WARRIORS 103, CAVS 82
CLEVELAND LeBron James tenuous lead in the Finals has been erased, and his home-court advantage has vanished because of a blowout and a lineup adjustment from Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
For the first time in the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers looked like a team ravaged by injuries to their stars, a one-man show with a very pedestrian supporting cast.
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Golden State went small by featuring Andre Iguodala at power forward, and James returned to this realm during Thursday nights ugly 103-82 defeat to the Warriors in Game 4. Bloodied by a collision with a cameraman in the second quarter, James finished with just 20 points in 41 minutes by far his worst performance in a series now tied at 2-2.
They doubled me a little bit more tonight, kind of made me give the ball to my teammates, James said. We couldnt make any shots from the outside. Defensively we were pretty good. Offensively, we were terrible.
The Warriors didnt need a spectacular game from MVP Stephen Curry, or a revival of the Splash Brothers, who spearheaded a 67-win season. Instead, they rode Iguodala on both sides of the floor, getting 22 points from the player who was charged with guarding James. The former All-Star had been reduced to a bench role all season, and then Game 4 of the NBA Finals became his first start under Kerr.
He looks great out there, Kerr said. Hes been our best player through four games. He guards LeBron pretty much every possession hes out there, and his offense has been terrific.
Twice prior to the game, Kerr had said he would start Andrew Bogut, not wanting to tip his hand. He admitted to the misdirection afterward.
I dont think they hand you the trophy based on morality, Kerr said. They give it to you if you win. So sorry about that.
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The Warriors also watched James give up the ball to teammates who missed open shots: Matthew Dellavedova (3-for-14), J.R. Smith (2-for-12) and Iman Shumpert (2-for-9). The Cavs shot just 33%, including 4-for-27 from beyond the arc, in a game they never led after the first quarter.
We couldnt get the ball down (the net), Cavs coach David Blatt said.
To hoist his third championship trophy, James will now have to win another game in Oakland, whether its Sundays Game 5 or a potential Game 7.
James wasnt efficient Thursday either, missing 15 of his 22 attempts. He finished with 12 rebounds and eight assists, falling short of his second triple-double of the Finals. With 4:43 remaining in the second quarter, the crowd held its breath as James was fouled hard under the basket by Andrew Bogut. James barreled toward the sideline and hit his head on a TV camera, lying on the court for a few minutes.
James emerged with a large gash and blood coming from the side of his head. He never left the game, though, and connected on one of two free throws. At halftime, with the Cavs trailing by 12, James told ABC that he felt pain and required glue to seal up the wound.
He said that his head was stitched up after the game, with enough (stitches) to close it up.
I was just trying to regain my composure, was holding my head. It was hurting, James said, adding that he still had a slight headache after the game but didnt have to go through any concussion protocols. And I was just hoping I wasnt bleeding. But obviously the camera cut me pretty bad.
The Warriors wanted a track meet, and before Game 4, James had been bringing up the ball slowly and waiting out the shot clock before attacking. The small lineup helped mitigate that, with the Warriors picking up the pace by scoring in transition and firing three-pointers.
The Cavs, however, scored the first seven points of the game. The crowd was exploding, and Kerr was forced to take a timeout after three minutes. Then Golden State settled down, took control with a 31-15 run and never trailed again.
It made sense when he told us (about the lineup adjustment) because weve been getting off to such slow starts, said Curry, who scored 22 points in 41 minutes.
Still, Cleveland trailed by just six entering the fourth quarter. James went to the bench to start the quarter, the Cavs couldnt score for the opening two minutes and that signified the end.
Smith and Shumpert, the Knicks castaways, went to the bench after dreadful shooting performances.
Timofey Mozgov led the Cavs with 28 points and 10 boards, but the perimeter players were sluggish.
Horse---- Smith said when asked to assess his game.
Tags: lebron james , matthew dellavedova , andre iguodala , stephen curry , nba playoffsSource: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/lebron-james-bloodied-warriors-beat-cavs-tie-nba-finals-article-1.2255681
