The Cleveland Cavaliers impressed plenty of eyes with their historic Game 4 performance, saving them from the shame of being swept by the rampaging Golden State Warriors.
Thanks to their torrid shooting, the Cavs broke their way into the record books, which left their opponents wondering what hit them. However, as good as their performance was Friday night in Cleveland, odds are against the defending champions replicating their in-the-zone aura at Oracle Arena for Game 5.
This is also a strong belief that is held by former Warriors shooting guard Anthony Morrow during his recent appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
“[The Cavs] have to make 25 3’s. They have to make 24 or 25 3’s. That’s how they have to play to have a chance. I was like ‘they should be up by 50.’ They would be beating any other team in the NBA by 50 the way they played [Friday night]. They scored 80 points in the first half and were still only up by 16 or 17 [Cavs led by 18].”
“Kyrie [Irving] has to have 40, they gotta hit 24-25 3’s, they gotta get J.R. [Smith] getting a few 3’s. LeBron [James] is going to be LeBron. That’s the kind of performance they have to have with all the firepower Golden State has. Steph [Curry] didn’t really play as well as he wanted to, he didn’t shoot as well as he wanted to. They got lucky, honestly. Kevin [Durant] did what he was supposed to do. It’s going to be hard because Steph is not going to shoot like he did in Game 4, not in Oakland.”
While it’s true that the Cavs’ shooting the other night was an anomaly, there’s no questioning that their lineup is built for that kind of play. Furthermore, the team’s activity and aggressiveness to begin the game disrupted the Warriors’ flow and they deserve credit for that as well.
Anthony Morrow began making a name for himself as a member of the Warriors from 2008 to 2010. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, which will open the door for a possible entry to either the Cavs or Warriors’ roster given their adoration for players of his kind — although Morrow’s comments don’t do him any good if ever Cleveland becomes an option.