James has a ideal 9-0 record in game two after his teams have lost the opener of a playoff series, and the Cavaliers will put that to the test Sunday after falling to the defending champion Warriors 104-89 on Thursday.
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Stephen Curry’s “Strength In Numbers” supporting cast made all the timely shots and all the difference for the defending champions in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
James kicked off his sixth consecutive finals with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists, but cold-shooting Cleveland went 38.1 percent from the floor. But he was in no mood to toast his own performance.
“My team has always been able to recalibrate, look at the mistakes that we had in Game 1 and come up with a better game plan in Game 2 and be able to execute it”, James said. The Warriors outscored the Cavs 45-10 in bench points.
James played 41 minutes but rested late in the third quarter and early in the fourth. He sparked a 15-0 Warriors run over the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth that broke open a tight game for good. “So I’m looking forward to seeing the film session and seeing ways we can get better going into Game 2, and I think our team will as well”.
The free-scoring Splash Brothers had just 20 points total, but the Warriors more than made up for that as a team. “Just we’re right there, we got into the paint”, Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said.
“We’re playing against a half-court defense, they’re switching 1 through 5, they make you stagnant and make you play one-on-one basketball because that’s all you can get”, he said.
Kerr slammed his fist into the board during a timeout in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, breaking it into three pieces. “They really changed the game, and it allowed us to win”.
If he added a little strut, maybe a finger pointed to the sky, he would have looked just like the guy who was the NBA’s first unanimous Most Valuable Player.
“I missed some shots and didn’t get in a rhythm”, said Curry, who was 4-for-15 with 11 points.
Cavaliers update: Considering the way Cleveland rolled through the Eastern Conference playoffs, it was surprising to see the Cavaliers attempt so few 3-pointers in Game 1.
“We are aware of it”, was all Lue would say when asked about the number of shots Smith took and whether it was being addressed. “We’ve talked about our depth”.
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“We play a lot of people, and we feel like we have a lot of talent on the bench that can come in and score when we need it”, Coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the game. That’s the biggest differential for the Warriors’ bench all sea-son. I thought we were fine. Dellaveodova was trying to steal the ball from Iguodala and hit him in the groin during the scuffle, according to ESPN.
