LeBron: 'Resilient' Cavs were desperate to avoid sweep

The win botches the Warriors flawless post-season record, and gives media pundits something to talk about over the next few days.

A number of storylines will carry over into the next matchup: will someone die on the court as a result of the Cavs' scrappy style of play? The foul was originally announced to be on Draymond Green. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were otherworldly in Game 3. Will D-Will score more points?

"My mindset is to try to get every game".

While everyone and their mothers continually rant about James' skills, let's not overlook the brilliance of Kyrie Irving.

Cleveland now trails 3-0 in the Finals, despite LeBron's incredible play, averaging 32.0 points, 12.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game in the series. "He was 1-for-6 on 3-pointers and is shooting 25 percent from beyond the arc in the series, the continuation of a steady slide downward since he made more than half of his 3-pointers in the opening round against Portland". And it was Andre Iguodala having the discipline and the nerve to strip James as he tried for a game-tying shot from the left corner.

Cleveland put up numbers normally reserved for the NBA All-Star Game. It forces a Game 5 in the best-of-seven series and denies the Warriors - who lead the series 3-1 - the chance to become the first team in National Basketball Association history to go undefeated throughout the playoffs.

The Cavs are great with or without Irving playing like Superman, but damn near unbeatable when the 25-year old PG lights it up.

"He took over", Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

The Warriors, leading the series 3-0, needed to win game four to clinch title glory and become the first ever side to go through the entire play-off campaign with a flawless record, but they came up against a Cavs team who were not ready to give up on their dream of retaining their crown. Unfortunately, they ended up falling short when it mattered most, blowing a six-point lead in the game's final three minutes and losing by five points, 118-113.

He'll try to do so against arguably the greatest collection of talent the National Basketball Association has ever seen, and one that's trying to do something - going a flawless 16-0 in the postseason - that's never been done before. James scored 39 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. His point total was second only to Kevin Durant. Will he be that good in Game 4 again? He is fifth on the NBA's all-time list of most made three-pointers in a career. It's not about one or the other, it's about both of them.

James made his first Finals appearance 10 years ago, when he and the Cavs were swept by San Antonio, which captured its third Larry O'Brien Trophy in a five-year span. "And here I am to talk about the game's officials, who somehow managed to make a mess of a game Cleveland would've won under pretty much any circumstances". The two teams went back and forth, the stars showed out (most of them anyway) and the game came down to the final minutes.

Later, Warriors center Zaza Pachulia was involved in a pileup of players and delivered two swipes to Iman Shumpert's groin area as the referees tried to get control.

No team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit, and it doesn't appear any team is equipped to hang with these Warriors, who may go down as one of the best ever.

To its credit, Golden State used that wrenching reversal as a spur to sign Kevin Durant. Irving finished with 38 points but fatigue - he was on the floor the entire second half - played a factor in the Cavs' late collapse.

"It's the finals", Thompson said. The Cavs led 115-96.

Thompson's stout defense was absent in Game 4. Also, Game 4 was a very physical, scrappy battle - or the type of atmosphere where the Splash Bros. have typically struggles in year's past. If this thing goes back to Cleveland for a Game 6, Quicken Loans Arena, with the possibility of another Game 7 in sight, would register on the nearest Richter scale. And Golden State wasn't awful.