The Golden State Warriors faced another double-digit deficit against the Blazers Monday night. The Warriors, once again calling on their championship mettle, used tough defense to rally and earn another trip to the NBA Finals.
The Warriors held the Blazers to 22 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to win 119-117 in Game 4 and sweep the Blazers out of the Western Conference finals at the Moda Center.
“Our defense was shaky, but we turned it up in the fourth quarter and in overtime, and got it done,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
Powered by Stephen Curry’s 37 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists and another triple-double from Draymond Green, the Warriors completed a four-game sweep of the Blazers in the best-of-seven series. The Warriors extended their recent dominance of the Blazers in the playoffs. The Warriors have swept the Blazers in two years (2017, 2019) and they have won 12 of the last 13 playoff games against the Blazers.
The Warriors advanced to their fifth consecutive finals, marking the first time a team has reached five consecutive NBA finals since the Boston Celtics in the 1960s.
“To be to five straight finals, I don’t even know what to say about it,” Green said. “This is what you play for. This is our goal every year and to get to five straight times is special.”
Going into Game 4, the Warriors were determined not to fall behind by double digits going into halftime as they had in Games 2 and 3. They achieved that objective, trailing 69-65 at the break. The Warriors, who normally dominate the third quarter, cut the Blazers’ lead to 72-70 early in the quarter. However, the Blazers went on a 23-8 run to take a 95-78 lead with 1:55 remaining.
Forced to dig deep for the third consecutive game, the Warriors, playing without the injured Andre Iguodala (strained calf) and Kevin Durant, who missed his fifth straight game with a strained calf, turned up their defensive intensity in the fourth quarter. They held the Blazers to 6-of-23 shooting (26.1 percent) overall and 2-of-12 from the three-point line in the quarter. They stifled Portland guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, holding the duo to five points on 2-of-13 shooting, and the Blazers scored 16 points in the fourth quarter.
“I think we finally put them under a little duress. We knew if we wanted to have a chance to win that game, we were going to have to make a stand defensively,” Green said. “That’s what championship basketball is all about. You may not be able to do it for 48 minutes, but if you can lock in the most when it matters, we can live with those results. We gave ourselves a chance and we were able to pull it out.”
Green was the catalyst for the Warriors’ comeback. The forward posted his second consecutive triple-double in the series, finishing with 18 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists, three steals and two blocks. Green made the biggest shot of the game, draining a three-point shot to give the Warriors a 119-114 lead with 36.9 seconds remaining in overtime.
“Draymond did what Draymond does. He hits big shots,” Kerr said. “Draymond is just a big game player ... and that was obviously the shot of the game.”
Golden State’s win earned them the reward of getting nine days off before the start of the NBA finals. They wanted to close out the Blazers as soon as possible to give injured players a chance to heal. They also understand the significance of reaching five consecutive NBA titles. However, they know the job is not finished.
“You want to enjoy it. But we know four more wins defines a season," Curry said. "Winning a championship. Gotta stay locked in.”