BACK TO THE BAY
HISTORIC FIRST HALF CARRIES CAVS IN CONTENTIOUS GAME
Golden State’s unblemished run through the playoffs is over. Cleveland is coming back again. Just like last year, the NBA Finals are at 3- 1 after four games.
LeBron James recorded a tripledouble, Kyrie Irving scored 40 points and the Cavs broke scoring records while outperforming the NBA’s most electrifying offense in a testy Game 4 filled with technical fouls Friday night, beating the Warriors 137- 116 and snapping their 15game playoff winning streak.
“We have championship DNA,” said James, who broke Magic Johnson’s record with his ninth triple- double in the Finals. “We showed that tonight. We just kept our composure. We shared the ball, we moved the ball and defensively we were physical. It’s one game.”
But it’s the one they had to have, and a series that wasn’t living up to its hype and seemed headed for a quick conclusion is Californiabound for Game 5 on Monday.
The Cavs scored a Finals- record 86 points in the first half and then held on during a wild third and fourth quarter that included technical fouls and James jawing with fellow superstar Kevin Durant.
No team has ever comeback from a 3- 0 deficit in the NBA playoffs.
But until the Cavs did it last year, no team had ever rallied from a 3- 1 deficit to win in the Finals. Cleveland took Game 3 at home, lost Game 4 and then won the final three — Game 7 in Oakland — to capture the city’s first sports championship since 1964.
As the final seconds ticked off, Cleveland fans chanted “Cavs in 7.”
“Believeland is not going to give up,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said, “and we’re going to keep fighting. We’re going to keep scrapping.”
The Warriors had swept their first three series and were 48 minutes away from a party they’ve been planning for a year. But it’s on hold, and Golden State fans are holding their breath.
Coach Steve Kerr said his players aren’t worried about the past.
“I don’t think there was any concern or thoughts about history,” Kerr said. “I think it was we played a desperate team on their home floor, a great team with great players, and they came out and handed it to us. Simple as that.”
Durant, still one win from the coveted championship he left Oklahoma City to get, scored 35 but got little help from Stephen Curry, who scored 14 on 4- for- 13 shooting.
James finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists and on one trip threw the ball off the backboard to himself for a dunk.
Kevin Love made six threepointers and added 23 points for Cleveland, which made 24 threes, another Finals mark.
At one point in the third quarter, it was announced that Golden State’s Draymond Green had been given his second technical foul and security came onto the floor to usher the volatile forward to the locker room. However, a technical assessed to him in the first half was actually called on Kerr, leading to the confusion.
In addition to the Finals record 86 points in the first half, the Cavs also set a record with 49 points in the first quarter.