Aussies in NBA Finals: Game 4 fickle for Aussies, wondrous for Warriors

The rarefied record-breaking of the Golden State Warriors continued in Game 4 of the '16 NBA Finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ hopes of claiming a couple of home court victories in the series were flushed, falling to the Warriors’ might 108-97.

The Dubs prevailed to achieve a record 88 wins in the regular and post season combined, as well as scoring a Finals record 17 three pointers.

The slippery assassin Stephen Curry, who broke out of his series-long shooting slump to net 38 points on seven three pointers, reminded us that no man on the planet can throw a ball in the hoop from beyond 22 feet in the face of giants like the two-time reigning MVP can:

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/741449022167257088

The Game 4 battle saw little opportunity for our men Down Under; Andrew Bogut and Matthew Dellavedova saw limited minutes for the respective teams.

Bogut ended the night with a block, a rebound, an assist in ten minutes of play, while Dellavedova had two points on two free throws (0/1 FG), a rebound and an assist in five minutes of court time (box score).

Warriors coach subbed out Bogut early in favour of Andre Iguodala, a quicker defender who held Cavaliers star Lebron James to a +/- rating of -11. The statistic points to James’ lack of contribution to the team’s effort, despite his own stats of 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.

There was nothing Iggy could do to stop this rim-rattler, however:

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/741468192204312576

Dellavedova, who usually played around 24 minutes for the Cavs in the regular season, played just five minutes behind Kyrie Irving, who continued to razzle dazzle in Quicken Loans Arena with 34 points and Ballup-esque displays of ball handling:

https://twitter.com/si_nba/status/741462446913781761

No team in NBA Finals history has come from a 3-1 down deficit to win the best of seven series. The Cavaliers have the talent to win Game 5 in Oakland, as proved by their dominant win in Game 3, but they face a Warriors team that has lost just three games at home in their historic season.

The aforementioned Aussies, who will play together in the Rio Olympics in August (assuming they commit despite Bogut’s caution over a Zika virus outbreak), did have some highlights in their 15 combined minutes.

Andrew Bogut and Matthew Dellavedova Finals Game 4 highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0eG-saIDAk&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GluClX1ulO8&feature=youtu.be&a