suThe Golden State Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Last year’s Game 1 had everyone on the edge of their seat all the way to the finish. This year, the NBA Finals started a little differently.
The 2015 Finals started with Stephen Curry and LeBron James battling each other until the Warriors finally prevailed in overtime. In that game, Kyrie Irving suffered a broken kneecap late in the game. It was back-and-forth all the way in what was an incredibly thrilling first game.
The 2016 Finals featured a completely healthy Irving and Kevin Love and the Warriors controlled it for nearly the whole 48 minutes . The Cavs drew first blood as Love hit a corner three. With all the attention on Curry and Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes had some room to operate on matchup advantages. He attacked the rim early, dropping in buckets over Irving and JR Smith. Thirteen of Golden State’s first sixteen points were scored by either Barnes or Andrew Bogut.
Cleveland settled in after Golden State’s early attack, cutting the deficit to as little as one point. The Warriors won this game with their bench and it really started to get going in the second quarter. Leandro Barbosa was a catalyst off the bench, jumpstarting the offense and picking up the pace. He drove past Matthew Dellavedova with ease and then hit a three-pointer in the corner after accidentally tripping referee Ken Mauer.
Andre Iguodala was huge in this one. The vet was a game-high +22, scoring 12 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and dishing out 6 assists while playing incredible defense. On consecutive possessions, he stripped James and Irving, allowing the Warriors to get out into the open floor and get good looks.
Steve Kerr, furious at how his team was surrendering the lead in the third quarter, broke another clipboard in the huddle after calling a timeout. It was a fantastic smash, possibly the best one of his young career.
These playoffs have seen a lot of groin injuries and another one reared its ugly head in tonight’s game. Dellavedova, no stranger to dirty play, hit Iguodala in the groin after swiping at the ball. Last year’s Finals MVP turned and got in the Cavs’ backup’s face until Iman Shumpert separated them. The officials took a look at it and determined that the only infraction on the play was a Dellavedova common foul.
The Warriors pulled away with their bench unit. Shaun Livingston found his midrange jumper that went missing in the Western Conference Finals. He dropped in 20 points off the bench, feasting on whoever was on him.
The difference in this game was Golden State’s bench; the Cavs had no answer. The Warriors’ reserves outscored Cleveland’s 45-10. In a game where Curry and Thompson combined for 20 points on 8-27 shooting, the bench stepped up when the team needed it the most.
The Cavaliers stole Game 2 in last year’s Finals in another overtime contest. The Warriors will look to defend their home court once again on Sunday.