For the first half, Game 1 of the NBA Finals was competitive.
But the Warriors, led by Kevin Durant, were too much for the Cavaliers.
Golden State took Game 1 at home, 113-91.
Hate on Durant for leaving OKC and signing with the Warriors. That’s fine. But in his first Finals with his new team, Durant was the guy, finishing with 38 points, eight rebounds and eight assists while shooting 14-for-26 from the field, 3-for-6 from the 3-point line and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. He makes everything look SO easy which is the opposite approach I take when I play basketball.
Defensively, the Cavaliers really didn’t have an answer for Durant, or the Warriors for that matter. Instead of leaving the 3-point shooters open, Cleveland decided to just let Durant and the Warriors attack the basket. Which I get considering how good Golden State is from deep (12-for-33 on Thursday night), but still.
For Cleveland, there didn’t seem to be any rhythm offensively. LeBron James had 28 points and 15 rebounds, but also had seven turnovers in the first half (only one in the second half). On the night, the Cavaliers were extremely sloppy with the ball, turning it over 20 times. Golden State turned it over just four times, tying a Finals record.
The Cavaliers had 86 shot attempts while the Warriors had 106. That’s 20 more shots (math)! For the Warriors, they hit 42.5 percent of those shots. So (more math), those extra attempts (from turnovers and offensive rebounds), gave the Warriors an extra 17 points. That still leaves the Cavaliers five points short, but it’s better than 22.
A few random observations:
- Warriors center Zaza Pachulia should have scored like 12 points in the first five minutes but he wanted absolutely nothing to do with shooting the basketball.
- Former Wolves forward Kevin Love finished with 15 points and 21 rebounds. His first shot went over the top of the hoop.
- The Warriors are now 13-0 in the playoffs which seems downright silly.
Game 2 is set for Sunday at 7 p.m. in Golden State. It will air on ABC.