“I’m not discouraged at all”, James said Friday after analyzing video of the defeat. “I understand we had our opportunities”.
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He didn’t say what player caused his frustration, but it could have easily been Cavs player. “This series we want to get a feel for how everything’s going”.
“I normally try to keep an even coolness about myself, not just for me but for the team as well, because we can get giddy out there and lose it a bit”, Iguodala said. It was one of those hard-to-watch games from the guard. James and other Cavs often switched their men to help defend Curry and Thompson. The viewership number was the biggest for a Game 1 on any network since 1998.
Even as he spent the first 43 games of the season on the sideline while recovering from back problems, Steve Kerr always kept his finger on the pulse of the Golden State Warriors. “But it didn’t hurt us, because of our bench and our overall play with our defensive effort and taking care of the ball”. And although he will forever be loyal to his hometown Los Angeles Lakers, he’s encouraged his players to get behind Cleveland’s National Basketball Association franchise.
LeBron sat down on the bench in the fourth quarter as Game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals slipped away, threw his hands up and grimaced in frustration.
Whichever changes James seeks, there was no panic either from him or Lue afterwards.
His story became the model for team play a year ago. “This has been our team the last couple of years”. “Came in, gave them a huge spark”, James said. “They are used to winning”. “It’s going to be a tough series but they’ll get it done”. “You don’t win championships without the entire squad coming in and making an impact on games, and the way obviously Shaun came in was so composed, got to his spots, had that confidence to know them down”. “Don’t let him fool you”.
Curry and Thompson combined to score a meager 20 points on 29 percent shooting, and it was the supporting cast – Livingston (20 points, 8-of-10 shooting), Andre Iguodala (12 points, seven rebounds, six assists) and Leandro Barbosa (11 points, 5-of-5 shooting) who paced the blowout.
“I missed some shots and didn’t get in a rhythm, but the way that they defended, we’ll be able to find some adjustments for Game 2”, Curry said. Yet they showed what they were capable of in the third quarter when they turned a 14-point deficit into a one-point lead. And, you know, this was a unusual game for us. I think Bob Fitzgerald, our TV guy, calls Andre “the adult in the room” for us.
It puts into perspective so many things that we perhaps take for granted. We have that memory in our mind.
Curry had just 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting from the field and Thompson contributed only 9 points on 4-of-12 shooting Thursday night at Oracle Arena. We talked about it before the game, just being aware of what we’re trying to do. “We rely on a lot of people”, Kerr told reporters afterwards. “Everyone who came off the bench treated every possession like it could be their last”. Curry had 11 points, six assists and five rebounds, while Thompson scored nine points.
“In some ways maybe that’s like when Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile”, Silver said of Curry’s achievement this season.
“We had a chance in that third quarter to do something special, but we didn’t counter and do it”, James said.
James laughed off the notion he spent too long sitting, noting Golden State’s fast-paced scoring attack.
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“Everyone is going to have a role”, said the Cavs coach.
