Golden State Warriors: 5 takeaways from Game 4 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
1. Up 3-1, the Warriors need to get desperate
Once you accept that Game 4 was not a pure aberration, that the Cavaliers have improved every game, that these teams have comparable shooting talent and that tight whistles favor Cleveland, you realize that this is not an ordinary closeout Game 5 at home.
That says nothing of the parallels to last year, the confidence it may give the Cavs and take from the Warriors.
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For the Warriors to make sure this thing doesn’t go back to Cleveland (and oh man, do they not want this going back to Cleveland), they need to overreact to Game 4. That means Steve Kerr prioritizing matchups over familiar rotations and prioritizing time and score over normal rest cycles.
In Game 4, the Warriors fourth-quarter starting unit — Patrick McCaw, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green and David West — managed an opening 8-0 run, cutting the Cavs lead to 115-104 with 9:41 remaining.
Kerr had the chance to bring Curry and Durant back right there. It was a minute before he wanted to, but the moment seemed to be there. Instead, he chose to favor freshness and the long view over momentum. By the time Curry and Durant returned, Irving had hit a three, Iguodala missed an 18-footer, and Irving scored in the lane. The Warriors were back down 16.
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This was semi-defensible in Game 4, but barely. In Game 5, it will not be at all. The Warriors learned last year that each closeout game may be your last chance to actually close a series out. There is no excuse for Kerr to not play his best guys, and best lineups, as much as possible on Monday night.