Jun 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) and center Tristan Thompson (13) speaks the media after game one of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
After a week of waiting, the NBA Finals finally tipped off on Thursday night.
Game 1 was a classic.
- LeBron James took over the game, scoring 44 points, and nearly outscored Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, as they combined for 47.
- Kyrie Irving looked healthy (played 44 minutes) for the most part, finishing the game with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists
- Tristan Thompson had 15 rebounds
- Timofey Mozgov scored 16 points
If I told you all of that before the game started, it would feel like a safe bet to say that the Cleveland Cavaliers won the game? All of that is part of the recipe for a Cavs win, right?
Well, that was not the case in Game 1. Cleveland STILL lost.
This is about the only explanation I can come up with:
LOL at lebron and jr smith that's what happen when you flick your wrist u loose games Lil B cooking dance for champions ask harden - Lil B
— Lil B THE BASEDGOD (@LILBTHEBASEDGOD) June 5, 2015
I decline to comment on Lil B’s tweet, as I do not want him putting any kind of curse on me, or the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Here are 3 takeaways from the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Game 1 loss to the Golden State Warriors:
Next: Kyrie Sw-Irving?
1. Kyrie Irving looked 100% healthy….then got hurt again
June 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) falls to the floor while being defended by Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the overtime period in game one of the NBA Finals. at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The health of Kyrie Irving was the most talked about story-line leading up to the NBA Finals.
With the long layoff, it seemed Kyrie might be 100% healthy, but then reports came out suggesting Cleveland didn’t know what they would get out of Kyrie. Now after Game 1, they really don’t know:
Kyrie Irving emerges on crutches from locker room, source tells Yahoo "no answers tonight" on knee.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 5, 2015
Kyrie will have an MRI in the next few days, and his status for Game 2 will be decided after that.
Up until OT, Kyrie Irving looked like himself. He finished the game with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Irving had 4 steals and 2 blocks in a playoff game, which LeBron James has only done twice in his career. He also had a game-saving block on Stephen Curry with under 30 seconds to go in regulation:
If the Cleveland Cavaliers had won Game 1, that would’ve been the play we all looked back on and said changed the game. Unfortunately for Cleveland, that isn’t the case.
Injuries just continue to kill the Cavaliers this postseason. Once it seemed Kyrie Irving was back to 100%, he re-injures himself.
Everyone wishes the best for Kyrie Irving, even Golden State’s coach Steve Kerr. After the game, Kerr had this to say at the post-game press conference:
Steve Kerr: It's something I hate to see. I never like to see anyone get injured. I hope (Kyrie) can play. I mean that.
— RealGM (@RealGM) June 5, 2015
Next: Bench Role
2. Golden State has a deep bench, and Cleveland obviously doesn’t
Jun 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala (9) dunks the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers forward James Jones (1) in game one of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ezra Shaw-Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports
One of the most glaring stats after Game 1 was the lack of production the Cleveland Cavaliers received from their bench.
Cleveland’s bench finished the game with nine points (all from J.R. Smith) while the Golden State Warriors had 34 bench points.
You cannot win in the NBA Finals if you have zero production off the bench. It’s as simple as that.
J.R. struggled, shooting 3-13 from the field (3-10 3PA) in 34 minutes of action. If Cleveland wants any chance of coming back in this series, they will need more scoring from J.R. Smith.
Matthew Dellavedova and James Jones were the only other bench players to play in Game 1. Neither of them scored, and they only took one shot combined, which was a three-pointer missed by James Jones.
For Golden State, Andre Iguodala was a crucial X-factor off the bench. He made several key defensive plays and hit two 3-pointers. One of them without a shoe on:
Next: LeBron Being Amazing
3. LeBron James’ career high for points in the NBA Finals still wasn’t enough
Jun 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors in game one of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
As said before, if you were told LeBron James scored 44 points in Game 1, wouldn’t that make you assume the Cleveland Cavaliers won?
David Blatt couldn’t of asked LeBron James to play a better game. He took over the game offensively, forcing his way into the paint, and getting to the free throw line (6-10).
James had 8 rebounds, and dished out six assists. Although he would have liked to have more assists, six is still a solid number considering he took 38 shots, which was a career high:
LeBron James' 38 field goal attempts were the most he's ever taken, in the playoffs or regular season.
— Ethan J. Skolnick, 5 Reasons Sports (@EthanJSkolnick) June 5, 2015
It was a game that the Cleveland Cavaliers easily could have won. LeBron James gave you 44 points, Kyrie gave you 23 points and also played great defense on Stephen Curry. Tristan Thompson had 15 rebounds, and Timofey Mozgov played great offensively scoring 16 points.
LeBron James has had a great playoff run thus far, but you cannot expect him to score 40+ points every game for the rest of the series.
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We learned in Game 1 that it will take more than a dominant LeBron James for the Cavaliers to win this series. Someone else needs to step up, especially with the health of Kyrie Irving still uncertain.
A player has never won an NBA title by himself. It’s never happened. Despite popular belief, Michael Jordan had NBA All-Star, and Hall-of-Fame teammates, he did not win “by himself.”
Cleveland does not have any Hall-of-Fame players on the roster other than LeBron James. Kyrie Irving has a shot down the road, but that is a different story.
It was great to see LeBron take a lot of shots, but in order for the Cavaliers to win Game 2, he needs to get his teammates involved. He will not beat the Warriors scoring all of the points himself.
The health of Kyrie Irving will obviously have a huge impact on Game 2, as LeBron James desperately needs his fellow All-Star teammate to be healthy for the remainder of the NBA Finals.