So when the defending champions Golden State Warriors needed a spark off the bench to fight off a Cleveland Cavaliers rally in Thursday’s Game 1 of the NBA Finals, it was no surprise he had the grit and determination to see them through. But it also had to do with Golden State’s defense, which threw multiple players (Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes) at LeBron James and was constantly one step ahead of the Cavs. Kyrie Irving led Cleveland with 26 points but was only 7 for 22 from the field. “But we’re holding the ball and we’re just staring down the defense and we’re staring down the ball, then it can become a problem for us”. “So I’m looking forward to seeing the film session and seeing ways we can get better”.
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The Warriors’ 87 victories combined from their record 73-win regular season and the playoffs matched the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, the group Golden State topped for the most regular season victories in National Basketball Association history of 73.
The Cavs, who have been setting 3-point records, made only seven in Game 1.
Keys to the game: The Cavaliers might have a Big Three in James, Irving and Kevin Love, but they’re going to need some help.
That connection, the sense of what buttons to push and what whiteboards to smash, was all over Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Seconds later, Iguodala made a 3-pointer to give the Warriors a 74-68 after three quarters and Golden State scored the first eight points of the final period. Not to forget Tristan Thompson, who played great against the Warriors last season. “So we have to do a better job of that”.
Warriors reserve guard Shaun Livingston (L) scored a season-best 20 points, his career playoff high … “We’ve talked about our depth”.
Love and Irving had plenty of good looks at the basket but seemingly any time they got close the shot would rim out. There were too many forced post-ups and little ball movement off those, which resulted in stagnation.
And the Warriors never looked back, scoring 15 straight points to blow the game wide open in the fourth and final period and they held on, despite a late nine-point run from the Cavs.
Good thing since Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson had unusually poor performances – the Splash Brothers combined for a mere 20 points.
Golden State’s bench impact against the Thunder came in short spurts, primarily a big third-quarter jump in Game 7.
“I missed some shots and didn’t get a rhythm, but the way that they defended, we’ll be able to find some adjustments for Game Two”. In that game, the Warriors’ switched everything and the Cavs didn’t handle it well. “They are a team that has another year under their belt”.
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Now the pressure is on the Cavaliers to bounce back in Game 2 to avoid falling into a 2-0 series deficit against an elite team like the Warriors.
