The flag is unfurled before the national anthem at Oracle Arena. May 27, 2016. (Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer)
OAKLAND, Calif. (Diya TV) — Despite a lackluster showing from the Splash Brothers, who combined for just 20 points during Game 1 Thursday, the Warriors bench picked up the slack, outscoring the Cavaliers 45-10 en route to Golden State’s 104-89 victory.
The Warriors’ supporting cast saw six players, including three reserves, each finish the night with point totals in double figures. The attack was led by 6-foot-7 Shaun Livingston, his 8-for-10 shooting performance was worth 20 points in the game, equalling a new career-high for the 30-year-old during the postseason. Kyrie Irving led the way for Cleveland in their losing effort, scoring 26 points. LeBron James had 23 points.
Heading into Game 2, the Warriors have a six-game winning streak against the Cavaliers, which extends back to last year’s NBA Finals — Games 4, 5 and 6 and both regular-season meetings of the 2015-16 campaign.
Considering how Cleveland steamrolled their way through the Eastern Conference during these playoffs, it was most surprising to see the lack of three-point shot attempts during Game 1 — the Cavaliers averaged a league-leading 33.2 attempts per game during the playoffs thus far, and converted on a league-leading 43.4 percent of those attempts heading into the Finals. Almost nonexistent ball movement and too many isolation plays for LeBron James during Game 1 likely played a leading role in Cleveland’s lack of offensive output.
Richard Jefferson had some words with LeBron James as the final seconds ticked off in the loss in the NBA Finals game. (Thomas Ondrey/The Plain Dealer)
Cleveland will need a big performance from their supporting cast — James, Irving and Love — in Game 2 to ensure the hopes of a different result after receiving no help from their bench in the series opener.
Another factor for the Cavaliers players to consider is the fact MVP Stephen Curry rarely, if ever, posts poor performances in back-to-back games. In the past two years, Curry has never posted back-to-back games where he scores less than 20 points in the playoffs. He bounces back, even if his efficiency suffers as a result.
Teams that go up 2-0 after winning the first two games are 25-3 all-time in the NBA Finals. The Cavaliers are familiar as anyone in the NBA with what home court advantage means to Golden State, so they really can’t afford to lose this game. A series never officially starts until a team wins a game on an opponents floor, but if the Cavs are waiting to take things back to Cleveland, this series could be over before the pistons start turning.
