Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 4 vs. Cavaliers

1. Complacency vanishes at the right time

Twenty-nine NBA teams have real deficiencies, and Golden State sometimes lack a sense of urgency. Relatively speaking, that’s nothing to complain about.

That said, structural complacency was a defining theme of the Warriors 2017-18 season from the start. After a vengeful, determined and absurdly talented group went 16-1 en route to the 2017 title, Golden State’s ownership decided that it no longer needed to pay Jerry West, the man arguably more responsible than any other for building one of the best rosters in NBA history.

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The West-less front office proceeded to sign Nick Young — a move seemingly done more with morale than roster need in mind — with its mid-level exception. JaVale McGee and Zaza Pachulia both came back, giving the Warriors six centers outside of Draymond Green (the best center option on the team). Steve Kerr made it clear from the beginning of the year that a fourth-straight Finals run would be draining, and prioritized patience over exertion.

Taking cues from the team brass, the players paced themselves all year. When it was time to turn it up a notch, things did not go particularly smoothly. Andre Iguodala’s injury exposed both the Young signing and the center-heavy roster. Defensive and rebounding indifference exhibited during the regular season became habitual, and allowed the Rockets to go up 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals. A year full of slow starts meant that, even with their backs against the wall, the Warriors were unable to channel their “A” level until the second halves of both Games 6 and 7.

With all of that evidence (as well as last year’s sweep-avoiding shellacking from Cleveland), a Game 4 blowout seemed unlikely. The difference in desperation levels for the leading and trailing teams in a 3-0 series is always difficult to overcome. If the locked-in 2016-17 Warriors could not do it, how would this complacency-stricken bunch?

It’s impossible to know why Golden State looked like the more desperate team in Game 4, but boy, did they. Their defense was at an all-time high (13 blocks, 34.5 opponent field goal percentage), and they valued possession and ball movement offensively (eight turnovers to 25 assists).

Next: 2018 NBA Finals Game 4 recap and reaction

Their reward for playing hard, focusing consistently and finishing the job early? A quick end to a long season, and a third title in four years.