The Golden State Warriors answered the bell and evened the NBA Finals with a dominating victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4. Here are three things we learned as the series starts to wind down:
1) Golden State's small ball works
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr made a statement before the game by inserting small forward Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup for center Andrew Bogut, showing Golden State would go small with the hope of dictating the tempo and controlling the game.
It ultimately worked wonders for the Warriors as they pushed the pace from the opening tip. They were able to shoot better, scored more in transition, and scored more points than they had all series. The strategy also wore Cleveland down as the Cavs looked exhausted in the fourth quarter, helping Golden State break the game wide open late.
2) Andre Iguodala has been the Warriors' best player this series
Iguodala's performance tonight will get him some headlines for the first time in the Finals, but he's been the Warriors' best and most consistent player all series. He has played as good of defense on LeBron James that anyone not named Kawhi Leonard can play (LeBron has gone off when guarded by Harrison Barnes or Draymond Green) while averaging 15 points and 5.5 rebounds per game despite coming off the bench in the first three games.
He gives Golden State a spark on both ends of the floor, and had a bigger impact on this game than LeBron. If he continues playing at this level, the Warriors won't lose again.
3) Cleveland is starting to look tired
Golden State was plagued by cold shooting throughout the first three games of the series, but it was the Cavs who struggled to make shots tonight. Cleveland shot just 33 percent from the floor as a team, including a dreadful 14.8 percent from three-point range.
No one on the Cavaliers was able to get any lift on their shots because of fatigue, and most of their misses bounced off the front of the rim as a result. The only remedy for that is rest, and Cleveland will get that with two days between games (Game 5 isn't until Sunday) - but the effects of having a short seven-man rotation is obviously weighing on the Cavs.
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