CLEVELAND (AP) — The latest from Game 4 of the NBA Finals:
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10:01 p.m.
LeBron James took a bad tumble in the second quarter, cutting his head after crashing into photographers behind the baseline.
James was fouled by Andrew Bogut on a baseline drive and fell backward, with his head hitting a camera. He remained down for a couple of minutes before getting up holding a towel over his head to stop the bleeding coming from the cut in the back.
He made one of the two free throws.
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9:58
Draymond Green is back. Just ask him.
After admitting to not being his usual tenacious self through the first three games of this series while dealing with a back issue, Green has been the Swiss Army knife that made him so valuable all season long to the Warriors through the first 18 minutes of Game 4.
Green has nine points on 3-for-5 shooting with three rebounds and three assists while playing his usual stellar defense.
His contributions in the frontcourt are essential for a team that decided to play small with Green at center and Andrew Bogut on the bench.
And he’s feeling it.
After Green hit a 3-pointer at the midpoint of the second quarter, he looked toward the sideline and yelled, “I’m back!”
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9:53 p.m.
The Warriors believe they will win Game 4, and so do oddsmakers.
According to Pregame.com, the Warriors were favored by three points Thursday afternoon, the first time in 7 1/2 years a LeBron James team was such a heavy underdog at home. The Cavs beat the eventual champion Boston Celtics that night.
Despite the Cavs’ 2-1 lead in the series, the Warriors were still considered favorites to win the series in Las Vegas.
They are off to a strong start in trying to even it up. Golden State had opened a double-digit lead midway through the second quarter.
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9:44 p.m.
Warriors coach Steve Ker’s decision to switch his starting lineup with Andre Iguodala replacing Andrew Bogut is paying off.
“It was faster. We got the pace going and we got the floor spread,” Kerr told ABC’s Doris Burke. “But we gotta rebound. We know we’re at a disadvantage size-wise. We have to scrap.”
Surprisingly, the Warriors still held a 15-13 advantage on the glass more than two minutes into the second quarter.
“I like the level of aggression from everybody,” Kerry said. “We need to move the ball and we need to attack and get the pace going and keep it that way.”
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9:38 p.m.
That’s two straight 30-plus point quarters for the Warriors after they were struggling to crack 20.
Golden State leads 31-24 after closing the period with a 14-4 spurt. Andre Iguolada, a late addition to the starting lineup, provided nine points.
The Warriors had been shut down for most of two games before scoring 36 in the fourth quarter of their Game 3 loss. After leading the NBA in scoring with 110 points per game in the regular season, they are averaging just 97.3 in this series.
LeBron James has five points and like a lot of Cleveland’s fans, was visibly upset by a couple calls that went against the Cavs.
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9:27 p.m.
The Golden State Warriors have succeeded in speeding up the game.
By going to a smaller lineup with Andre Iguodala starting and center Andrew Bogut sitting, the Warriors have more ball handling and shooting on the floor.
It left them vulnerable inside, which Cleveland exploited in racing to a 7-0 lead, but the Warriors had regrouped later in the quarter to grab their first lead since Game 2. They never led in Cleveland’s 96-91 victory in Game 3.
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9:20 p.m.
LeBron James had a simple message for his teammates before their biggest game yet.
Stay desperate,” ABC’s cameras showed James telling his team in the huddle before taking the court. “Every game for us is a Game 7. We have zero room for error.”
Most of the rest of these Cavaliers have never been on a stage this big. So before he finished his message, he made sure to drive his point home.
“We have zero room for error,” he said, pounding his fist into his hand.
Then the Cavs jumped out to an early lead, prompting Steve Kerr to tell his team to just “weather the storm.”
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9:15 p.m.
Game 4 of the NBA Finals has started, with the Warriors trying to avoid a 3-1 hole that no team has overcome in this round.
Coach Steve Kerr said earlier Thursday that it wasn’t a do-or-die game until you have three losses. But since teams with a 3-1 lead are 32-0 in the NBA Finals, this felt pretty close to one.
The roar for Matthew Dellavedova during starting lineups was as loud as LeBron James’, Cleveland clearly haven fallen in love with the Australian.
Tristan Thompson got the first basket on an offensive rebound, the kind of play that has been hurting the Warriors in this series.
The Cavs opened with the first seven points of the game, forcing a quick Warriors’ timeout.
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9:03 p.m.
Walk around Quicken Loans Arena — or just about anywhere in Cleveland — and it won’t be long before you find someone in a LeBron James jersey.
Matthew Dellavedova’s No. 8 is much harder to find. But fans are apparently looking for it in a big way.
Dellavedova had the top-selling NBA player jersey Thursday on NBAStore.com and Wednesday with online sports retailer Fanatics, according to the league.
The former backup’s popularity has soared and with fellow Australian Andrew Bogut playing for Golden State, made the finals must-see TV Down Under.
Game 2 was the most-viewed NBA Finals game ever in Australia on ESPN Australia and was the No. 1 non-Super Bowl broadcast on record for ESPN Australia.
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8:57 p.m.
Steve Kerr changed his mind — and his starting lineup.
Shortly after saying the Golden State Warriors would stick with their same starting five, the Warriors decided to insert Andre Iguodala as a forward, move Draymond Green to center and put Andrew Bogut on the bench.
Bogut has struggled, but Kerr had said before the game they planned to start the same way, and even that reserve forward David Lee could play alongside Bogut.
Iguodala has been their best defensive option against LeBron James.
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8:50 p.m.
Same starting lineup for the Warriors, but watch for changes in rotation and tactics.
Coach Steve Kerr was tightlipped about his plans, but struggling Andrew Bogut is still the starting center but David Lee will get additional playing time after his strong finish to Game 4.
Asked what tactics the Warriors could try to hold LeBron James under 40 points, Kerr said they could potentially double or even triple-team him. He was then asked if he intended to do that.
“Hang on, let me look at my game plan,” he said, pretending to reach into his pocket and open a piece of paper. “Maybe.”
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8:34 p.m.
WWE in the house!
With the Warriors on the ropes, WWE stars The Miz and Dolph Ziggler were hanging out courtside before Game 4, taking pictures with fans before posing for more at halfcourt and filming promo spots in the hallways for wrestling federation’s live TV show, Raw.
Both are from the Cleveland area.
The Miz, who was wearing a No. 40 wine Cleveland jersey that read “Must-See” on the back, was born in nearby suburb Parma and attended Normandy High School; Ziggler attended St. Edward High School in Lakewood and wrestled collegiately at Kent State University.
Wrestling veteran Ric Flair was roaming the hallways as well, taking pictures with Kevin Love.
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8:03 p.m.
J.R. Smith made quite the entrance into Quicken Loans Arena.
Just as Warriors coach Steve Kerr was finishing an interview outside Golden State’s locker room, Smith zoomed by riding a Hovertrax, a hands-free motorized vehicle.
“Hey, what’s up?” Smith said as he rolled by on the carpet.
Smith nearly became the Cavs’ most recent injury when he briefly lost his balance and lunged forward, catching himself before he fell.
He got right back on, though, and continued his journey to Cleveland’s locker room.
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AP Sports Writer Tom Withers and AP Basketball Writer Jon Krawczynski contributed to this report.
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