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Golden State Warriors Have Matthew Dellavedova, Cleveland Cavaliers Figured Out

By Nick Dudukovich

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Jun 11, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) and center Tristan Thompson (13) during the first quarter in game four of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers sufferd a huge setback in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, as Golden State cruised to a 21-point victory in Quicken Loans Arena. Not even Matthew Dellavedova could save Cleveland, as the worry heading into Game 5 is that the Warriors and coach Steve Kerr have figured out the Cavs.

In an act of desperation, or total genius, Kerr benched Andrew Bogut and went with a super small lineup, starting Andre Iguodala. The former 76ers is known for his defense, and he does just enough where he can make life a little difficult for LeBron James. The King was 4-of-14 when guarded by Iggy, which prompted ESPN reporter Darren Rovel to Tweet the headline, “Beat By Dre” after the game.

By benching Bogut, the Warriors were able to pick up the pace on offense. And picking up the pace just doesn’t mean fast breaks. It means taking quick shots out of the half-court offense. With Iggy in the game, there was more ball movement and the Warriors looked like the team they were advertised to be entering the finals.

Another concern for the Cavaliers is that Splash Brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson still haven’t had stellar games on the same night. With three games left in the series, you’d have to guess one of those games is coming.

Curry also made Matthew Dellavedova look a little more human. The reigning MVP sank four of his seven 3-point attempts, and ended the night with 22 points. He also added six assists. He was getting his teammates involved and his presence was much more noticeable than it had been in the previous three contests.

Sports Illustrated’s Michael Rosenberg said the following on Curry’s performance:

"“He wasn’t forcing thing, he was making plays for his teammates, he looked like himself. they were just hesitant the first three games. they didn’t know what hit them. they didn’t know how to handle cleveland and it’s like they woke up for Game 4 and were like, ‘Mathew Dellavedova is going to knock us out?’ I don’t think so.”"

Delly, on the other hand, shot 3-of-14 from the field and the Cavs were -15 with him on the floor. With no one else able to carry the scoring load, Delly took shots he shouldn’t have been taking. He’s having an unbelievable playoff run, but if the Cavs are counting on Delly, they’re in troube.

But that’s not even the worst part for the Cavs. J.R. Smith is playing the worst we’ve seen him play all season. His shot couldn’t hit sand if he was standing on Huntington Beach.

Smith was 0-for-8 from 3-point range and the Cavs were -27 with him on the floor. Negative 27!

And the Cavs poor shooting allowed Golden State to get the ball moving the other way, according to James:

It’s a best of three series now. Back to Oakland on Sunday.

Next: NBA Finals: Remaining Dates & Times

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