A BOLD STATEMENT
Durant’s efforts help Golden State take control early
Late Thursday night, less than a half-hour after the Warriors’ 113-91 rout of Cleveland at Oracle Arena in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Clifford Ray and Rick Barry huddled around the man of the moment.
For roughly five minutes, Ray and Barry — fixtures on the Warriors’ 1975 championship team — chatted up Kevin Durant in excited tones. The eight-time All-Star, slipping into a black sweatshirt and ripped blue jeans in front of his locker, smiled as they broke down his 38-point, eight-rebound, eight-assist masterpiece. “Great job tonight,” Ray said. “Yeah, really nice job,” Barry chimed in. The Warriors have widely been picked to win the title because, unlike the group that squandered a 3-1 Finals lead last June to the Cavaliers, this collection features Durant. With its prized offseason addition leading the
way, Golden State began to exorcise the memory of the most stunning Finals collapse in league history with a pummeling of the Eastern Conference champs.
The Warriors had more assists (31) than Cleveland had field goals (30). After steamrolling through the first three rounds of the playoffs with a 12-1 record, the Cavaliers shot 34.9 percent from the field. Tristan Thompson, one of the league’s elite role players, was a nonfactor on a night he scored zero points and had four rebounds in 22 minutes. Though LeBron James nearly recorded a triple-double (28 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists), he was responsible for eight of Cleveland’s 20 turnovers.
Golden State, which tied an NBA Finals record with only four turnovers, took 20 more shots than its opponent. Stephen Curry was a worthy complement to Durant, chipping in 28 points and 10 assists. Draymond Green (nine points, 11 rebounds) overshadowed a 3-for-12 shooting night with yet another commanding defensive showing. By the start of the fourth quarter, the most-anticipated NBA game in nearly a year was rid of suspense.
“They’re the best I have ever seen,” Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue said.
After practice Tuesday, Durant was asked whether he would be a tougher matchup for the Cavaliers than Harrison Barnes was last year. Durant, smiling wryly, shot back at the reporter: “You think so?” Few could blame the eight-time All-Star’s sarcasm.
Of all the reasons Golden State is favored to win its second title in three seasons, perhaps none is more glaring than the fact that Durant has replaced Barnes — who shot a combined 5-for-32 from the field in Games 5, 6 and 7 — in the starting lineup.
Making his first Finals appearance since his Thunder fell to James’ Heat in five games in the 2012 Finals, Durant opened Thursday inspired. The Cavaliers repeatedly lost him in transition as the 2013-14 MVP sliced to the rim with ease.
Midway through the first quarter, after catching the ball in the corner, Durant shed James with a pump fake and darted down the baseline for a one-handed slam. Late in the second, Durant took one enormous stride into the key and launched for the uncontested dunk. As he landed, he threw his head back and howled.
Durant had not thrown down more than four dunks in a postseason game before Thursday. By the time he entered intermission Thursday, he had recorded six. It was a fitting appetizer to the Warriors’ third-quarter feast. In those 12 minutes, Golden State turned an eight-point halftime lead into a 21-point cushion.
Curry, who 347 days earlier had been scapegoated for his rough showing in the Finals, went 5-for-8 in the quarter — including four three-pointers — and scored 14 points. After launching a 28-footer early in the third, he began to run back on defense before the ball swished through the net.
“It was a complete team effort, obviously,” Green said.
After the NBA’s first three playoff rounds were riddled with blowouts, many fans hoped Game 1 would be the start of a competitive Finals that might atone for what had been a glorified snoozefest. What they got was more proof that Golden State is in a class of its own.
After saying goodbye to Ray and Barry, Durant glanced toward a the media horde surrounding JaVale McGee. The Warriors’ reserve center, apparently feeling good after another shellacking, was wearing a red pullover with the collar popped and black sunglasses.
“Yo, take those f— shades off!” Durant barked from across the room with a smile.
The message was clear: It was way too early to start celebrating. After all, the Cavaliers have overcome far more than a 1-0 series deficit.
“This is a veteran group,” said Golden State acting head coach Mike Brown, whose team has two days to prepare for Game 2. “They know what they need to do. They challenge for them is to go out and do it again.”