A great escape:
Thanks to a monumental mistake, the Warriors overcome a LeBron James masterpiece.
In a sport built on teamwork, no individual player poses a bigger threat to the Warriors’ burgeoning dynasty than LeBron James. Each of the past four years, despite a revolving supporting cast and numerous bouts of adversity, James has been Golden State’s final obstacle in its annual championship pursuit.
To escape Oracle Arena on Thursday night with a 124-114 overtime win over the Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Warriors had to withstand one of James’ most inspired performances yet, a 51-point, eight-assist, eight-rebound gem that pushed Cleveland to the brink of a stunning triumph.
Though James is at the peak of his powers, even he can’t prevent the referee’s whistle or a teammate’s mental lapse. In the waning seconds of regulation Thursday, moments after a pivotal charge call was deemed a block following a lengthy review, Cleveland guard George Hill missed the second of two free-throw tries.
J.R. Smith leaped by Kevin Durant to grab the rebound and dribbled toward the sideline, as if to run out the game clock, instead of attempting a putback. James frantically tried to get Smith’s attention, and by the
time Smith passed the ball to Hill for a potential game-winner, the buzzer was sounding.
Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue later told reporters that Smith thought the Cavaliers were up one. Smith disputed that claim, insisting that he knew the game was tied and was waiting for a timeout to be called.
Regardless of what was on his mind in that key moment, Smith’s decision not to get up a shot after corralling the offensive rebound had major repercussions. Golden State scored the first nine points of overtime as it pulled away for a doubledigit win.
“I don’t know what was going through J.R.’s head, but he made a great rebound and gave them an opportunity to win the basketball game,” Durant said. “I was just glad we got the W.”
In showcasing their superior firepower, the Warriors rode memorable nights from Stephen Curry (29 points, nine assists), Klay Thompson (24 points), Draymond Green (13 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists) and Durant (26 points, nine rebounds). That Cleveland wasted James’ Herculean performance only emboldened those who labeled the Cavaliers a one-man team.
The problem for Golden State is that man happens to be its biggest nemesis. In giving his team a chance to win Thursday, James hushed anyone who decried the fourth installment of a Cavaliers-Warriors matchup in the NBA Finals as boring.
“I know everyone has been saying and writing that it’s going to be easy,” Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s not going to be easy. They’re a great team.”
Though Las Vegas put them as the biggest NBA Finals underdogs in at least 16 years, the Cavaliers could cling to one silver lining: Golden State forward Andre Iguodala — perhaps the best James-stopper this side of Kawhi Leonard — was ruled out of Game 1 with a left lateral leg contusion/bone bruise.
With Iguodala sidelined, the Warriors were forced to rely on a committee approach — Durant, Green and Kevon Looney, among others — to guard James. After holding the Rockets to an average of 91.2 points over the last five games of the West finals, Golden State opened Thursday out of sorts defensively, repeatedly a step slow switching off screens as James traded between wideopen looks at the rim or from the perimeter.
The Warriors then weathered a scare when Smith slipped on a play and collided with Thompson, sending the Warriors’ guard sprawling to the ground in pain. Thompson limped to the locker room and was diagnosed with a left lateral leg contusion, but returned in the second quarter.
After digging themselves into an 11-point hole midway through the period, the Warriors began to string together stops, closing the half on a 16-5 run. It was Curry’s 35-foot jumper as time expired that sent the Warriors into intermission with the game knotted at 56-56.
As the game progressed, Golden State saw that — more than any individual defender — the best way to slow down James is to let his immense workload take its toll. James, who was slow to get up after getting fouled by Green on a dunk attempt late in the second quarter, followed up a 9-for-11 showing from the field in the first half with a 2-for-10 slump in the third quarter as the Warriors surged to an 84-78 lead.
Perhaps no player in NBA history, however, relishes crunch time of the Finals more than James, who is making his eighth consecutive appearance at the sport’s summit. With 36.4 seconds left and Cleveland nursing a two-point lead, Durant was called for a charge. Referees reviewed the play and decided that, under league rules, James had blocked Durant, who hit both ensuing foul shots to tie the game 104-104.
It set the stage for Smith’s monumental mistake, which undid James’ masterpiece and gave Golden State a 1-0 series lead.
“He did enough to carry this team to a victory,” Lue said. “To do what he did tonight and come out robbed, it’s just not right.“