Andrew Bogut's Golden State Warriors are just one win away from extinguishing the Cleveland Cavaliers and claiming back-to-back NBA championships.
The Warriors emerged battered, bruised but victorious 108-97 against the Cavaliers in a heated game four of the NBA Finals in Cleveland on Friday (Saturday AEST).
The win gave the Warriors a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and they can claim the title in front of their home crowd at Oakland's Oracle Arena on Monday, something they did not do last year when they clinched it in Cleveland.
"Game five will be the hardest game of the series," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
The referees were reluctant to call fouls, resulting in a physical game.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Bogut and fellow Australian Matthew Dellavedova who plays for Cleveland were both victims of hard play.
Bogut was going up for an alley-oop dunk, was pulled down by Cavaliers' big man Tristan Thompson and ended up face first on the floor.
Cavaliers' back-up point guard Dellavedova, often tagged as a dirty player, was hit in the head by Warriors forward Harrison Barnes.
The most explosive exchange came late in the game when the Warriors' Draymond Green and Cavaliers' LeBron James had to be separated after a physical and verbal stoush.
Green, who courted controversy in the Western Conference Finals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder when he kneed and kicked New Zealand's Steven Adams in the genitals, faces the prospect of being suspended for one game after it appeared he struck James in the genitals.
"We all saw it in the locker room," James, telling reporters how the team reviewed video of the incident after the game, said.
James was also furious with Green's trash-talking.
"Some of the words that came out of his mouth were a little bit overboard," James said.
"Being a guy with pride, a guy with three kids and a family, things of that nature, some things were overboard."
Green shrugged off James' complaints.
"Stuff said on the court, you will never get from me," Green said.
The Cavaliers face a monumental task to win the title, with no team in NBA history coming back from a 1-3 deficit in the finals.
James said his team will be solely focused on winning on Monday.
"Our mindset is to get one," James, who had 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, said.
The Cavaliers started strongly and held a 55-50 lead at half-time.
The Warriors outscored the Cavaliers 58-42 in the second half, with Steph Curry, 38 points, including seven three-pointers, and Klay Thompson, 25 points, having their best games of the finals.
The Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving was also on a mission, scoring 34 points despite injuring his right thumb in the second quarter.
Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue decided against starting All-Star forward Kevin Love after he was cleared of a concussion.
Love had 11 points and five rebounds from 25 minutes on the court.
