2018 NBA Finals: Game 4 recap, highlights and rapid reaction

In Game 4 of the 2018 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors completed their sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers, clinching their third championship in four years.

After being pushed to the brink in the Western Conference Finals, the Golden State Warriors completed their thoroughly dominant performance in the 2018 NBA Finals, finishing off their sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers with a convincing 108-85 victory on the road in Game 4.

Led by Stephen Curry‘s 37 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals, three blocks and seven 3-pointers, the Dubs opened up a double-digit advantage in the third quarter and wouldn’t look back from there, capping off their third NBA championship in four years.

Kevin Durant chipped in a 20-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in the title clincher, earning Finals MVP honors for the second year in a row. He averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.3 blocks per game on .526/.409/.963 shooting splits for the series.

Klay Thompson added 10 points and six rebounds, Andre Iguodala chipped in 11 off the bench and Draymond Green finished his night with nine points and nine assists.

The Cavaliers accepted their fate early in the contest, but fought to the very end in what might have been LeBron James‘ final game wearing a Cleveland uniform. The King led his team with 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, while Kevin Love added 13 points and nine rebounds. J.R. Smith had 10.

Unfortunately for the Cavs, an onslaught from Curry and a mere 33-point effort in the second half of the closer proved to be too much for an underdog team hoping to force Game 5 on the road.

The Warriors wasted no time establishing the tone for Game 4, bursting out of the gates with a 13-3 run to start the game. Curry stated his case for Finals MVP early on, scoring nine of those first 13 points to put Cleveland in an early hole.

Despite starting the game 2-for-10 from the field, the Cavs fought back as best they could, putting together an 8-0 spurt to pull within two. But once again, the Dubs’ firepower was too much in an atmosphere that hung heavy with the air of finality.

The Warriors hit three straight 3-pointers as part of a 13-4 run to build an 11-point advantage, and from there, it was simply a matter of trying to chip away at an immovable boulder for the Cavaliers.

Golden State had built a 34-25 lead by the end of the first quarter, spearheaded by 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from Curry, another eight points from Durant and 6-of-10 shooting from long range as a team — including two triples for Andre Iguodala.

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Fortunately for the home team, the Dubs committed the one error they’ve been prone to committing ever since KD joined them in Oakland: They got bored.

The Cavs proved they weren’t going down without a fight in the second quarter, jumping out to a 14-4 advantage to take the lead back. LeBron James led the charge, showing more signs of life than he did in the opening frame to give his team a 39-38 advantage.

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Unfortunately, their lead would be short-lived, as the Warriors would immediately respond, They ultimately outscored the Cavs by 10 the rest of the way, boosting the lead back to nine at the break.

After the Cavs’ best and most important effort of Game 4 to climb back in, they wound up tying the Warriors 27-27 in the second quarter, thanks in part to a brutal Curry 3 right before the halftime buzzer to put Golden State up 61-52.

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Curry’s Finals MVP charge was in full swing by that point, with the two-time MVP posting 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting in the first half. KD wasn’t far behind with a 12-4-4 stat line, while LeBron (16 points) and J.R. Smith (10 points) carried the load for the Cavs.

With Cleveland on the ropes, the Warriors looked to land another haymaker in the third quarter, opening the second half on a 6-0 run as the lead ballooned to 15. A few minutes later, the soon-to-be champs had amassed a 17-point lead and taken the energy out of the building.

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It wasn’t long before it was blatantly obvious the Cavs knew the series was out of reach. Facing an insurmountable juggernaut, LeBron and company didn’t quit, but rather began to accept their reality.

As the Warriors kept piling it on, they wound up with a 25-13 advantage in their patented third quarter avalanche, taking a 21-point lead into the final frame of the game, the series, and quite possibly, LeBron’s career in Cleveland.

King James sat for the first 2:45 of the fourth quarter, and in that time, Golden State extended its lead to 25, all but putting the game out of reach for good.

At that point, it was all but over. LeBron exited the game to a standing ovation with 4:03 left on the clock, perhaps for the last time in a Cavs jersey.

Rapid reactions:

• Suddenly James Harden and the Houston Rockets don’t look like such bums anymore, huh haters?
• LeBron was terrific in this series, averaging a staggering 34.0 points,10.0 assists, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals and blocks per game, but as a rule of thumb, no, he’s not getting Finals MVP honors in a sweep. You could make a case for him winning Finals MVP in a losing series in the past, but not this one — no matter how much the odds were stacked against him.
• Steph Curry also had a great case for Finals MVP, averaging 27.5 points, 6.8 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game on .402/.415/1.000 shooting splits, but with so many NBA legends on the court in such a heavily one-sided matchup, does it really matter who wins MVP for a four-game series? The answer is no, and the history books showing zero Finals MVPs next to Curry’s name — while annoying — certainly doesn’t matter in this context.
• JaVale McGee gets clowned on for his frequent on-court gaffes, but he was a legitimate difference-maker in an already unfair series. The numbers may not show it, but Steve Kerr inserting McGee into the lineup over Kevon Looney was a game-changer. At times, it looked like the only difference between him and Wilt Chamberlain was the rat tail.
• Shaun Livingston shot 13-for-15 in this series. Unreal.
• LeBron James, Rodney Hood, Jeff Green and Jose Calderon are all free agents this summer. If King James leaves, things could get dicey in Cleveland pretty quick, perhaps even with a complete roster blowup where Love immediately gets plopped on the trade block. Like, George Hill might be the best player on their roster next year….
• Where will LeBron end up? It’s impossible to say. As of right now, his best options appear to be the Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers…and quite possibly teams like the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors or even the Phoenix Suns(!!). More on this in the coming weeks though.
• Scary thought: The Warriors might be even better next year. They can replace Zaza Pachulia with a more competent big on a veteran minimum contract, and will still have their mid-level exception to work with to find an improvement on Nick Young. Much to the chagrin of fans of more competitive playoff series, this dynasty isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Next: The 50 greatest NBA players of all time (updated, 2016-17)

With the 2018 NBA Draft and free agency approaching, the question now is who will rise to challenge the Warriors next year, and where will LeBron James take his talents this summer?