Off top, this NBA Finals is supposed to be one of the most lopsided of all time. Las Vegas odds favor the Golden State Warriors something crazy. Hardly any sports pundit is giving LeBron James more than one win this series, if that.
On the injury side of things, Andre Iguodala was announced to be out before Game 1 for Dub Nation, while Kevin Love passed concussion protocol for the Cavs. Even without their Hamptons 5 member, Golden State still has four All Stars on their team, giving them the advantage.
While most thought this would be a blowout, it was the opposite. Things were close for most of the game. There were points in the night where the Warriors even trailed. Yet they always found a way to claw back.
At halftime, Steph Curry hit a three from deep to tie the game.
Draymomd Green Pokes LeBron James In The Face
There was no monster third quarter from the Warriors either. Though they did go on a bit of a run, they didn’t blow the Cavs out of the water. Cleveland continued to hang around and kept things close down the stretch. At least within striking distance.
It was a one point game with about a minute left.
Kevin Durant missed a bad airball, bricked an open shot and almost drew a charge in the last minute, which could have cost the Warriors the game. Luckily for Golden State, it was changed to a blocking foul and he shot free throws to tie the game.
Then with George Hill on the free throw line, he missed the second free throw to take the lead, JR Smith rebounds the ball over Durant and takes it back to midcourt to clear it. The only thing is, he could have taken a shot to win the game. Obviously, he had no idea they were actually tied instead of up one at that time, completely spoiling their opportunity at a W.
JR Smith’s mental failure
In overtime, it was lights out. Warriors had the crowd pumped up, they were hitting shots and it was goodnight for Cleveland.
There was a squabble with Draymond Green and Tristan Thompson when frustrations were at an all-time high with LBJ and everyone else on the Cavs team. Thompson got ejected, Draymond had to be separated and the rivalry hit peak levels of anger.
The block/charge call was the beginning of a snowball effect for Cleveland that they could not recover from. Mistake after mistake, they threw the game away.
Tempers Flare During Last Seconds of NBA Finals
King James finished with 51 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Kevin Love dropped 21 points for the game, but the rest of the starters only had 19 points combined.
For the Warriors, Curry had 29 points and 9 assists, KD had 26 points and 9 rebounds, Thompson with 24 points, and Green with 13 points and 11 rebounds and 9 assists.
LeBron James Walks Out of Press Conference After Repeated JR Smith Questions
When it is all said and done, the bad officiating, JR’s mental lapse, how bad KD played at the end of regulation, LBJ’s 51 points, and Draymond vs. Tristan scuffle will be the hot topics to come out of this one and dissected closely for the next 48 hours.
It’ll be interesting to see how much this loss keeps the Cavs deflated or if they can find motivation and confidence as the series progresses.