Golden State Warriors, closing in on NBA title, face a small test of patience
Thompson has been uncharacteristically quiet during the Warriors’ historic 12-0 romp to this point of the postseason. He has averaged just 14.4 points on 38.3 percent shooting, including a pedestrian 36.4 percent from 3-point range. Like Thompson, J.R. Smith has the ability to unleash a torrent of baskets and also has become a more engaged defender. Smith also seems impervious to pressure. But Thompson remains the more steady presence, particularly defensively.
What a long, agonizing wait this will be for the Golden State Warriors. They’re closing in on another championship, and they know it.
But first must come the passage of time, the product of Commissioner Adam Silver’s desire for three days of rest between (almost) every NBA Finals game.
So Golden State will hurry up and wait. And hope Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson don’t cool off after a Game 4 resurgence.
The Warriors lead the Cleveland Cavaliers, 3-1, a margin never successfully overturned in 32 previous NBA Finals. Game 5 is Monday at Golden State.
“If you can’t get up for that, there’s something wrong with you.” Thompson said. “We can’t wait to get to Oracle [Arena] on Monday.”
It remains to be seen if the Warriors will have their full team.
Reserve center-forward Draymond Green struck LeBron James below the waist in Game 4’s waning minutes, a no-no being reviewed by the NBA’s discipline office. It came after James knocked down Green and stepped over him, considered a faux pas itself in NBA circles.
If Green is retroactively assessed a flagrant foul, he’ll be suspended for Game 5 because of too many other postseason flagrant fouls.
“I felt he stepped over me, and you’re not just going to step over me,” Green told NBA TV. “Like there’s many routes you can take. Don’t just step over me like that. … I don’t care who you are. I’m not going to back down for you.”
This isn’t the first time Green has been in trouble for below-the-belt contact. In the last round against Oklahoma City, he kicked Thunder center Steven Adams in the groin while going up for a shot. The league did not suspend him.
If it’s any consolation to the Warriors, the NBA’s former disciplinarian chief, Stu Jackson, doesn’t think Green will be penalized this time.
Because Green evaded punishment in the last round for a “‘flail kick’ to the groin,” he wouldn’t be suspended for a “lighter ‘flail swing’ to the groin,” Jackson said on Twitter.
It’s a lot of talk about flailing, with the only true type being done by Cleveland.
All three Cavaliers losses were by double digits, and there was little from Game 4 to provide them hope.
Kyrie Irving had 34 points, but James was erratic in a couple of ways. He had 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, but also seven turnovers, and was a team-worst minus-12 in the plus-minus department.
He tried to sound pragmatic after sliding within a loss of another missed opportunity to get Cleveland its first NBA title.
“Let’s get one [victory]. We’ve already got to take a flight home back anyways [after Game 5], so we might as well come home with a win and play on our home floor again,” said James, who logged a whopping 46 minutes Friday.
In addition to the on-court scrape with Green, James had late words with Curry while the players were going to their benches for a timeout. It wasn’t major, centering on whether a foul should have been called, but it outlined James’ frustration.
The current most valuable player, on the other hand, broke free of a three-game slump by making seven three-pointers and scoring 38 points. Thompson was also sharp after a quiet first three games, scoring 25 points.
With or without Green, Game 5 might not be an aesthetic treasure. All the Warriors care about is whether they win.
“It’s going to get chippy,” Thompson said. “There are going to be elbows. There’s going to be bad fouls. It’s probably going to be more intense Monday, so we’re prepared for it and it’s going to be a fun night.”
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