CLEVELAND (AP) – The Golden State Warriors looked like the NBA’s best team. The Cleveland Cavaliers looked like a tired one.
Game 4 was the first blowout of the NBA Finals, with Golden State pulling away for a 103-82 victory Thursday that tied the series at 2-2.
The Warriors changed their lineup but just as importantly changed their mentality, believing they hadn’t competed hard enough in dropping the previous two games.
“I think if we played as hard as we were playing the last couple of games, it would have won us probably 67 regular-season games, but it would have lost us the finals 4-1, and that’s what we had to change,” forward Draymond Green said.
Game 5 is not until Sunday at Oracle Arena, and the Cavaliers look like they could use that extra day of rest. LeBron James had a scoreless fourth quarter and finished with 20 points after averaging 41 in the first three games, and Cavs coach David Blatt will try to use the off days to figure out how to get James some help.