Nearing the finish line
Warriors eager to get back on court, close out series
SAN FRANCISCO — What a long, agonizing wait this will be for the Warriors. They’re closing in on another championship, and they know it.
But first must come the passage of time, the product of Commissioner Adam Silver’s desire for three days of rest between (almost) every NBA Finals game.
So the Warriors will hurry up and wait. And hope Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson don’t cool off after a Game 4 resurgence.
The Warriors lead the Cavaliers 3-1, a margin never successfully overturned in 32 previous finals. Game 5 is Monday in Oakland.
“If you can’t get up for that, there’s something wrong with you.” Thompson said. “We can’t wait to get to Oracle (Arena) on Monday.”
It remains to be seen if the Warriors will have their full team.
Reserve center-forward Draymond Green struck LeBron James below the waist in Game 4’s waning minutes, a no-no being reviewed by the NBA’s discipline office. It came after James knocked down Green and stepped over him, considered a faux pas itself in NBA circles.
If Green is retroactively assessed a flagrant foul, he’ll be suspended for Game 5 because of too many other postseason flagrant fouls.
“I felt he stepped over me, and you’re not just going to step over me,” Green told NBA TV.
“Don’t just step over me like that. … I don’t care who you are. I’m not going to back down for you.”
In the Western Conference finals, Green kicked Thunder center Steven Adams in the groin while going up for a shot. The league did not suspend him.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, suffered their third loss by double digits, and there was little from Game 4 to provide them hope.
Kyrie Irving had 34 points, but James was erratic. He had 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists but also seven turnovers.