2016 NBA Finals: Game Four
After being massacred at Quicken Loans Arena in Game Three of the NBA Finals on Wednesday evening, the Golden State Warriors strolled into enemy territory once more on Friday, seeking a confidence-renewing victory. With a win tonight, the Western Conference Champion Warriors could propel themselves to a nearly insurmountable 3-1 series advantage, while pushing the Eastern Conference Champion Cleveland Cavaliers to the brink of elimination.
As the game progressed, however, it became clear that Cleveland's aforementioned victory had done wonders for their confidence, whilst Golden State was poised to rebound and shut the door on a rather animated Cavalier rally.
Game Four would quickly become the most tightly-contested game of the 2016 NBA Finals thus far. With tempers aflame and the stakes ever-increasing, both the Warriors and Cavaliers would come out firing, in relentless pursuit of a momentum-shifting victory.
At the conclusion of the first quarter, Golden State would hold a slim 29-28 advantage, backed by 21 points from the trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Harrison Barnes. For Thompson, tonight marked the first time in the series that he had scored in the opening quarter of play.
Meanwhile, the tandem of Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson powered Cleveland, as the pair combined for 17 points in the first frame. With Klay Thompson and LeBron James both immersed in early foul trouble, however, Game Four remained hopelessly undecided.
In the second quarter of play, Cleveland began to pick up their collective pace. With Steve Kerr and his coaching staff now quite incensed by a fair amount of inconsistent officiating, Golden State seemed to lose a good portion of their focus. As a blatant foul on J.R. Smith went overlooked at the halftime buzzer, the Cavaliers would have the opportunity to catch their breath, heading to the halftime locker room with a well-deserved 55-50 advantage.
And then it happened: after struggling mightily in the first three games of the Finals, and improving marginally in the first half of Game Four, the duo fondly known as the "Splash Brothers" finally busted out of an inexplicable week-long slump.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson would combine for 21 points in the third quarter, pushing the Warriors to the slimmest of leads as the fourth quarter rolled around -- Golden State 79, Cleveland 77.
In the final quarter of play, the Warriors continued to play their undeniable brand of basketball, breaking yet another impressive record (something that has been comically frequent throughout this record-shattering season out in the Bay Area).
The most three-pointers converted in a single game by a team in the NBA Finals: 17 (Golden State Warriors -- 2016 NBA Finals Game Four).
From the phenomenal perimeter shooting, to the exceptional ball movement, to the stunning defensive intensity, and all of the remaining intangibles . . . by the time the final buzzer sounded, the Golden State Warriors had emerged from Game Four with a 108-97 victory in Cleveland.
Leading the way for the Warriors tonight, for the first time this series, was back-to-back MVP Stephen Curry (who drained 7 three-pointers and finished with 38 points overall), as well as his remarkable sidekick Klay Thompson (who converted on 4 three-pointers of his own, finishing with a solid 25-point performance).
And now, after winning 73 regular-season games and 15 playoff games, the Golden State Warriors stand merely one victory away from achieving their ultimate goal, and repeating as NBA Champions.
Game Five will be played on Monday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.
As the game progressed, however, it became clear that Cleveland's aforementioned victory had done wonders for their confidence, whilst Golden State was poised to rebound and shut the door on a rather animated Cavalier rally.
Game Four would quickly become the most tightly-contested game of the 2016 NBA Finals thus far. With tempers aflame and the stakes ever-increasing, both the Warriors and Cavaliers would come out firing, in relentless pursuit of a momentum-shifting victory.
At the conclusion of the first quarter, Golden State would hold a slim 29-28 advantage, backed by 21 points from the trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Harrison Barnes. For Thompson, tonight marked the first time in the series that he had scored in the opening quarter of play.
Meanwhile, the tandem of Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson powered Cleveland, as the pair combined for 17 points in the first frame. With Klay Thompson and LeBron James both immersed in early foul trouble, however, Game Four remained hopelessly undecided.
In the second quarter of play, Cleveland began to pick up their collective pace. With Steve Kerr and his coaching staff now quite incensed by a fair amount of inconsistent officiating, Golden State seemed to lose a good portion of their focus. As a blatant foul on J.R. Smith went overlooked at the halftime buzzer, the Cavaliers would have the opportunity to catch their breath, heading to the halftime locker room with a well-deserved 55-50 advantage.
And then it happened: after struggling mightily in the first three games of the Finals, and improving marginally in the first half of Game Four, the duo fondly known as the "Splash Brothers" finally busted out of an inexplicable week-long slump.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson would combine for 21 points in the third quarter, pushing the Warriors to the slimmest of leads as the fourth quarter rolled around -- Golden State 79, Cleveland 77.
In the final quarter of play, the Warriors continued to play their undeniable brand of basketball, breaking yet another impressive record (something that has been comically frequent throughout this record-shattering season out in the Bay Area).
The most three-pointers converted in a single game by a team in the NBA Finals: 17 (Golden State Warriors -- 2016 NBA Finals Game Four).
From the phenomenal perimeter shooting, to the exceptional ball movement, to the stunning defensive intensity, and all of the remaining intangibles . . . by the time the final buzzer sounded, the Golden State Warriors had emerged from Game Four with a 108-97 victory in Cleveland.
Leading the way for the Warriors tonight, for the first time this series, was back-to-back MVP Stephen Curry (who drained 7 three-pointers and finished with 38 points overall), as well as his remarkable sidekick Klay Thompson (who converted on 4 three-pointers of his own, finishing with a solid 25-point performance).
And now, after winning 73 regular-season games and 15 playoff games, the Golden State Warriors stand merely one victory away from achieving their ultimate goal, and repeating as NBA Champions.
Game Five will be played on Monday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.
This is awesome. Keep it up
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
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