NBA Finals: Golden State Warriors Win Game 1
The Golden State Warriors won Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers 104-89. The win was surprising in that the Warriors guards, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, combined for only 20 points. Both Kyrie Irving (26 points) and LeBron James (23 points) individually scored more points than the Splash Brothers combined.
Warriors’ Bench Outscored the Cavaliers’ Bench 45-10
The difference in the game was the bench play of both teams. The Warriors’ bench outscored the Cavaliers’ bench 45-10. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 35-point differential was the largest in 50 years in a Finals game. The Warriors Shaun Livingston scored a playoff career-high 20 points on 8 of 10 shooting. Leandro Barbosa scored 11 points in only 11 minutes on 5 of 5 shooting. Barbosa only scored 14 points in the entire Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma Thunder.
LeBron James Had Quiet 23-point Game
James scored 23 points, but did not have a huge impact on teh game. James started the first quarter strong by driving to the basket five times and scoring 4 times. However, James only drove to the the basket six more times the rest of the game making one basket. Warriors’ Andre Iguodala shut down James as much as James can be shut down in a game.
Matthew Dellavedova Had Most Controversial Play
A side-note was whether Cavaliers’ Matthew Dellavedova or the Warriors’ Draymond Green would be accused of the most “dirty” plays during the Finals. Dellavedova drew first blood with a slap on Iguodala that appeared to hit the player in the groin between the legs. Dellavedova was called for a common foul after a lengthy and controversial review.
Cavaliers Played More like the Tired Team
Cavaliers had five days rest, but played more like a team with less than two days rest. Warriors looked like the rested team despite their grueling seven day series with the Oklahoma Thunder. The Cavaliers let a great opportunity to steal game 1 get away by not taking advantage of the poor night by the Warriors starting guards. They have their work cut out for them and the Cavaliers should expect that Curry and Thompson have far better games in game 2.
