Game 4 of the NBA Finals, slated to be played at Quicken Loans Arena Friday night 9 p.m EST, is gearing up to be a historical game for both teams involved. The Golden State Warriors have an opportunity to make NBA history as the first team to have a 16-0 winning streak in the playoffs.
For their opponents, the Cleveland Cavaliers, this game would decide if they remain in the running for the championship, as they have lost the last three of the 7-game series.
According to ESPN, 60 percent of fans accurately predicted a Warriors win in Game 3 and 90 percent predicted they would win the series.
Players such as Kevin Durant and Lebron James are also a source of controversy going into game 4. The majority of metro Atlanta teens VOX Media Cafe reporters talked to Friday leaned toward the Warriors, like Sharob Hemphill, 15, of Atlanta. A Durant fan, Hemphill thinks Durant will do well tonight.
“I watched this guy [diss] the crap out of Kevin,” he told VOX Teen Communications. “I think Kevin Durant is gonna do good. I like his performance and everything.”
On the topic of player controversy, one main one is between pointguards Stephen Curry (Golden State) and Kyrie Irving (Cleveland). Jarvonte Jefferson, 15, who was visiting Atlanta from Orlando, Florida, said the better player is Irving.
“He’s more of a ball player,” Jefferson said. “All Curry wants to do is shoot.”
Many people, even fans from the opposing team, won’t be surprised if the Warriors sweep. Thirteen-year-old Christian Crayton, also visiting from Orlando, said: “They deserved it. They made it to the finals.”
The biggest question tonight, however, is if the Cavs will continue in the finals.
“There is always a possibility of that happening,” said Tori Shipma, 16. “They [ Warriors] came back Wednesday night, right?” She’s referencing the fourth-quarter, game 3 comeback where the Warriors scored 118 to the Cavs’ 113, which shocked many fans.
Regardless of the outcome of tonight’s game, it’s sure to be one for the history books.
Krystal White, 16, is a basketball player and goes to Sebastopol High School in Mississippi. Kaylynn Parks, 16, is a book-nerd and knows nothing about basketball. Atlanta-native Calvin Walden, 15, is a big San Antonio Spurs fan.
Photo credit: Calvin Walden, VOX Media Cafe participant, Douglass High School
