PORTLAND – The Golden State Warriors have done it again.
The defending champions rallied for a third straight game to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 119-117 in overtime in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, and will advance to their fifth straight NBA Finals.
The Warriors came back from 17 down in Game 4 – the third consecutive game they have trailed by as many points and overcame such a deficit – to sweep the Blazers.
Stephen Curry and Draymond Green both finished with triple-doubles, the first teammates to ever do so in a playoff game. Curry finished with 37 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists while Green concluded the game with a stat line of 18 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Warriors are just the second franchise to advance to five consecutive NBA Finals and the first in 53 years to do so. The 2019 Finals will begin on May 30.
YET ANOTHER COMEBACK
At this point, the Warriors could be down by 50, and with four minutes left in the fourth quarter they are going to have it down to one possession with all the momentum.
Once again, the Blazers led by as many as 17 in Game 4, and once again they could not hold off the inevitable.
The Warriors team has a lot of different identities – shooting, defense, but its ability to erase just about any lead in the blink of an eye might be the single-most defining characteristic of this whole five-year run.
They are just never out of a game, or a series for that matter. They fight like they’ve never won a thing.
IT’S STEPH CURRY
The Curry versus Durant debate rages on as Curry has now led the Warriors to six straight playoff wins without Durant, scoring 30-plus in every one – 35-plus in all four Portland games. In Game 4, Curry posted a hefty triple-double with 37 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Curry played the entire second half and overtime for a total of 47 minutes.
The team is just a different animal when the ball is in Curry’s hands more often. One can argue about what that means as far as who’s better, Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant, but you can’t argue the effect he has with control over the offense. The Warriors are now 31-1 in their last 32 games when Curry plays and Durant doesn’t. (CBS Sports)
