For a Game 1 of the NBA Finals, this should’ve been the punctuation on a Cleveland Cavaliers victory, the loser’s lament of a lost night for the Splash Brothers. It took a team effort to not only defend James, but turn the tide.
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Golden State has a plethora of battle-tested veterans who not only add a change of pace from the Warriors’ free-wheeling aerial assault, but can effectively dismantle an opponent’s starting team in Grade A fashion. Andrew Bogut had 10.
“Steph and Klay, they’re our guys”, said the 30-year-old, whose team have now won four straight games since falling behind 3-1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference final series.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were quiet most of the night, combining for just 20 points on 8-for-27 shooting. In Game 1, the team with the far superior ball movement and man movement scored easily and won.
LeBron James kicked off his sixth straight finals appearance with 23 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, while Kyrie Irving, who suffered a serious knee injury in the game one of the finals past year, scored 26 points, 11 of them on free throws.
James came within an assist of a triple-double – but it became a quiet 23-point, 12-rebound, nine-assist night because of the noise the Warriors’ bench made and all the noise in the arena. Kevin Love was strong as well in his finals debut with 17 points and 13 boards. Iguodala’s 12 markers, seven rebounds and six assists also shook down the Cavaliers’ battle plans completely.
James re-entered the game shortly thereafter, but Livingston added two more baskets and Harrison Barnes one, helping the Warriors go up 88-72 before coasting home. It’s a big stretch to expect Thompson to somehow take home the MVP like Iguodala did a year ago, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the Cavs win a title because of Thompson’s contributions.
But the bench, including Australian Matthew Dellavedova, combined for only 10 points and could not come close to matching the influence of their Warriors counterparts who amassed 45.
Irving made a jumper and a 3-point play and Tristan Thompson scored off a rebound to pull Cleveland within 56-52 early in the third quarter.
The starters gave up an 11-point third-quarter lead with uninspired play to start the second half. But the Warriors, as they have shown all year, win games even when they don’t play well.
Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith scored only three points, nine below his playoff average.
“We’ll be better next game”, Lue said afterward with a hopeful promise.
“Just really proud of the way everybody contributed”, Curry said.
Curry missed a wide-open 3 in transition later in the third quarter and Golden State left the door wide open for James and the Cavaliers. They have the same starting lineup, the same superstar player and the same way of demoralizing the rest of the National Basketball Association with their devastating onslaught of 3-point shooting.
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And while the Warriors’ defense did its job, holding the Cavaliers to just 38% shooting from the field, there’s reason to believe Cleveland’s got more in the tank. He popped in 20 points. But they are defensive liabilities, and the Cavs won’t be able to simply outscore the Warriors in high-scoring games for the entire series. In other words, they, too, missed easy shots they figure to make next time around.
