NASA isip ang hindi nakuhang perfect playoff run noong nakaraang taon, inaasahan ng Golden State Warriors ang kanilang pinakamabigat na hamon sa NBA Finals mula sa Cleveland sa pagtatangka nila na walisin ang serye ngayong araw.
Maaaring makopo ng defending champion Golden State ang ikatlong titulo sa apat na seasons, tangan ang 3-0 bentahe laban sa Cavaliers sa Game 4 ng kanilang record fourth consecutive best-of-seven title matchup.
“Game four is going to be the toughest game we’ve played in the series, to close it out,” wika ni Warriors guard Stephen Curry. “We’re going to need energy, effort, focus from every guy that steps foot on the floor.
“We know they’re going to throw some crazy punches and we’ve got to be able to weather the storm and their runs and the crowd and the atmosphere and all that. Just try to keep our composure as best we can because close-out games are the hardest things that you can ever experience in the playoffs.”
Ang bumibisitang Warriors ay nagtala ng NBA-record 15-0 start sa playoffs noong nakaraang taon na may tatlong sweeps at 3-0 lead sa Cavs bago nalasap ang kanilang unang pagkatalo sa playoffs. At kalaunan ay sinungkit ang titulo sa Game 5.
“We want a different outcome,” sabi ni Warriors guard Shaun Livingston. “We’ve never done that in our four years, sweep the finals. It’s an incredible opportunity. It’s like the game within the game.
“We have to challenge ourselves to come out and try to put this thing away.”
Wala pang koponan sa kasaysayan ng NBA playoffs na nanalo sa series mula sa 3-0 deficit, subalit walang koponan ang nakahabol mula sa 3-1 sa finals hanggang gulantangin ng Cleveland ang Golden State sa 2016 finals.
“We’re still in the NBA Finals,” ani J.R. Smith ng Clevelad. “We still have to keep that enthusiasm, trust and belief that we can get this thing done.”
Si LeBron James ng Cleveland, sa kanyang ika-8 sunod na finals at ika-9 sa kabuuan, ay lumapit sa 3-6 para sa kanyang career sa championship round.
“We have an opportunity to extend the series, but we’ve got to come out and play 48 minutes,” ani James.
“You can’t have mistakes. They’re not going to beat themselves. You can’t have flaws. You can’t have ‘my bads’ or things like that because they’re going to make you pay.”
Sinabi naman ni Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue na hindi pa sumusuko ang kanyang koponan.
“We know we can beat this team and we have the confidence to do that,” ani Lue. “But our focus is not on winning four. Our focus is winning game four.”
Inalala ni Kevin Love ang Game 4 effort ng Cleveland noong nakaraang taon.
“We hit 24 threes last year in game four and had a really great showing and didn’t accept defeat,” sabi ni Love. “That’s some-thing this team needs to do and continue to be resilient.
“The margin of error against them is so little. In some cases you almost have to be perfect.”
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