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3 SHOTS | 3 observations after the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated Golden State Warriors

The Cleveland Cavaliers live to fight another game as the Wine and Gold upended Golden State, 137-116, in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night. The Warriors lead 3-1 with Game 5 set for Monday night at Oracle Arena.

<p>Point guard Kyrie Irving said the Cleveland Cavaliers had no other option but to win in Game 4 of the Golden State Warriors.</p>

We play on!

The Cleveland Cavaliers live to fight another game as the Wine and Gold upended Golden State, 137-116, in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night. The Warriors lead 3-1 with Game 5 set for Monday night at Oracle Arena.

Let's take a look at our '3 Shots' after the win:

1. The NBA's officiating crew tonight was a disaster

Golden State's Draymond Green was whistled for a technical foul in the first half. Then in what turned out to be one of the most raucous quarters in NBA Finals history, he picked up another one in the third quarter.

He should be gone, right? Nope.

ESPN/ABC's Doris Burke reported that she checked with the scorer’s table for more information. They told her that the officials told them to give Green a tech in the first half. Well, that's right.

But in the third quarter, the refs said that the first half tech shouldn’t have been called on Green. It was given to Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr instead.

Baffling. But wait, there's more:

2. I wonder if Zaza Pachulia will have Monday night off

This was so bad, it deserved its own separate post. During a scrum in that same third quarter, Iman Shumpert and Pachulia were rolling on the floor after a loose ball. Pachulia appears to hit Shumpert below the belt.

Did Pachulia get tossed? Nope. Did he get a technical foul? Kinda.

The referees gave Pachulia and Shumpert double technical fouls while arranging for a spectator courtside to get tossed.

The league should take a very close look at that as we head into the weekend.

3. Records, records, records

There were a lot of them set tonight by the Cleveland Cavaliers in an absolutely magnificent performance.

  • Most points in a quarter in NBA Finals history
  • Most points in a half in NBA FInals history
  • Most three-point baskets in an NBA Finals game

The Cavs came out with attitude and focus early, held up against every Golden State run, and kept their poise in beating the Warriors decisively. The Big 3 combined for 94 whopping points, Tristan Thompson awoke from his three game slumber and played with strength and energy, and J.R. Smith continued to shoot well.

We'll have more thoughts on tonight during LeBron James Says.

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