“We didn’t finish around the basket, so we’ve just got to keep playing the same way we were playing”, Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue said. “It don’t matter what you do with Steph and Klay”. It’s unlikely that they’ll have to deal with 43 points from the Warriors’ trio of veteran guards again, and bench players traditionally perform worse on the road. Love had 17 points and 13 rebounds.
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Sports Business Daily’s Austin Karp reported Thursday’s Game 1 recorded the best ratings for an opening title tilt since the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers produced a 15.2 overnight when they met in the 2001 NBA Finals on NBC. “(Barbosa). That’s why we’re here, everybody having an impact on our team in the game”.
Curry was also quizzed on his uncharacteristically poor shooting, but insisted he is unconcerned ahead of game two on Sunday.
Irving had 26 points to lead Cleveland, but he did nearly half his scoring from the free-throw line, where he went 11-for-12. He finished with 11 points.
“We’re not a team that loses our composure over anything”, James said. It’s East vs. West as the National Basketball Association finals continue, leaving everyone wondering-as they watch online or live stream-who will make history this season.
“I’m looking forward to the film session and seeing ways we can get better going into Game 2”, James said.
This might be the most balanced team LeBron James has ever been on, but the Cavaliers will only go as far as he can take them against the Warriors.
Curry and Thompson didn’t have the field day that many expected, but the Cavs could never capitalize.
Oakland They knocked off James Harden and the Rockets in the first round.
There are no obvious adjustments for Lue to make; Kyrie Irving and J.R. Smith didn’t look much better on defense. Or his Splash Brother, Klay Thompson.
Golden State only committed nine turnovers, clamping down after a sloppy series with the Thunder in which they looked like a high school team with some of their careless passes.
A seven-point burst featuring two baskets by Love propelled Cleveland into a 64-63 lead with 3:37 left in the quarter.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Game 1 of the NBA Finals between Golden State and Cleveland was the most-watched and highest-rated opening game on ABC, with 19.2 million people tuning in for an 11.1 US household rating. They don’t have to worry about Thompson posting-up – he had 34 post-up possessions in the entire regular season and converted them at a rate of 0.82 points per possession – and there isn’t enough space for James to drive to his right with three shooters standing next to each other on the strong side. They hit just 7-of-21 from long distance, struggles that often tell the tale of their chances to win. They also shot almost 50 percent from the field (43-87).
Regardless, the three-pointer was here to stay, Kerr predicted.
“That’s our motto. That’s what we believe in”, Livingston said. Leandro Barbosa, who signed to a collective yawn in September 2014 when so many believed the shelf life on his career had expired, had 11 points in just 10 minutes. Go figure. The MVP and his wingman, too, had the Game 1 jitters.
James passed Larry Bird for 10th place on the NBA’s postseason career rebounding list. Working in a Western Conference that had anywhere between five and nine teams working within its confines, West made nine NBA Finals yet only won one in his storied career. Horry has 56 and Ray Allen is third with 55. The team is now reportedly worth $1.1 billion. Totals 32-84 18-20 89. Even though Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were limited during most of the game, the Warriors’ bench was electrifying, led by Shaun Livingston’s 20 points. – 20 points between them on 8-for-27 shooting, each knocking down a late 3-pointer.
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The Golden State Warriors are constantly testing and exploring new products to find an extra edge. Assists-Cleveland 17 (James 9), Golden State 29 (Green 7).
