After being blown out by the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals, the Golden State Warriors seemed to be in much better unison to begin Game 4. Even though Stephen Curry and co. led by as much as 12 points during one point in the contest, the 4th quarter heroics of Lonnie Walker IV propelled the Purple & Gold to take a 3-1 series advantage. While many believe that LeBron James’ LAL will now surely be clinching the series, Shaquille O’Neal still has faith in the defending champs.
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Coming off an awful performance, The Baby-Faced Assassin had a huge 31-point, 10-rebound, and 14-assist triple-double. As great as the numbers seem, the 2-time Most Valuable Player didn’t have the most efficient night, shooting-wise – a horrific 3-14 from beyond the 3-point line.
However, King James’ 27 points, and valuable contributions from Austin Reaves and Anthony Davis, were good enough to lead the California-based franchise to a 104-101 victory.
“Even though they’re down, they’re not worried”: Shaquille O’Neal
With Steve Kerr’s boys having gone down 3-1 in the series, numerous analysts and enthusiasts have written them off. However, a huge admirer of Chef Curry, Shaq doesn’t think that the series can be considered over until it’s over.
After the conclusion of the clash, the Inside the NBA panel spoke about the chances of a comeback by the San Francisco-based franchise. O’Neal, who kept reiterating that the reigning champs weren’t going to give so soon, went off as Charles Barkley laughed at his comments. When Ernie Johnson opened the question to the panel on the recent episode of TNT’s Inside the NBA, the 7-foot-1 analyst said:
“It’s still great. Their chances are great. You going up against the champs. You gotta put the champs away. Champs ain’t gonna lay down, this ain’t Memphis. Steph Curry, greatest shooter in our game misses the last 2 shots, you don’t think he’s gonna be pissed off? He’s a dog, when dogs get pissed off they come ready to play the next game.”
Further, the Big Aristotle stated how GSW would think about the Cavs’ comeback in the 2016 NBA Finals and use that as a source of motivation to defeat LBJ.
“They probably saying ‘you know what? Remember when we had them 3-1 and they came back? Now it’s our chance to get LeBron back’. They still have a chance, they have to go home, they have to play well and they will play well… Even though they’re down 3-1, they’re not worried.”
Can Stephen Curry and co. still win the series?
This isn’t the first time that the Warriors have been down 3-1 in the playoffs during the Stephen Curry era.
Back in the 2016 postseason, during their Western Conference Finals battle against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors were in a similar situation as they are now. Down 3-1, the 6-foot-3 sharpshooter erupted for 32.6 points in the final 3 games, upsetting Kevin Durant and co.
In order to shock the Los Angeles Lakers this time around, apart from putting up such ballistic numbers, Steph will need Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, and other players to take on some of the offensive responsibilities.
While the Lakers are heavily favored to advance to the Western Conference Finals, we know for a fact that the Warriors won’t be going down without giving a fight.
