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Let's Go Warriors!
Great effort tonight, and with the season now tied up at 2-2, the series becomes a best-of-3 format, including two home games at the Roaracle. Unlike the first three games, this one was a lot less close overall, and the Warriors led the majority of the way convincingly. This was the determined and fiery spirit the fans were hoping for.
Going into the game, there were questions regarding potential adjustments that the Warriors could implement. Steve Kerr and his staff responded with a different starting lineup, pulling Andrew Bogut out in favor of a smaller lineup with Andre Iguodala. Bogut ended up with less than 3 minutes playing time, and with Festus Ezeli also on the bench, the Warriors played small the whole way.
David Lee received more playing time at center, and had some great defensive possessions against players as big as Timofey Mozgov. Offensive boards (and the second chance points that come along with) continued to plague the Warriors. Cleveland ended with 16 offensive rebounds. Especially with the Cavs' recent style of running early clock, this hamstrings the Warriors offense, by giving them less time to operate. Thankfully the small Warrior lineups scored efficiently to trump this problem.
The Dubs may have not needed an adjustment to win this one. But this lineup allowed Andre Iguodala to get going early, and he took the bull by the horns, leaving his imprint as the most effective player on the floor. He had some classic moments:
- After getting blocked by James Jones, he tried to give him props with a high five. James Jones gave him the cold shoulder, and Iguodala responded with a fierce slam on the ensuing possession. Not his only one of the game.
- After getting fouled by LeBron James, Andre starting faking an injury to his forearm, before breaking out in a smile.
LeBron James looked a bit out of sorts compared to his dominant form throughout the first three contests. He had extracurricular blunders as well, between getting caught on a camera and lacerating his head, and a wardrobe slip-up worthy of the ensuing social media blaze.
Now the series shifts to Oakland! Stay tuned for updates tomorrow.