Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Takeaways From Game 4 vs. Warriors

1. Fourth Quarter Meltdown

With just two points separating these two teams through three quarters, the Cavaliers needed a strong fourth quarter to help keep their championship hopes alive.

It didn’t happen.

Following James’ put back dunk off a Kyrie Irving miss that gave the Cavs an 83-81 lead, things went south from the point on.

Over the next six minutes, or an eternity, depending on your perspective, the Warriors outscored the Cavs by a 15-3 margin — turning a two-point deficit into a 10-point advantage.

During that pivotal stretch, the Cavaliers were 1-for-10 from the field and 0-for-4 from beyond the arc. In contrast, the Warriors were 6-for-13 and converted a trio of three-pointers that enabled them to take over the game down the stretch.

Despite the uphill battle facing the Cavs, James doesn’t appear to be discouraged.

"“If you want to look to that side, then you put too much pressure on yourself,” James said, via USAToday.com. “For me as the leader of this team, we’ve just got to get one. Let’s get one. We’ve already got to take a flight home back anyways, so we might as well come home with a win and play on our home floor again.”"

More hoops habit: Golden State Warriors: 5 Takeaways From Game 4

Although James is saying all the right things on the outside, deep down he has to know that he and Cavs missed out on a golden opportunity to even the series while placing themselves in an enormous hole in the process.