Over the first three games of the 2018 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors have put into action what many believed before the start of the series.
Golden State is simply a better, more well-rounded team than the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it's found a way to win in tight situations as well as in blowout fashion.
The 3-0 lead opened up by Steve Kerr's team puts every ounce of pressure on LeBron James and the Eastern Conference champions to avoid the humiliation of a sweep.
While the Warriors aren't expected to take their foot off the pedal in Game 4, they come into Quicken Loans Arena on Friday with enough of a buffer where they can afford to drop a game to the outmatched Cavaliers.
Game 4 Information
Date: Friday, June 8
TV: ABC
Start Time: 9 p.m. ET
Live Stream: WatchESPN or ESPN app
Predictions
Cavaliers Pull It All Together and Win Game 4
Even with the lackluster supporting cast around him, James is not going to let the Warriors finish off an NBA Finals sweep in his home building.
On an individual level, James has been nothing short of fantastic in the NBA Finals, with his latest masterpiece being a Game 3 triple-double.
In order to give the Cavaliers a chance to win Game 4, James needs a scoring performance similar to the 51-point outing he had in Game 1.
In addition to making most of his shots, James must receive extra contributions from the players around him, whether it be Kevin Love, JR Smith, Rodney Hood or Kyle Korver.
Hood emerged as a solid player off the bench in Game 3, producing 15 points after receiving less than five minutes of playing time at Oracle Arena.
But even with Hood joining Love, Smith and James in double digits, it still left the Cavs eight points short of a victory.
With the way the Warriors are playing, the Cavs could have four 20-point scorers and still could lose.
Although there's always the possibility for the Warriors to outshoot the Cavaliers, Tyronn Lue's team will have the edge Friday night.
With Hood continuing his strong play from Game 3 and Smith knocking down a few timely three-point shots, the Cavaliers will force the series back to California.
Durant's Rampant Scoring Form Drops Off
If the Warriors complete the sweep and a Most Valuable Player needs to be named, Kevin Durant is the man for the honor.
After scoring 26 points in each of the first two games, Durant lit up the Cavaliers for 43 points in Game 3, while no one else on Golden State produced more than 11 points.
The combination of the Cavs finally finding a solution to stopping Durant on a few possessions and the 29-year-old going cold in key stretches could put Golden State at a disadvantage.
Although Durant's struggles won't mean automatic defeat for the defending champion, it will struggle to create separation, as just two of its primary scorers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, split open the weaknesses in Cleveland's defensive structure.
Durant is still going to make a few shots over the course of 48 minutes, but he won't be as dynamic, which opens the door for the Cavaliers to sneak in a victory before the championship celebration at Oracle Arena takes place after Game 5 on Monday.
Curry and Thompson will lead Golden State in points in Game 4, with Durant producing somewhere between 15 and 20, but it won't be enough to end Cleveland's season. Entering Game 4 of the 2018 NBA Finals, the Warriors will be seeking to win their second consecutive NBA Championship, and their third title in four years. The Cavaliers will be looking to make history.
Golden State has a commanding 3-0 lead going into Game 4, and nobody has ever come back from that kind of deficit before. Cleveland, no strangers to making history, want to do just that. The Cavs have already come back from 3-1 in the past, so there has to be some confidence that they can defy the odds once again.
Despite all their talent, the Warriors needed seven games to defeat the top-seeded Rockets in the Western Conference finals. Golden State played well, but it was also the biggest challenge the Warriors have faced since Kevin Durant joined forces with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Co. Besides that, they breezed through the playoffs on their way back to the finals.
The Cavaliers, on the other hand, have had a rough road back to this rematch. It took seven games in the first round against Indiana and they needed a superhuman effort from LeBron James against Boston in the conference finals, winning four of the final five games of the series to punch a ticket to the Finals. However, they're back again and that alone should be seen as an accomplishment after a drama-filled season.
No. 2 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers
How to watch Game 4
Where: Quicken Loans Arena -- Cleveland, Ohio
When: Friday, June 8 at 9 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Stream: WatchESPN.com or WatchESPN app
NBA Finals schedule
Game 1 from Oakland: Warriors 124, Cavaliers 114 | Forgrave: LeBron's greatness denied again
Game 2 from Oakland: Warriors 122, Cavaliers 103 | Ward-Henninger: LeBron human in Game 2
Game 3 from Cleveland: Warriors 110, Cavaliers 102 | Ward-Henninger: Cavs' best still wasn't enough
Game 4 from Cleveland: June 8, 9 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 5* from Oakland: June 11, 9 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 6* from Cleveland: June 14, 9 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 7* from Oakland: June 17, 8 p.m. ET, ABC
* -- if necessary
Regular-season series: Warriors took both regular-season meetings against a completely different Cleveland team that featured Dwyane Wade, Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder. Curry missed the Christmas Day meeting due to injury.
Last season's playoff results: Warriors defeated Cavaliers in five games to win the 2017 NBA Finals.
Injury Report: Andre Iguodala (knee) played in Game 3, despite suffering an injury to his other knee.
Cavaliers win if:
LeBron James has been out of his mind on the court lately. If the Cavs are going to have any chance against the greatest collection of talent ever assembled, he'll need to keep up that level of play. Considering he is averaging 34 points, 9.2 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game these playoffs, that at least feels possible. He'll need at least some help from Love, George Hill, Tristan Thompson and Kyle Korver. If those four don't show up then it doesn't matter what James does. It won't be enough.
Warriors win if:
The Warriors need to get the ball into the hands of Curry and let him go to work. Durant is incredible, but his isolation sets have had a tendency to drag down Golden State's offense at times. The Warriors are at their best when Curry is bending a defense to his will and he needs the ball to do that. Give the ball to Curry and let him unleash the Warriors heavy 3-point shooting offense.
SportsLine projections
According to SportsLine date scientist Stephen Oh's simulations, the Warriors have a 74.3 percent chance of winning this series. SportsLine will have game-by-game gambling advice for the NBA Finals here.
