CLEVELAND — They couldn’t have done it without him.
Harrison Barnes scored 14 points, secured 8 rebounds, played hounding defense on LeBron James and hit the biggest three-pointer of the game, putting the Warriors up 93-84 with 5:56 left to play.
“He was fantastic,” beamed Steve Kerr after Golden State’s Game 4 win.
Many of the Warriors players were adamant in the locker room that the first quarter was the most pivotal portion of the game. It’s when they put the previous Game 3 demons behind them, going toe-to-toe with LeBron and Kyrie Irving on the road, hushing the Quicken Loans Arena crowd that had rattled them two nights before. In that first quarter, Barnes scored 8 of his points, burying two three-pointers, which forced Cleveland to think twice about letting the forward roam free.
“I think that definitely puts pressure on the defense to have to make decisions,” Barnes said of his hot start. “It allows Steph (Curry) and Klay (Thompson) to be who they are.”
It certainly did. Curry was spectacular, scoring 38 points on much cleaner looks. Thompson added 25 for good measure, on an efficient 7/14 from the floor. And once the Splash Brothers got rolling, the Warriors sapped every ounce of energy from the Cavaliers. Barnes was the spark that ignited the explosion.
“H.B. the way he stepped up and made some timely buckets for us, it kind of softens the defense because they’ve got to be aware of everybody,” Curry said afterwards. “And then lanes open up and that’s when we’re at our best. So just kind of feeding off of that rhythm.”
No Warrior has taken more criticism on social media this year than the lovable Barnes. His up-and-down play this season after returning from an ankle injury has been well-documented. Guess what? Those inconsistencies didn’t surface on the NBA’s grandest stage. He saved one of his best games of the season for the most ideal time.
“Tonight, we as a team played well,” Barnes said. “We played physical. We didn’t do that in Game 3. I think that’s what was the big difference for us.”
Barnes, 24, is set to become a restricted free agent in July. The Sporting News is reporting that Warriors owner Joe Lacob has said all along he will pay extra in luxury taxes to keep a winning team together. He may not be the superstar player you expect with the No. 4 overall pick, but Barnes is clutch in the playoffs and would be tricky to replace.
