Kyrie Irving and the Cavaliers came out with a different type of fire on Friday night. Of course teams never want to get swept in a series, but the Cavaliers put up the highest scoring quarter in NBA Finals history.
After the game, Irving indicated there was some chatter heard from the Warriors’ locker room after Game 3 that motivated the Cavaliers.
Kyrie Irving said the chatter about #Warriors wanting to win championship on #Cavs floor was a motivating factor for them tonight. pic.twitter.com/6gWmynCPnu
— 95.7 Dubs Radio (@957thegame) June 10, 2017
Irving told reporters that, combined with the day between games was all the Cavaliers needed to answer:
“We knew what we were faced with, that was what it was. But then you add of course, some chatter in there. That adds some extra motivation and you give us a day in between. We were ready to come out, especially me because that taste wouldn’t have been the same tonight if we would have lost on our home floor.”
The chatter also came from Thursday’s practice, when Draymond Green told reporters that it would be “satisfying” to beat the Cavaliers on their home floor in a sweep, via Newsday:
“It would be very satisfying to do that. Obviously we've won it here before. It's a good feeling. We're celebrating on their floor, celebrating in their locker room, quieting their crowd. As an athlete, one of the best feelings is going into an opponent's and enemy territory and just silencing their crowd.”
The Cavaliers will likely be looking for any other sources of motivation they can get before Monday’s Game 5 in Oakland. It certainly won’t be what it was for Game 4.