSports Editor:
On Friday evening, the Golden State Warriors pulled away in the second half to sweep LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of the NBA Finals 108-95. LeBron had an off game (23 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 7/13), and none of the Cavs (including him) sported a fighting spirit in this elimination game.
Steph Curry lit up the stat sheet for the Warriors (37 points, 4 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 12/27) while getting substantial help from his other co-star Kevin Durant (20 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 7/17). Kevin Durant was chosen to be the NBA Finals MVP. This is the Warriors second consecutive championship and their third in four years. They're an undisputed dynasty now.
The Dubs set the tone early on. Steph Curry struggled mightily from the floor in Game 3, but he came out collecting buckets to start the first quarter. He scored six of the Warriors first ten points to go up on the Cavs 10-3. Cleveland called a timeout to regroup and then proceeded to score eight straight points to narrow it to 13-11, but Curry and the Warriors struck back to jump ahead, 24-11. Curry looked like he was gunning for that Finals MVP!
The Cavs exhibited a little more aggressiveness in getting to the rim, which yielded buckets and free throw attempts. Unfortunately, the Warriors kept them at arm's length for the rest of the period. Our score sat at 34-25 after the first quarter buzzer sounded.
LeBron and the Cavs came out attacking the basket to begin the second quarter. They had some success as they cut the deficit to three, 38-35. The lead switched hands often until the Warriors started pulling away 54-47 off of more slick passing and shooting by Curry. He was in the zone tonight. He even drained a triple in LeBron's face as the first half expired to put the Warriors up by nine 61-52. Curry was hitting and the Cavs were sulking. There were two quarters left, but the game felt decided.
The third quarter came around. The Warriors went full on Warrior and quickly jumped ahead by 15 in only a couple game minutes, 67-55. The TV cameras panned to the bench after a timeout and LeBron was fed up with his team! You could see him aggressively mouthing them off, trying to contain his exasperation in this do-or-die game in front of their fans.
It didn't look like the motivational speech was working. The Cavs continued their poor defense, including leaving guys like Klay Thompson wide open. The Warriors weren't even sweating as they consistently maintained a 10+ point lead. Later in the third, the Warriors got ahead by as much as 21. Cleveland fans were depressed yet livid as the third quarter ended with the score resting at 86-65.
The fourth rolled around, and we all knew it was over. The announcers already started ruminating on LeBron's future with nine minutes left in the game. Nobody was defending or really trying any more. Cleveland fans were just getting what might be their last look of LeBron in a Cavs jersey. He checked out of the game with four minutes remaining to the sounds of a loud, emotional ovation. LeBron's teammates and Cleveland fans are no doubt mentally preparing themselves for a future without him. The obligatory minutes faded away, and the Warriors triumphed in a dominating show of skill 108-85.
The Warriors had a easy path to their newly minted NBA championship (save for the Houston series). Big players like Chris Paul getting injured definitely cut them a break. His presence in the final games of the Houston series would've injected some doubt into this outcome, but the road to every NBA championship is littered with "what-if's" relating to injured stars.
Can the Warriors do it again next year for a three-peat? A ton depends on the shape of the NBA landscape post-free agency. Where does LeBron land? Is Philly going to take it up a notch to advance to the Finals? How good are the Celtics going to be with a healthy Kyrie and Hayward? What will the Rockets look like next year given all their expiring contracts? What teams are we not even considering that will make the jump into elite territory?
If you're not a Warriors fan and like to see a competitive Finals series, these times feel like the NBA Dark Ages. And if you're all of the above in addition to a Game of Thrones fan, Golden State feels like an army of White Walkers with an Ice Dragon (aka Kevin Durant). The one silver lining is this blowout of a Warriors championship win is setting us up for the eventual moment where some hungry, talented, motivated group of guys comes through to topple this Goliath of a team. Whether it be from the Warriors fading through injury/age or if a superior team somehow bests them. Who knows when that will materialize, but that'll be the reason to keep an eye on the NBA and watch the league develop. Onto the circus of Free Agency!
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