NBA Odds - Golden State Warriors at Cleveland Cavaliers Game 4 Preview

2016-NBA-Finals-Game-4-Warriors-Vs-Cavaliers-Odds

For the Cavaliers and their fans, there should be a sense of relief. That’s what Wednesday’s 120-90 victory in Game 3 did. Now Cleveland doesn’t have to hear about how they were about to be swept out of the 2016 Finals. The Cavs have Game 4 on the same floor where they are 8-0 in the playoffs with three of those victories by at least 30 points.

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Golden State Warriors +2

Cleveland Cavaliers -2

Over/Under 206.5

LOOK AHEAD

The teams reversed roles from the first two games of the NBA Finals and we now have a series. On Wednesday night the Cavaliers looked much like the Warriors did in Games 1 and 2. They moved the basketball, pushed the tempo and, more importantly, they made shots. A change of venue and a few days to stew over their shellacking in Oakland proved to be enough of a motivator to finally get an inspired performance from the Cavaliers.

Call it irony, but the Cavaliers may have been better equipped to handle the Warriors without one of their best players. The Cavs hardly missed Kevin Love, still suffering from a concussion he received in Game 2. He wanted to play but has not yet been cleared. Coach Tyronn Lue started veteran Richard Jefferson and moved LeBron James into Love’s power forward spot, giving the Cavs a smaller lineup that can better run with the Warriors.

INJURIES

Golden State’s Klay Thompson left the court and headed to the locker room after crashing into Timofey Mozgov late in the first quarter. The Cavs center was setting a screen that Thompson didn’t see and he caught Mozgov’s knee with his thigh. He gingerly walked off the floor but returned after a brief stay.

The status of Love for Game 4 is still up in the air. The Cavs forward was not cleared to play Wednesday night and remained in the league’s concussion protocol. He will be evaluated again on Thursday.

KEY MATCHUP

The Cavaliers needed LeBron to be the dominant force he still can be. They needed Kyrie Irving to pick up his game. They needed J.R. Smith to get more involved in the offense and knock down game-changing, run-stopping threes. Check, check and check. But what they also needed was some grit and toughness. And that’s where Tristan Thompson delivered.

Lue challenged his team prior to Game 3. He demanded more intensity, more physicality after the Warriors looked too comfortable in back-to-back wins to open the series. The Cavs played with a sense of desperation. Thompson ignited the crowd early with his non-stop hustle. It was the kind of performance that Cleveland didn’t get in the Bay Area. Thompson pounded the glass, finishing defensive possessions and getting the Cavs extra opportunities on the offensive end. The Cavs scored 23 second chance points. The Warriors had just three. Thompson picked up some of the scoring slack as well with 14 points along with 13 boards. Cleveland needs more of the same if they are to even the series on Friday.

QUICK PICK

It’s only a must-win situation when you’re facing elimination. But Game 3 was about as close to it as the Cavs could get. And they responded, playing with a sense of urgency and pride because it would be damn near impossible to beat the Warriors four straight. The hard part now is to replicate what they did on Wednesday. It won’t be easy, the Warriors will be a different team as well.

But playing on their home floor makes the Cavs look like a different bunch. They haven’t lost at The Q this postseason and several have been routs. Cleveland will be faced with a dilemma if Love is cleared to play. Does he go back into the starting lineup? Does Lue stick with his Game 3 rotation? It sounds like a nice problem to have.

NBA Odds: Cleveland 107, Golden State 99

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