CLEVELAND — The head coach of the Golden State Warriors gathered his team for lunch, a pivotal and closed meeting between players and Steve Kerr’s staff. Consensus had spread within the locker room, an altering move was needed, but no one could grip the extent of a lineup change. No one could fathom Kerr risking the mental fitness of Harrison Barnes or Draymond Green.

Kerr never seriously considered benching Barnes or Green in Game 4 on Thursday, and he instead told the team and coaches over lunch: Andrew Bogut will sit.

“Andre [Iguodala] is starting tonight,” Kerr told them.

No mistake: This was the head coach’s call, a proposition that created an immediate dent within a 67-win Western Conference champion. Privately, Bogut was miffed instantly and after the final decision. Here’s the pillar of the Warriors’ rim protection, a 10-year pro benched. The body language of their center swiftly struck these Warriors — the distance during in-game huddles, him remaining seated even as Golden State made runs — and they understood Bogut had a level of irritation toward his demotion. Ultimately, Bogut had his reservations, but no room to step outside the team mantra. So long as we win.

For Kerr, this balancing act of risk and reward, of possible trepidation from a veteran in order to even the NBA Finals, outweighed everything. Iguodala became the perfect player to start along Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in the Warriors’ 103-82 victory for a 2-2 series — a ball handler, slasher, shooter and their best defender on LeBron James. Iguodala created havoc on the fast break, created open shots and his own offense, producing 22 points and four 3-pointers, eight rebounds and one steal.

“He’s been our best player through four games,” Kerr said.

Iguodala had come to the Warriors on a lucrative contract two summers ago, and he quickly realized utilizing Curry’s skills would be impossible if he sought his own shots and touches. So Iguodala went to work: He studied drills and implemented routines — to become a point guard, those close to him say. A 6-foot-6 one guard, at that.

The court finally opened for the Warriors’ offense, passes popping from end to end on Thursday. Iguodala has always been more playmaker than scorer, and that’s only heightened with attrition in the NBA. Out of nowhere now, Iguodala is draining three-pointers and free throws, and yes, creating a script for him to be named the Finals MVP.

For now, Kerr has already informed his team this much: Iguodala will start Game 5, and the Cavaliers will adjust. The blistering pace of LeBron slowed with 20 points on 22 shot attempts, and his shooters never found the space and rhythm to damage the Warriors. They sacrificed the inside — Timofey Mozgov’s 28 points and 10 rebounds — to flash their arms everywhere on the perimeter, on the kick-outs to Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Matthew Dellavedova (combined 7-for-35).

“More that goes into the game than people realize, not being able to sleep and get in our normal routine,” Iguodala said late Thursday. “My brain is fried, but we understand the commitment and sacrifice we have to make.”

As a younger player, Iguodala was accustom to leaving his television on NBA TV. No more. He’s skipped out on the media shows, opting to play golf. One of the NBA’s most athletic players in his prime, still a gorgeous leaper, and this is the channel that now dominates Iguodala’s TV when he and friends are watching: the Golf Channel, where there is no basketball dialogue or remembrance of games, just following a sport on the green.

The entire city had descended upon these Warriors, and Iguodala turned to his favorite channel for division from the outside. “Andre’s a pro,” Draymond Green said Thursday, and still this decision to turn to Iguodala had created a crack in Golden State and some agitation within their starting center.

No other choice. Steve Kerr had to make this move on Thursday during a team lunch: Andrew Bogut out. Andre Iguodala in. A championship run saved for now.