As the Golden State Warriors began to pull away to the end in Friday’s Game Four loss in the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena, it felt like the air was getting sucked out of the building.
The fans who had begun to believe that Cleveland’s long title drought was finally ending saw what could certainly be the team’s last home game. The unbeaten home record was gone and so was the last advantage Cleveland perhaps had. A 3-1 deficit needing to win two games in Oracle, when only three other teams had done it before this season, is an extremely tall task.
The hope for a championship was slipping away quickly. The odds are long, nearly impossible. No team has ever come back from down 3-1 in the NBA Finals.
Yet there is always hope. The elimination game is always the hardest to win. There is always some strength in focused desperation. The Cavaliers have everything to lose and everything to gain.
The pressure is off Golden State to win — especially with Sunday’s news that Draymond Green will not suit up for the Warriors with flagrant foul accumulation. The Warriors have three games to win. The Cavaliers have the opportunity to strike and extend this series at least one more time.
Next: 5. No Draymond Green