Offensive outburst keeps Cavaliers alive
Warriors’ quest for perfect playoff run thwarted as LeBron, Kyrie get plenty of help in Game 4 rout
Don’t go planning any parades through downtown Cleveland just yet. But for one night at least, the Cleveland Cavaliers made it clear they were not ready to lose the title of reigning NBA champs. And they weren’t about to back down either in these NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
A record-setting first quarter ignited the Cavs in a Game 4 that will be remembered for many reasons.
The 137-116 win by Cleveland ended Golden State’s pursuit of a NBA Finals sweep and a perfect run through the 2017 playoffs.
In a stunning display of offense, the Cavs set NBA Finals records for points in a quarter (49 in the first), in a half (86 in the first) and 3-pointers in a half (13 in the first). LeBron James and Kyrie Irving combined for 50 first-half points for the Cavs just two nights after they combined for a pretty remarkable 77 for the entire night in the crushing Game 3 loss that left them on the verge of elimination.
“We are here for a reason,” Irving said. “We’re going against a juggernaut of a team, but we’re a juggernaut, too. We have some special pieces.”
But it wasn’t just the basketball that will be remembered from this one.
There also was the ejection that wasn’t (of Draymond Green) and the punch to the groin that wasn’t (landed by Zaza Pachulia into the man region of Iman Shumpert).
It made for an emotional, loud, long and bizarre night of basketball at a packed Quicken Loans Arena.
“We played a desperate team on their home floor, a great team, with great players, and they came out and handed it to us,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “Simple as that.”
It leaves the Finals heading back to Oakland for Game 5 on Monday, with the Warriors leading 3-1.
The Cavs led by as many as 22 points and spent most of the game leading by double digits.
But with Golden State’s firepower, no lead ever felt safe.
That was especially true with 9:39 left in the game when veteran forward David West tipped in a bucket for the Warriors and they were within 115-104.
Irving, the night’s main offensive star, had an answer, though.
His three-pointer from the left wing stopped the Golden State run. His running six-foot floater through the paint forced the Warriors to call a timeout trailing 120-104 with 8:42 left.
“It’s the first time all series, but we just kept attacking, kept attacking and understood they were never going to quit,” Irving said.
Irving attacked his way to 40 points, one game after scoring 38.
“It’s not surprising,” James said of Irving’s play. “He’s just that special.”
So is James. He finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for his ninth career Finals triple-double, an NBA record.
“Live in the moment,” was James’ advice for his teammates. “We have a great opportunity to give ourselves another opportunity to keep going.”
Kevin Durant scored 35 for the Warriors. Fellow All-Stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, though, never made a huge impact and it left the Warriors in a hole all night.
Green was just lucky to make it to the end. The always excitable, undersized forward was credited with a technical foul late in the first quarter and again in the third. At that point, with 6:18 left in the third, his ejection was announced and the crowd roared its approval. Only Green wasn’t leaving. Officials said the first technical actually was assessed to Kerr.
Five minutes later, it was Pachulia in the center of a scrum for a loose ball with Cavs backups Kyle Korver and Shumpert. Korver tied up Pachulia for a jump ball with Shumpert also in the mix. Pachulia took exception to Shumpert’s presence and as the players were untangled appeared to pretty clearly punch Shumpert in the groin.
A groin punch by Green to James in Game 4 a year ago in Cleveland memorably resulted in the suspension of Green for Game 5. The Cavs won that game in Oakland to spark their comeback from a 3-1 deficit to win the NBA title.
To keep this season alive, the Cavs got contributions from varied sources for the first time in the series.
J.R. Smith hit five three-pointers for his 15 points. Deron Williams had nice stretches off the bench for the first time. Tristan Thompson made an impact finally, grabbing 10 rebounds. Richard Jefferson, Shumpert and Korver each had moments off the bench.
But the leading stars were James, Irving and Kevin Love (23 points, six threes).
Irving had his full offensive arsenal at his disposal, floaters, bank shots, pull-up jumpers and three-pointers. He hit 11 of his first 13 shots from the floor on his way to scoring 28 first-half points to get the Cavs rolling.
After hearing chatter about how special the Warriors thought it would be close out the series in Cleveland, the Cavs were determined to come out the aggressor Friday.
Thompson grabbed five rebounds within the first five minutes. His fifth rebound was a tip-in to give the Cavs a 26-11 lead with 7:10 left in the first
By that point, all five starters had scored. James had four assists. Smith and Love each had hit a pair threes. Irving, 0-for-7 on threes in Game 3, had hit a tough stepback three on his first shot of the night.
“When we’re hitting threes, we’re a different team,” Irving said. “And we understand that.”
The Cavs took a 49-33 lead into the second quarter and led 86-68 at the half. How free and easy were the Cavs playing? Three minutes into the third quarter, James appeared to commit one of the cardinal sins of basketball, leaving his feet with no apparent plan on fast break. No worries. He did a LeBron Thing: He just passed the ball off the glass to himself, caught it and slammed it over his own teammate, Thompson, and Durant.
“I got caught in the air,” James said. “So that’s the only thing I could think of... So I just threw it off the glass and went and got it.”
The Cavs led 96-75 at that point. The crowd roared its approval.
The roaring didn’t die down, really, until this one ended shortly after midnight.
Now the Cavs head west hoping they can create their own noise Monday night in Game 5 and again extend their season one more game.
“We understand how special that team is down there,” Irving said. “So we have to be even more locked in and more focused. But if we come with the same mentality that we came with tonight, we’ll be in a better position in Oakland.”