Andre Iguodala has been the most consistent performer for the Warriors and he was rewarded with a place in the starting line-up as Steve Kerr decides to downsize his line-up. Iguodala replaced Andrew Bogut in the starting five, playing alongside Barnes, Green, Curry, and Thompson. He had a fantastic performance, being the primary defender of LeBron James, scoring 22 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, and was 4-9 from 3-point line. The Warriors came out with plenty of energy and intensity, together with the adjustment made to the starting line-up, the Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-82 in Game 4, leveling the series at 2-2.
The change from Kerr have put more pace to the line-up. This change did cause a lot of problem for their defense. Draymond Green was forced to guard Timothy Mozgov, a significant height disadvantage for Green defensively. But the move has give more variety on the offensive side of the Warriors, and it has proven to be effective. Shaun Livingston and David Lee (pic) had more minutes in Game 4, giving the team more ability to move the ball around better. And their minutes needs to either the same or increase as both men really up the pace of the Warriors.
There is still concerns for the Warriors because the top two scorers of the team - Curry and Thompson have not make a great impact to the team. Curry had 22 points while Thompson only had 9 points. Curry was more aggressive than the previous games, attacking the basket more often than he did. That was a positive sign despite Curry not impacting the game as much as most expected. But surely, Thompson need to have a performance in Game 5. Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes had a much better offensive performance by scoring 17 and 14 point each, offsetting the low-scoring performance of the Splash Brothers.
Fatigue eventually caught up with this Cavs team. This was the third game in five days. Everybody on the Cavs team just look tired. Both LeBron James and Matthew Dellavedova suffered cramping issue in the game. In the fourth quarter of both Game 3 and Game 4, the Cavs actually finished the game poorly, another sign of fatigue. But there is a two days break in between Game 4 and Game 5, perhaps something that work in the favor of the Cavs as it will give more rest to the Cavs’ players. The upcoming schedule also does a favor for the Cavs considering they have such a thin bench, playing with 7 players for most of the time. There is also a two days rest in between Game 6 and Game 7 if the series goes to the full distance.
Despite the defeat, the Cavs managed to limit the ability of Stephen Curry and keep Klay Thompson quiet. This is something that the Cavs will need to continue to do in the upcoming games. But what is worrying for the Cavs for future games is the production of their guards. Dellavedova scored 10 points with 3-14 shooting, Iman Shumpert scored 5 points with 2-9 shooting, JR Smith scored 4 points with 2-12 shooting. On a night where LeBron James had an off night, the guards had an even worse performance. The Cavs will need more production from these guards to share the scoring duties.
David Blatt might want to consider to make adjustments to LeBron’s minutes. In today’s Game 4, LeBron played the entire 1st and 3rd quarter, and taking a little rest at the start of the 2nd and 4th quarter. Steve Kerr fully taking the advantage of LeBron’s rest especially during the start of the 4th quarter by inserting both Thompson and Curry in the line-up. Warriors took that opportunity to build a 10 point lead, forcing Cavs to take a timeout and insert LeBron back immediately. Perhaps David Blatt might want to give LeBron the rest earlier in both half so that the Cavs can finish strong with him on the floor.
This series is far from over. It is also likely that we will be treat with a Game 7. The Warriors show great character with the adjustments and spirit shown after losing two straight games. For the Cavs, a good two days rest before the next game at Oakland. May the best team wins!
Fatigue eventually caught up with this Cavs team. This was the third game in five days. Everybody on the Cavs team just look tired. Both LeBron James and Matthew Dellavedova suffered cramping issue in the game. In the fourth quarter of both Game 3 and Game 4, the Cavs actually finished the game poorly, another sign of fatigue. But there is a two days break in between Game 4 and Game 5, perhaps something that work in the favor of the Cavs as it will give more rest to the Cavs’ players. The upcoming schedule also does a favor for the Cavs considering they have such a thin bench, playing with 7 players for most of the time. There is also a two days rest in between Game 6 and Game 7 if the series goes to the full distance.
Despite the defeat, the Cavs managed to limit the ability of Stephen Curry and keep Klay Thompson quiet. This is something that the Cavs will need to continue to do in the upcoming games. But what is worrying for the Cavs for future games is the production of their guards. Dellavedova scored 10 points with 3-14 shooting, Iman Shumpert scored 5 points with 2-9 shooting, JR Smith scored 4 points with 2-12 shooting. On a night where LeBron James had an off night, the guards had an even worse performance. The Cavs will need more production from these guards to share the scoring duties.
David Blatt might want to consider to make adjustments to LeBron’s minutes. In today’s Game 4, LeBron played the entire 1st and 3rd quarter, and taking a little rest at the start of the 2nd and 4th quarter. Steve Kerr fully taking the advantage of LeBron’s rest especially during the start of the 4th quarter by inserting both Thompson and Curry in the line-up. Warriors took that opportunity to build a 10 point lead, forcing Cavs to take a timeout and insert LeBron back immediately. Perhaps David Blatt might want to give LeBron the rest earlier in both half so that the Cavs can finish strong with him on the floor.
This series is far from over. It is also likely that we will be treat with a Game 7. The Warriors show great character with the adjustments and spirit shown after losing two straight games. For the Cavs, a good two days rest before the next game at Oakland. May the best team wins!
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