CLEVELAND _ The Warriors' chance at playoff perfection died right before the finish line. Now their shot at redemption will have to wait at least a few more days.
In one of the wildest NBA games in recent memories, the Cavaliers pounced on the Warriors early, shot themselves to a huge lead and staved off a sweep during an emotional _ and often unhinged _ second half, finishing off the Warriors 137-116, to move this series to 3-1 heading back to Oakland.
Kyrie Irving led the Cavs with 40 points, while LeBron James added 31 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
In their three previous Game 4s during these playoffs, all sweep-completers, the Warriors pounced on dejected Western Conference opponents, leading the Blazers by 23, the Jazz by 22 and the Spurs by 12 after the first quarter.
It was the opposite on Friday night. The Cavaliers surged from the tip, scoring 14 points in the first two and a half minutes, spiking out to their first double-digit lead of the series in a flash.
Then the Warriors fouls started to pile up. They had 10 in the first six minutes. Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Stephen Curry all had two fouls in the first 10 minutes.
The Cavaliers shot 22 free throws in the first quarter, which served as the backbone of the best offensive quarter in Finals history, done against the NBA's best defense during these playoffs.
The Cavaliers made 14 free throws, hit seven of their 12 first quarter 3s, made 14 of their 24 shots and scored a record 49 first-quarter points, jumping out to a 16-point lead against a shell shocked Warriors team, absorbing and staggering from the biggest punch they've faced in these playoffs.
Things somewhat stabilized in the second quarter, as the Cleveland lead fluctuated between 10 and 20. The Warriors scored 35 points in the quarter, but their defense remained a problem, ceding another 37 to the Cavaliers, who put up 86 in the first half, leading by 18 at the break, and finished the night with a Finals record 24 made 3s.
Some of it was due to breakdowns, but plenty of it was ridiculous shot-making by a desperate Cavaliers team, determined to not let the Warriors celebrate on their home floor for a second time in three years. They hit 13 3s in the first half _ more than they had in any of the first three games _ and LeBron James got his most help of the series, including six 3s from Kevin Love (23 points), solid minutes from Richard Jefferson and a second straight monster offensive night from Kyrie Irving.
The streaky Cavaliers point guard made 15 of his 27 shots, often slithering by and shedding sturdy Klay Thompson defense to drop crazy shots from tough angles. Combined with Game 3, he made 31 shots on 54 attempts after making only 18 of 45 during the first two games in Oakland.
Much like the second quarter, the Cavaliers lead fluctuated between 10 and 20 throughout the second half. But the lack of a close game didn't strip the night of its drama in the last 24 minutes. That included some scuffles and controversies that nearly escalated to ugly levels.
Included: Kevin Durant and James yelling at each other (and picking up double technicals) during a review of a flagrant foul delivered by Love on Durant, who finished with 35 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Then later: a physical scrum for a loose ball detonated into a showdown between Zaza Pachulia and Iman Shumpert. As Shumpert stood over a fallen Pachulia and the two tussled after the whistle, Pachulia seemed to reach up and slap Shumpert near the groin area, inciting an argument.
During the aftermath and review, Matt Barnes got into a heated argument with a loud courtside fan right near the Warrior bench. Curry, Durant and David West also had words, as security and police raced over to intervene and ensure it didn't escalate. The courtside fan was tossed.
Also in the second half: a mysterious ejection and then non-ejection of Draymond Green. In the first half, while arguing a foul call, both Green and Steve Kerr were disputing the call in the same area. One of the officials whistled for a technical. The scorer gave it to Green.
Then in that third quarter, while arguing another technical, Green was hit with a second technical, which is an automatic ejection. The public address announcer announced the heave, much to the delight of the crowd. But then after some extended confusion, they erupted in boos when they realized Green was still allowed to remain on the court.
The eventual explanation: The first technical should've been given to Kerr, not Green, a strange reversal that served as the officiating low-light during a controversial night.
But if there's one silver lining for the Warriors in a nightmare Game 4, it's that they exited the hostile and often emotional environment without an incident that could lead to a suspension of one of their main guns, like what happened to Green a season ago, completely altering the Finals.
But now the series shifts back to Oakland, where all the 3-1 ghosts and jokes await the Warriors as they try to finish this playoff run at redemption.
Curry scored 14 points to go along with 10 assists, an Green finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
