Overtime. A controversial reversed call. A fight that led to an ejection. Fifty-one points from an all-time great who still lost. And we thought round four of the Warriors-Cavaliers finals dynasty was going to be boring.
The Golden State Warriors topped the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-114 in overtime in Game 1 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, setting the stage for what looks to be an intense series.
The Cavaliers gained an early lead and had the game tied at 56-56 going into half-time. They then held the normally explosive third-quarter Warriors to a mere six-point lead and levelled the score in the fourth quarter. But the refs reversed a controversial blocking call in the final minute of regulation – sending Kevin Durant to the free-throw line instead of LeBron James.
Officials are permitted to go to replay in the final two minutes of a gameto decide if a defender was in a legal blocking position. However the Cleveland coach, Tyronn Lue, was outraged with the decision to reverse a call in such a crucial game. “It’s never been done, ever in the history of the game,” he said. “It was great, it was epic and [James] did enough to carry this team to a victory ... To do what he did tonight and to come up robbed, it’s just not right.”
Cleveland would not be beaten though and George Hill missed a free throw with seconds left that would have put the Cavaliers one point up. If that wasn’t enough, JR Smith bungled an opportunity to win the game in the final seconds. The veteran failed to take a shot because it appeared he thought the Cavs had the lead when they were merely tied, sending the game into overtime. Smith later denied he had mixed up the score and said he was waiting for his team to call a timeout. When James was pressed repeatedly on the issue in the post-game press conference he simply got up from his seat and walked out.
“He thought we were up one,” said Lue after the game. “He thought it was over.”
And then we were back to our regularly scheduled programming: the Warriors exploded for 17 points in overtime, and the shaken Cavs were toast. As tempers flared with seconds to go, Tristan Thompson was ejected after the referees said he had elbowed Shaun Livingston in the head. Other players scuffled in the background with James and Stephen Curry exchanging words.
James carried the Cavaliers on both sides of the court, recording the first 50-point game in the finals since Michael Jordan in 1993 and adding eight assists and eight rebounds.
Leading the Warriors’ effort was Curry, who is an early favorite for finals MVP. Curry had 29 points with six rebounds and came through when the team needed him most, scoring their first five points and lobbing a three-pointer to tie it up at half-time. Kevin Durant added 26 points, and the pair teamed up for several highlight-worthy shots, with 15 assists between them. Klay Thompson left for the locker room in the first quarter after colliding with Smith. He was taped up and reentered the game early in the second quarter with seemingly no serious injury, adding 24 points.
But it wasn’t just offense that decided the game. The Warriors limited turnovers by passing the ball instead of driving to the lane. Green racked up 11 rebounds, his sixth consecutive game grabbing 10 or more. And Warriors rookie Jordan Bell played tough defense and added two rebounds.
Kevin Love provided James with much needed support, adding 21 points and 13 rebounds. But the rest of the team struggled. Not only did Smith get a lot of heat for seemingly squandering the Cavs’ chance of winning, but he shot only 30% and missed all six of his attempts in the fourth quarter. Jordan Clarkson struggled on the floor, adding only four points.
“The journey’s not over,” said Lue. “Going through the long season and injuries and guys in and out and trades and all the different situations, to end up at the end of the season being one of the two teams left playing, is a big accomplishment.”
The Warriors will spend the next few days preparing for and anticipating any adjustments the Cavaliers make to their game. “They’re really sharp, their staff is sharp, they’ve made a lot of adjustments against us over the years, as we have against them,” the Warriors coach, Steve Kerr, said. “It’s a staff that really understands how to change tactics on the fly, in between games, during games – they’re really good at what they do.”
The Cavaliers return to Oracle Arena to face the Warriors in Game 2 on Sunday. Whether Thursday’s events inspire the Cavaliers or destroy them remains to be seen.