Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are set to tip off Game 4 of the 2015 NBA Finals this evening. It is as close to a must-win as a team can get without being in a situation where they would be heading home with a loss. Cleveland looked extremely solid in Game 3, and once again were able to fluster Stephen Curry throughout the majority of the game.
Despite not looking like the league MVP throughout the first few games of the series, Curry will break out with a monster performance in tonight’s crucial game.
While there isn’t a lot of confidence in Curry at this point, the look on his face following the game was one of pure determination. He was able to get loose in the second half against the Cavaliers and ended up scoring 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting and 7-for-13 three-point shooting. Those numbers should be very comforting for the Warriors and their fans, as it was obvious that the Warriors found their stroke in the fourth quarter.
Cracking the Cleveland defense hasn’t been easy for any team that has faced them throughout the season. LeBron James has been an excellent leader for the young Cavaliers roster and has them playing better than anyone could have expected after losing both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving to injury.
It was obvious that Golden State was perplexed by the Cavaliers’ defense, but the fourth quarter of Game 3 was exactly what the doctor ordered for them. Steve Kerr will be able to go back and watch the game film with the team to figure out exactly how they took control of the game. Curry in particular was impressive in the fourth quarter, and nearly brought his team back by himself.
Klay Thompson is another key for the Warriors, and he has been very vocal about his belief that the Warriors will still win the series. Confidence is a major key for a series like the NBA Finals, and Golden State cannot give into the pressure that the media and fans are putting on their shoulders.
Getting the “Splash Brothers” back on track is going to be a very simple task for the Warriors. They need to continue forcing the Cleveland defense to switch on screens and get their guards open with mismatches. Golden State can also focus on getting the ball up the court quicker in transition, which was something that they didn’t do enough of through the first three games.
Curry does not take losing very well, and the way that the Warriors felt they lost in Game 3 is going to help them come out with fury.
Referees never seem to be given a good reputation by one side or the other, but that was an obvious issue that Golden State had on Tuesday night in Game 3. They felt that they were done wrong, and it is just another material that they can use as motivation. Curry especially appeared to be more agitated than usual when walking off the court after the game, and the last thing the Cavaliers want to see is Curry playing with extra motivation.
Expect to see him come out firing early on in Game 4 and for the Warriors to look like a much different team. They have not played up to their full potential throughout the series to this point, but they seemed to figure Cleveland’s defense out a bit in the fourth quarter. Golden State is going to need a big game from their MVP, and he will deliver just that.
Evan Massey is a featured writer for www.RantSports.com, and contributes across the NFL, MLB, NCAA and NBA portions of the site. Follow him on Twitter at @Massey_Evan and like him on Facebook.
