OAKLAND, CALIF.: Twenty-three thoughts for 23 points from LeBron James in the Cavaliers’ 104-89 loss Friday to the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals…
1. This was perhaps the most demoralizing way the Cavs could’ve lost Game 1. The Splash Brothers crashed and it didn’t even matter.
2. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combined to shoot 8-of-23, including 4-of-13 from 3-point range in Game 1. Thompson and Curry missed shots when they were open and missed shots with a hand in their face. They missed so many shots that they turned to each other at one point in the second half and chuckled – perfectly acceptable when your teammates have your back.
3. Instead it was Shaun Livingston inflicting the most damage with 20 points, the first time he led the Warriors in scoring all season. Livingston is another Cleveland castoff. He rejuvenated his career with a half-season here during the 2012-13 season. The Cavs didn’t really pursue him that summer because they thought they could upgrade their backup point guard spot. They let Livingston walk and instead signed Jarrett Jack. Livingston went to Brooklyn for a year and is now flourishing with the Warriors. Jack was traded after one season.
4. The emotional reaction to such a disappointing loss on a night the Warriors’ stars didn’t play well is that it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what overhauls the Cavs made this year, they still haven’t made up any ground on the defending champs.
5. They fired David Blatt, acquired Channing Frye, started playing smaller and faster – all with an eye toward this series. And they still lost by 15 on a night the Splash Brothers went splat.
6. Maybe that’s all true, maybe it doesn’t matter and the gap between these teams is as wide as ever. The reaction throughout the Bay Area is that this series is over already, that the Cavs will be lucky to win one game. If they are to make this a series, if they are to win this series, the defense and bench must be better.
7. The Cavs’ bench was outscored 45-10. Frye, who has enjoyed plenty of big moments during this playoff run, took only one shot in seven minutes. They were out of rhythm all night offensively and committed 17 turnovers, giving the Warriors 25 free points.
8. “When you get outscored 45-10 on the bench and give up 25 points off 17 turnovers … it’s going to be hard to win,” James said. “Obviously the game ball goes to Shaun Livingston. Came in, gave them a huge spark.”
9. The Cavs outplayed the Warriors in the third quarter, causing Steve Kerr to shatter his whiteboard with one fierce punch when the Cavs closed within 56-52. They eventually took the lead a couple times, but coach Tyronn Lue had to rest James and the Warriors took advantage. It was a three-point game when James went to the bench in the final minute of the third quarter. The deficit was 14 by the time he returned with 9:37 left in the game.
10. “The game kind of got away from us” while James rested, Lue said. This is a prime example of why coaches sometimes overplay James in critical games – the fear that things will unravel when he’s not in there.
11. J.R. Smith scuffed up his hand when he dove for a loose ball early in the game. It certainly seemed to affect him the rest of the night, considering he took only three shots and didn’t make his only basket until the Cavs were down 20 in the fourth. Smith credited the Warriors’ defense and downplayed the hand, but it certainly seemed to be an issue.
12. “It’s all right,” Smith said. “Tried to dive on the floor and got a little rug burn.”
13. The Cavs made it a series last year by slowing down the pace, locking in defensively and physically punishing the Warriors. They no longer play that way, but the tradeoff was supposed to be more scoring. On this night, the Cavs retreated into old habits and seemed to play too much isolation again.
14. “Offensively we’ve got to be much bette. We’ve got to be much better moving the ball, moving bodies,” James said. “They’re a great team when you just hold the ball and pound the ball.”
15. Matthew Dellavedova enraged another opponent when he intentionally fouled Andre Iguodala in the second half. Replays indicated Dellavedova hit Iguodala in the groin, which was why Iguodala turned around so quickly and got in Delly’s face. The two had to be separated. Dellavedova couldn’t figure out why officials reviewed the call (it stood as just a common foul) and insisted he didn’t see the replay despite the arena showing it multiple times.
16. “I don’t really know why they reviewed it. I was just stopping the break. We only had three team fouls, so we weren’t in the bonus,” Dellavedova said. “I haven’t seen that (replay). I was swiping from behind and just tried to grab his arm.”
17. Well, he missed. Dellavedova, of course, was labeled as a dirty player throughout last year’s playoffs. The reputation hasn’t changed.
18. “There’s a lot of emotions going out there,” Iguodala said. “I respect a lot of guys’ hustle in this league. You’ve got guys who’ve got to get a little dirty and a little physical to make a life and feed a families. So I can only respect that.”
19. As Finals games go, this wasn’t a very good game. There wasn’t much flow or rhythm. As a writer, there wasn’t much there to write about. James has been in this position before: He's now 1-6 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The only time he won the first game, he lost the series. The Cavs will likely play better in Game 2. Now the question is whether or not it matters?
20. The Warriors have won the last six meetings against the Cavs, making this feel a bit like the Cavs’ recent dominance over the Atlanta Hawks. It didn’t matter what the Hawks did in that conference semifinal, the Cavs had a counter. Now it’s the Warriors with the advantage.
21. “They got to the point where they were last year and won a championship because of their whole team and their bench,” James said. “And they’re here once again in the Finals because of their whole team. So nothing has really changed.”
22. In fairness, James was disagreeing with a question about how Thompson and Curry won the series last year and how the bench won Game 1. Still, if nothing really has changed from last year, that is haunting from the Cavs’ perspective.
23. Disastrous night on press row, too. Liquid remained undefeated against electronics, knocking out my computer at the worst possible time. That’s why there is no game story in today’s Beacon or on Ohio.com. Off to Best Buy in a couple hours. Hopefully we all have a better day Sunday. Talk to you then following Game 2 from Oracle Arena.