Here’s a quick preview and the when, where and how you can watch Game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 2017 NBA Finals are over. Not technically, but does anybody really believe that the Cleveland Cavaliers can beat the Golden State Warriors four times in a row? Honestly, there’s not a lot of people out there right now that believe Lebron & Co. can even beat them once.
Wednesday night’s Game 3 was what everybody wanted from these NBA Finals. The two teams went back and forth, the stars showed out (most of them anyway) and the game came down to the final minutes. Of course, the Cavs would like to have those final minutes back, seeing as they didn’t score over the final three as Golden State reeled off 11 straight points, but they at least proved that they can hang with the Warriors. But it still wasn’t good enough.
In that same three minutes, Kevin Durant once again took control and scored seven of his 31 points and has to be the clear favorite for NBA Finals MVP. He’s averaging 34 points, 10.3 rebounds and six assists, shooting 56.1 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from beyond the arc, and is making clutch shot after clutch shot. He’s also been playing extremely well on the defensive end and is simply making life miserable for Cleveland fans…and the Cavaliers themselves. With Steph Curry having the best NBA Finals of his career and Klay Thompson finding his stroke, the Warriors are one win away from an undefeated postseason and their second NBA Championship in the last three years.
Here are the projected starting lineups for Game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals.
Golden State Warriors
C-Zaza Pachulia (3.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists)
PF-Draymond Green (9.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists)
SF-Kevin Durant (34.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists)
SG-Klay Thompson (19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists)
PG-Stephen Curry (28.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 9.0 assists)
Cleveland Cavaliers
C-Tristan Thompson (2.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists)
PF-Kevin Love (17.0 points, 13.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists)
SF-LeBron James (32.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, 10.3 assists)
SG-J.R. Smith (6.3 points, 1.0 rebounds)
PG-Kyrie Irving (27.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists)
The Cleveland Cavaliers just can’t get their entire team to show up at the same time. Following Game 2 of these NBA Finals, or Game 1 for that matter, it was clear that Cleveland’s big three wasn’t getting much help from their supporting cast. J.R. Smith scored just three points in the first two games, Tristan Thompson scored eight and the bench was a non-factor.
LeBron James is going to do what LeBron James does and is having one of the all-time great NBA Finals performances. He’s averaging a triple-double and there’s nothing more that he can give. Kyrie Irving had his best game of the series on Wednesday night, putting up 38 points, and J.R. Smith finally had the game the Cavs needed from him with 16 points and five three-pointers. But what happened to Kevin Love? Love had been having an excellent series leading up to Game 3 and all of a sudden went cold. Yes, he pulled down 13 rebounds but he made just one of the nine shots he attempted and finished the night with nine points. He was averaging 21 going into Wednesday night.
If Cleveland can’t get all hands on deck on Friday night, this series is over. The Warriors have too many weapons and with just one victory to go, Kevin Durant can already feel that Larry O’ Brien Championship Trophy in his hands. He’ll likely be holding that and the NBA Finals MVP trophy late Friday night.
Here’s the rest of the info you need for Game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals.
Date: Friday, June 9
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Venue: Quicken Loans Arena
TV Info: ABC
Live stream: WatchESPN, ABC Live Stream (territorial restrictions apply), FuboTV
Oddsshark.com has Golden State favored to win by six points.
Next: All live stream info in one place
Who do you have for Game 4 of the NBA Finals? Feel free to join in the conversation in the comments section below and be sure to check back in with FanSided each and every day for our continuing coverage of the 2017 NBA Finals.