The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers meet on Thursday for Game 4 of the 2015 NBA Finals. Tipoff is at 9 p.m. ET. Watch the live stream - or listen to the radio broadcast - below.
Cleveland took a 2-1 lead in the series following Tuesday's 96-91 win over Golden State. Cavaliers star LeBron James once again showed why he's the best player in the world, but it was teammate Matthew Dellavedova who surprised fans. The point guard again started in place of the injured Kyrie Irving and played stifling defense the entire game and finished with 20 points. Afterwards, Dellavedova had to be taken to a hospital for dehydration and exhaustion.
Despite the hospital trip, Dellavedova won't be under any minute-restrictions on Thursday.
"I told him I was going to limit his minutes," coach David Blatt told the Associated Press. "And he said, 'No, you're not.' Delly's tank is low, but we're doing everything we can to fill it back up."
Although Dellavedova turned in a big game, it was Cavaliers superstar LeBron James who once again willed his team to a victory, putting up 40 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.
"I'm just trying to do whatever it takes to help our team win," James said. "It's the Finals, and it's whatever it takes. This is a totally different challenge."
Cleveland, which was up by as many as 20 points in the third quarter, weathered a furious comeback by Golden State. With Cleveland's lead nearly slipping away in the final seconds, James indicated he told his teammates to stay calm and to keep playing.
"We're a young group," James said, "and like I told the group, 'It's OK.' We haven't been in a lot of these situations, if any, with this group."
Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson added 10 points and 13 rebounds, and swingman J.R. Smith chipped in with 10 points.
Despite Cleveland being two games away from its first title in 51 years, James sounded grounded after the victory and focused on Thursday.
"I know we're up 2-1. I know our team is fighting for our lives. We're undermanned. We're under-matched and we're fighting," he said. "That's all I know."
Golden State couldn't get things going until the fourth quarter, when they mounted a near rally from down 20. Warriors star Stephen Curry, who struggled in the first two games, ended up finding his shot in the fourth and finished with 27 points. He indicated afterwards he'd finally found a way to attack Cleveland's defense, something he plans to carry into Game 4.
"I think I found something when it comes to how I'm going to be able to attack their pick-and-rolls," Curry said. "I'll keep that in the memory bank going into Game 4."
Curry also said he felt confident about his team's chances of turning things around, especially after having to come back from a 2-1 deficit in the conference finals against Memphis.
"We'll figure out our game and the adjustments we need to make as we watch film later today, and we'll be ready tomorrow to give our best effort," Curry said. "I feel like we're pretty confident we can turn this around."
Kerr also pointed to Memphis game.
"We will watch significant parts of it, but the similarity is there," Kerr said. "Physical team that slows it down, like Memphis did. Our frustration with our pace and tempo is there. So it's very similar and it's very helpful that we've been through this process. Obviously, the personnel is different; the teams are different. But it's something we've been through, and that is a positive that we can draw on that experience."
Watch the live stream HERE, or listen to the radio broadcast HERE (GS) and HERE (CLE).
