Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 1 steal vs. Cavs

3. Rebounds, turnovers and threes could prove the difference in Game 2

The outcome of the game can be traced to three separate situations: the charge call on Kevin Durant, the brain fart from J.R. Smith and the overtime segment.

So to be fair to the Cavs, it’s likely the Warriors would have lost had Durant’s offensive foul not been overturned.

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At the time, the Warriors were having trouble controlling the defensive glass, giving up six offensive boards in the fourth quarter alone.

By the end of the game, the Cavs had won the battle of the boards 53-38, and everyone knows that the team that best cleans the glass normally ends up on top.

Cleveland stole 19 rebounds away from the Warriors way too easily, and that kind of effort could prove problematic for the Dubs as the series progresses.

But to Golden State’s credit, they relied much less on isolation plays compared to their Western Conference Finals performance, recording 31 assists while committing just seven turnovers.

Cleveland, on the other hand, dished out just 18 assists and coughed up 11 turnovers.

The Warriors also shot relatively well from behind the arc, going 13-of-36 as a team (36.1 percent), whereas the Cavs went 10-for-37 (27.0 percent).

If the Warriors can keep their turnovers down and limit Cleveland’s effectiveness from three, it may be just enough to make up for their rebounding deficiencies.