We’ve made it to the final stage of the playoff journey. Teams have fought, and fallen, some nobly, and some with horrible, horrible shame. There’s been memorable performances, and disappointing ones. Young players have stepped up, veterans have come through once again, and new chapters have been written in NBA history…
…only to have the same two fucking teams battle in the Finals. It’s Round Four between the Warriors and Cavaliers, and I don’t blame you if you’re not super jazzed. I’m not super jazzed, but hey, it’s the Finals, and LeBron James has been unholy in these playoffs, and the Warriors are just unholy in general.
Kevin Love will start for the Cavs tonight, making it through the concussion protocol, while Andre Iguodala remains out for the Warriors. With that bit of housekeeping, there’s nothing left to do but tune into WMUR, Channel 9 in Manchester, New Hampshire, and see how Game 1 of the 2018 Finals shakes out.
8:59 pm – We’re welcomed to The Oracle out in Oakland by, unfortunately, Mike Breen, who will be joined by Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson throughout the Finals, which is too hallowed a ground to be tainted by the likes of these three.
JUST IN: Game 1 of the NBA Finals is NOT a sellout. Warriors still have hundreds of seats left to sell. Almost 300 upper level seats, 100 lower level seats still available on primary market 15 minutes before tip.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) June 1, 2018
can’t say I’ve ever felt the energy level in Oracle be this low before any game, let alone an NBA Finals game. This building is usually hyped up before, during and after every game. #NBAFinals
— Jared Greenberg (@JaredSGreenberg) June 1, 2018
The Warriors are -1000 fans at tonight’s game, probably because they’re -1000 to win the series.
— Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) June 1, 2018
Oof, people are not excited about this series.
For me, it’s not that these two are meeting for the fourth straight time, it’s that there’s just about no doubt in anybody’s mind that the Warriors will romp. It isn’t like we’re watching the 1980s Celtics and Lakers here. If it were a worthy battle, that’d be one thing, but this is shaping up to be such a one sided rivalry. On top of that, these are the two most unlikable, irritating teams in the league these days. Ugh.
Most people are picking Warriors in five. I am going with Warriors in four. Maybe we’ll all be wrong and we’ll get a good series, otherwise let’s get this Finals over with and move on to the World Cup.
One player to keep an eye on during the 2018 NBA Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James.
— Ethan Booker (@Ethan_Booker) June 1, 2018
9:11 – Mike Breen describes this as a raucous sellout crowd, but those tweets we saw say otherwise! Anyway, the Cavs win the opening tip, and the 2018 NBA Finals are underway.
9:12 – After a steal, LeBron James drives to the hoop for a layup, and the Cavs score the first points of the Finals and take an opening 2-0 lead.
The first bucket of the #NBAFinals belongs to @KingJames! #WhateverItTakes pic.twitter.com/huWNgtSdlB
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 1, 2018
9:13 – Steph Curry knocks down a long three, and the Warriors are on the board, trailing 4-3.
9:18 – The Cavs ruin a Warriors fast break by intentionally fouling someone, leading to a rare moment where I agree with Jeff Van Gundy, who says that cowardly move should result in two free throws and the ball for the team on the break. Anyway, it leads to our first time out with the score Cleveland 15, Golden State 12 with 6:50 left in the first quarter, as both teams have started the game well.
9:23 – Oh dear, JR Smith slips into Klay Thompson, taking him out and hurting his leg. The Warriors fans are upset, but it wasn’t a dirty play. Klay heads to the bench, and then limps to the locker room.
Scary fall for Klay Thompson who was undercut by J.R. Smith and seemed to twist his left knee in the process
— Marcus Thompson (@ThompsonScribe) June 1, 2018
9:24 – Jordan Bell is found all alone under the basket for an easy score, and we’ll have a time out with the scoreboard reading Cleveland 20, Golden State 19 with 5:27 left in the first quarter. Obviously, everyone’s on Klay Watch at the moment.
The Cavs’ offense has been great, but good Lord the defense. Warriors look like they can breath for the first time in two weeks.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) June 1, 2018
With Iguodala and Klay out, the Warriors are down two of their top three wings.
— Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) June 1, 2018
9:28 – Warriors fans are now loudly booing JR Smith every chance they get.
9:31 – Doris Burke chimes in to tell us that Klay Thompson has a left leg contusion, and that he is expected to return.
9:36 – Klay Thompson is returning to the Warriors bench to a huge ovation from the Oracle crowd.
One thing regarding the JR thing. In order for him to have intentionally meant to hurt him, that would require situational awearness from JR and I mean
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) June 1, 2018
9:38 – We’ve reached the end of the first quarter with score of Cleveland 30, Golden State 29.
Steph Curry has 11 points on 4-5 shooting for the Warriors, while LeBron James has 12 on 4-4 shooting for the Cavs.
Cleveland’s off to a good start offensively, shooting 11-20, but defensively, they’ve been horrendous, allowing Golden State to shoot 12-20. I feel like this is unsustainable for the Cavs. They’re not going to win unless they can shore up their defense.
Oracle crowd acting like they’ve seen 51 games of a team that knows it doesn’t need to try until the third quarter.
— Reggie Comma Mike Prada (@MikePradaSBN) June 1, 2018
LeBron is taking more possessions off than usual, even in these playoffs.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) June 1, 2018
9:42 – LeBron James storms through the paint for a two hand slam, and the Cavs score first in the second quarter to extend their lead up to 32-29. James is now 5-5 to start this one off. In other news, Klay Thompson is back on the floor for the Warriors.
SHEESH! 👀 pic.twitter.com/SVnuiViRyo
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 1, 2018
9:46 – LeBron misses his first shot, falling to 6-7 on the night, but Larry Nance tips it in, and the Cavs go up, 38-33.
9:48 – LeBron gets to the hoop for a nice layup, and we’ll have a time out with the score Cleveland 42, Golden State 35 with 7:48 until halftime.
/awkward Oracle grumbling has commenced.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) June 1, 2018
Warriors are playing like they’re waiting on the third quarter. Cavs lead 42-35. LeBron has 18 pts, 4 asts, but only 1 rebound if you’re looking for a reason to hate on him.
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) June 1, 2018
Non-Curry Warriors: 0-of-8 from 3 so far.
Cavaliers: 15-of-21 on 2s through 1.5 quarters.— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 1, 2018
9:53 – After Jordan Clarkson misses a three, Larry Nance gets an offensive rebound, and sends it back out to Clarkson, who misses another three, and the Warriors take advantage, finding Steph Curry all the way down the court for an easy layup, and we’ll have a time out with the score Cleveland 44, Golden State 40 with 6:25 left until halftime. Clarkson is a horrendous 1-6 in ten minutes off the bench.
Larry Nance just looked off LeBron to find Jordan Clarkson lmaooooo. Bench all of em.
— Robby Kalland (@RKalland) June 1, 2018
Why play Jordan Clarkson, who has doesn’t pass and can’t hit open shots, over Cedi Osman, who likes to pass, and hits open shots?
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 1, 2018
9:57 – We’re back and LeBron is on the bench taking his first rest. Let’s see if the Cavs can hang in there without him.
10:00 – LeBron comes back into the game with the Cavs up, 51-45, improving their lead by two points while he was on the bench. Can’t complain about that if you’re rooting for Cleveland.
10:05 – Draymond Green earns a technical foul for arguing against what was clearly a foul on LeBron James. He caught him in the face when James went up for a layup, and LeBron immediately reacted as if he had been shot in the eye. Anyway, Kevin Love hits the technical, and then LeBron, who’s fine, by the way, hits his free throws, and the Cavs lead, 56-53 as we head under a minute left in the first half.
Ouch 😱 pic.twitter.com/v3SNK5b1LV
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 1, 2018
10:07 – Steph Curry hits a super deep three pointer to beat the buzzer at the end of the second quarter, earning the first “BAAAANNNNNNG” of the Finals from Mike Breen. It’ll send us into halftime with the score Golden State 56, Cleveland 56.
You knew it was going in! @StephenCurry30 w/ the #SPLASH💦 going into the half. #NBAFinals #StrengthInNumbers
📺 #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/BeOUr9x3DV— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 1, 2018
Hey, we’ve got a good one going here! Steph Curry has 18 points and 6 assists on 7-12 shooting, and Kevin Durant struggled through most of the first half, but hit his last two shots to get himself at 11 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. LeBron has 24 on 9-11 shooting for the Cavs, and Kevin Love has 12 points and 6 rebounds. Both teams are 22-44 from the floor.
Well the Cavs played as well as they could, and did a lot of things that were not transition defense or Jordan Clarkson related., and it’s tied at the half thanks to Curry being impossible.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) June 1, 2018
The Cavs led by as many as 11, but the Warriors ended the half on a nice run, punctuated by that Curry three at the buzzer. Nevertheless, the Cavs have literally matched the Warriors shot for shot, but the dreaded third quarter Warriors explosion is looming. At times, Golden State played like they couldn’t be bothered, as if they know they’re just going to go berserk when we return to action after the break.
10:23 – We’re about to start the second half with a lineup change from the Warriors…
JaVale McGee starting the second half in place of Looney
— Marcus Thompson (@ThompsonScribe) June 1, 2018
10:24 – Kevin Durant hits a one-legged fallaway to provide the first points of the third quarter, giving the Warriors a 58-56 edge.
10:25 – After some great defense from JaVale McGee against LeBron, Draymond Green swirls in a layup on the other end.
👀@JaValeMcGee with the D! #NBAFinals #StrengthInNumbers
📺 #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/rMn58gxiM7— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 1, 2018
George Hill answers with a three, and McGee comes up with a dunk on the other end to give the Warriors a 62-59 lead.
👀@JaValeMcGee with the easy 2⃣! #NBAFinals #StrengthInNumbers
📺 #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/vhTpeNsDtj— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 1, 2018
Good grief, as action continues, McGee is found for a layup, as he’s made an immediate impact on both ends of the court to help the Warriors up to a 64-59 lead.
10:27 – The Warriors finish off a fast break with Steph Curry finding Klay Thompson for an easy layup, and they’ve come out of halftime with a 10-3 run to make the score Golden State 66, Cleveland 59 with 9:02 left in the third quarter, sending us into a time out with help from none other than JaVale McGee.
The JaVale adjustment is brilliant because LeBron will feel so disrespected by being guarded by him that he tries to isolate on him every possession.
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) June 1, 2018
If you can’t make JaVale into a negative, you deserve to lose.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) June 1, 2018
LeBron didn’t attempt a shot in the 3 minutes before this timeout.
— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) June 1, 2018
10:32 – JaVale reverts to his usual self by getting blocked by the rim on a funky, off balance dunk attempt. This is amazing.
Theeeeeeeeere he is.
— Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) June 1, 2018
the guffaw when the apartment upstairs caught up to the JaVale non-dunk was audible through the floor
— Ben Mathis-Lilley (@BenMathisLilley) June 1, 2018
10:34 – LeBron pulls up and hits a long two with his foot on the line, and we’re back to a one possession game with the Cavs trailing, 68-65.
10:36 – Another LeBron three sends us into a time out after seven straight Cavalier points makes the score Golden State 68, Cleveland 68 with 5:26 left in the third. James has all seven of those consecutive Cavs points to get himself up to 31 points on 11-13 shooting.
With this bucket, @KingJames ties Michael Jordan with 109 career 30+ point playoff performances.#StriveForGreatness🚀 pic.twitter.com/cleWqlC0UT
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 1, 2018
LeBron has 31 on 11 of 13 shooting
His teammates have 37 on 15-for-41 shooting
— Marcus Thompson (@ThompsonScribe) June 1, 2018
10:40 – Kevin Durant misses a jumper, but Kevon Looney tips it in to put the Warriors up, 70-68.
10:41 – LeBron gets his shot blocked, but wrestles control of the rebound away from three Warriors and puts in a shot. On his next trip down the court, he knocks down a long three, to put the Cavs back ahead…
👑👑👑@KingJames is putting on a clinic on #NBAonABC!#WhateverItTakes pic.twitter.com/7f8EovvZdt
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 1, 2018
…but Steph Curry answers with his own three, and we’re tied at 73 when the dust settles.
I don’t care how many games we get if they’re all like this.
— Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) June 1, 2018
10:44 – Two free throws from Kevin Durant puts the Warriors back ahead at 75-73. Kevin Love comes back with a hook shot to tie us right back up at 75. Back on the other end, Durant puts in a jumper, and the Warriors inch back ahead, 77-75.
10:45 – Klay Thompson cans a three, and the Warriors lead is up to 80-75 as we near the end of the quarter.
Klay Thompson tees one up from beyond the arc!
12-2 @warriors sprint on #NBAonABC #DubNation 82 | #WhateverItTakes 75 pic.twitter.com/p2OS36LWIQ
— NBA (@NBA) June 1, 2018
10:46 – Shaun Livingston finds Kevon Looney at the end of a fast break for an easy dunk, and we’ll have a time out with the score now Golden State 82, Cleveland 75 with 1:15 left in the third.
Shaun to Kevon! #NBAFinals #StrengthInNumbers
📺 #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/VIJwOAMTAH— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 1, 2018
10:48 – We’re back underway with LeBron James resting on the bench to close out the third.
10:50 – We’re here at the end of the third with the score Golden State 84, Cleveland 78.
Kevin Durant has 21 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists on 8-18 shooting, and Steph Curry’s also at 21 points with 7 assists on 8-14 shooting. LeBron’s all the way up to 36 points and 5 assists on 13-21 shooting.
The Cavs withstood and survived the Warriors third quarter onslaught, but Golden State still built up their lead a bit at the end of the quarter. Do the Cavs have one last run in them, or is this fourth quarter going to slip away?
Horrendous third quarter by Golden State standards … hosts were a mortal +6
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 1, 2018
When you hold in your rage as Jordan Clarkson shoots another jumper pic.twitter.com/cSSbAhKsLL
— Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) June 1, 2018
Clarkson’s down to 1-7 shooting after a particularly horrible miss on a baseline shot right near the end of the quarter.
10:55 – Jeff Green gets himself a dunk for the first points of the fourth quarter as the Cavs trail, 84-80. LeBron is also back into the ballgame after spending the first few moments of the fourth on the bench.
LBJ with the pretty bounce pass to Jeff Green!#WhateverItTakes #NBAFinals
📺: #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/cmysjShJW2
— NBA (@NBA) June 1, 2018
10:56 – LeBron’s eye is looking red as a result of that foul Draymond hit him with earlier. Green really earned a technical foul arguing against it. Just look at his eye!
Ew. pic.twitter.com/DpCK1obtUc
— Yahoo Sports NBA (@YahooSportsNBA) June 1, 2018
10:59 – Kyle Korver knocks down a three, and the Cavs refuse to go away as we head into a time out with the score Golden State 89, Cleveland 88 with 8:52 remaining. Maybe we were all wrong about this series.
Korver’s first FG of the game, and it’s a pretty big one.
— Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) June 1, 2018
11:03 – Klay Thompson flips up a pass to Kevon Looney who banks it in to put the Warriors ahead, 91-88.
Drive and dish to @Loon_Rebel5 #NBAFinals #StrengthInNumbers
📺 #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/KXU1z9d6rd— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 1, 2018
11:04 – Hey, Jordan Clarkson contributed! His runner in the paint cuts the Cavs deficit down to 91-90.
On the Cavs next trip down the court, LeBron gets to the hoop for a layup, putting him at 40 points, and putting the Cavs ahead, 92-91.
11:06 – Kevin Durant splits a pair of free throws, missing the second one, but Kevon Looney tips in the miss to give the Warriors a 94-92 lead.
11:08 – LeBron James bats an offensive board out to JR Smith, who misses a three, but Kevin Love is there to clean up the mess and score a basket to tie us up at 94.
11:09 – Draymond Green, who has been so bad from downtown that teams have been blatantly leaving him open, nails a three, giving the Warriors a 97-94 advantage.
#SPLASH 💦 Dubs take lead on @Money23Green 3-pointer. #NBAFinals #StrengthInNumbers
📺 #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/sWiFFFO7A3— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 1, 2018
The crowd literally yelled “NOOOO” on the Draymond shot til it went in. Draymond has become good Josh Smith
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) June 1, 2018
On their next trip down the court, Steph Curry of course follows it up with a three of his own, sending us into a time out with the score Golden State 100, Cleveland 94 with 4:37 remaining.
Poetry in motion. #NBAFinals #StrengthInNumbers
📺 #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/aFanycNqwG— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 1, 2018
And there were actually people that publicly said they didn’t want to see GS-CLE again. That it was boring. So laughable. What a game this is.
— Chris Dempsey (@chrisadempsey) June 1, 2018
(My bad)
11:15 – LeBron drives by Steph Curry and throws down a jam to make this a one possession game again, but Curry answers back by driving to the hoop for a layup, and the Warriors have a 102-98 lead.
11:16 – Kevin Love corrals an offensive rebound and knocks down a three. He’s up to 21 points, and the Cavs trail, 102-101.
11:17 – LeBron drives into the paint, draws contact, and gets the shot to go down! He’ll head to the line looking for a three point play, but first, we’ll have a time out with the score Cleveland 103, Golden State 102 with 50.8 seconds to go.
🗣 ANNNNNNNNND-1!!pic.twitter.com/yT2gvjRqWm
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 1, 2018
LeBron James’ career playoff high is 49 points. He has 46.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) June 1, 2018
11:19 – We’re back and LeBron hits the free throw to put the Cavs ahead, 104-102.
11:20 – Kevin Durant drives into the paint, but LeBron is there to head him off at the pass and draw an offensive foul! At least, that’s how it’s called initially, but we’re going to have a nice, big long review on this one.
11:22 – After the review, they’ve changed their minds and called the foul on LeBron.
Holy crap they reversed the call to put it on LeBron and send KD to the line to tie it
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) June 1, 2018
11:23 – Durant puts in both of the free throws, and we’ll have a time out with the score Golden State 104, Cleveland 104 with 36.4 seconds remaining.
That was a clear blocking foul. But that’s new to me that you can reverse a foul call
— Marcus Thompson (@ThompsonScribe) June 1, 2018
The ability to reverse block/charge calls in final 2 minutes was installed a couple years ago. It’s very rarely done but it is a rule.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) June 1, 2018
I’ve covered the league for six years now, and I still don’t know the rules, somehow.
— Chris Herring (@Herring_NBA) June 1, 2018
11:25 – LeBron drives into the paint and gets the layup! He’s up to 49 points now, tying his career high.
On the other end, Steph Curry gets his own layup, but he’s fouled as well! We’re tied at 106 as he steps to the line looking for a lead.
Curry hits his free throw, and the Cavs go down the court with the shot clock off…
11:26 – LeBron throws a pass to George Hill, and he’s knocked over by Klay Thompson. George Hill goes to the line with 4.7 seconds left, and the Cavs down, 107-106.
11:27 – Hill hits the first free throw…and misses the second! JR Smith grabs the offensive rebound, and runs away! He must have thought the Cavs had the lead, but they did not! LeBron tries calling a time out, but it goes unnoticed and time expires with this game tied at 107. We’re going to overtime here in Game 1! WHAT IN THE FUCK IS HAPPENING!?
WOW. We’re going to overtime. pic.twitter.com/1YNEniJo1d
— ESPN (@espn) June 1, 2018
I am sorry I bitched and moaned about this series.
Real quick, Steph Curry has 29 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists for Golden State, and LeBron has 49, 7 and 8.
11:30 – The Cavs win the jump ball, and overtime is underway. I wonder what sort of wacky adventures we’re about to get into…
11:32 – Kevin Durant puts in a pair of free throws for the first points of overtime, giving the Warriors a 109-107 lead.
11:33 – Draymond Green finds Klay Thompson in the corner for a three, and the Warriors quickly get their lead up to 112-107.
Klay Thompson.. 3-ball, corner pocket!#DubNation 114 | #WhateverItTakes 107
3:01 left on #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/yZQEe9CUKA
— NBA (@NBA) June 1, 2018
On their next trip down the court, Steph Curry wings a ridiculous pass over his shoulder to Shaun Livingston who gets control of the ball and puts in a little hook shot as the Warriors have opened overtime with a 7-0 run to make the score Golden State 114, Cleveland 107 with 3:01 on the clock.
No-look! 🙈pic.twitter.com/babjUiq82v
— Yahoo Sports NBA (@YahooSportsNBA) June 1, 2018
11:36 – Shaun Livingston is found in the paint for an uncontested dunk, and it’s nine straight points to begin overtime for the Warriors.
11:37 – LeBron James misses a shot, but Jeff Green tips in the miss, but the Cavs are down 116-109.
Back down the court, Draymond Green hits another three, and it’s now a ten point game with the Warriors up, 119-109.
#TREYMOND 💦 #NBAFinals #StrengthInNumbers
📺 #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/Ip58AO3ljg— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 1, 2018
11:38 – LeBron James puts in a pair of free throws, and he’s up to 51 points, the sixth 50 pointer in Finals history, and even that’s not going to be enough with the Warriors up 119-111.
11:39 – Klay Thompson puts in a three, getting the Warriors lead up to 122-111.
11:40 – JR Smith knocks down a three, and LeBron is having a less than friendly discussion with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson on the other end of the court.
11:40 – FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
After Tristan Thompson committed a foul, immediately earning an ejection, he and Draymond Green engage in some pushing and shoving. Draymond then prances about the court to rile up the crowd. It’s unclear to me why Thompson was immediately thrown out, but maybe it had something to do with LeBron and Steph and Klay’s unfriendly discussion. Anyway, Draymond came up and was antagonizing Thompson a little bit once he got tossed, so Thompson shoved the ball in his face, and pushing and shoving ensued.
Tristan might get suspended for Game 2
— Marcus Thompson (@ThompsonScribe) June 1, 2018
By the way, the Warriors lead is 122-114 with 2.6 seconds left.
11:45 – Ah, Tristan Thompson was called for a Flagrant 2 when he fouled Shaun Livingston, who was shooting a jumper as the shot clock was about to expire. The replay shows that to be a ridiculously lame call. Anyway, Livingston hits his free throws to put the Warriors up, 124-114. What a mess.
11:46 – This one comes to an end with a final score of Golden State 124, Cleveland 114 in overtime. There’s quite a bit to unpack after this one.
LeBron dropped 51, 8, 8. The Cavs were on the free-throw line down 1, with seconds to go. They got an offensive rebound at the rim on the last play of regulation. And they lost by 10. Incredible.
— Chris Herring (@Herring_NBA) June 1, 2018
Only six players have ever dropped 50+ points in an NBA Finals game.
(Elgin Baylor, Michael Jordan, Rick Barry, Jerry West, LeBron James, Bob Petit)
LeBron is the only one whose team lost the game.— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 1, 2018
Steph Curry finished the night with 29 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists, Kevin Durant went for 26-9-6, Klay Thompson added 24, and Draymond Green stuffed the box score with 13 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, 5 steals, 3 blocks and one ruckus.
As mentioned in the above tweets, LeBron James finished with 51 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists on 19-32 shooting in a historic performance that was all for naught. Kevin Love contributed 21 points and 13 boards.
Never mind all of that. Obviously, if George Hill makes that second free throw, there’s no telling what might have happened. The Warriors would have had a time out and then 4.7 seconds to get off a good shot. But he did miss that free throw, which led to an all time gaffe by JR Smith, who thought the Cavs had the lead (the cameras caught him saying as much to a flabbergasted LeBron James after the buzzer sounded). That HORRIBLE ERROR ensured an overtime in which the Warriors ran away with the game.
George Hill’s missed FT: “Damn you rear-ended someone.”
JR Smith’s running away from a game-winning layup: “Shit dude, you drove the car into a canyon like Thelma & Louise!”
— Pro Hoops History (@ProHoopsHistory) June 1, 2018
So LeBron goes for 51-8-8 but loses Game 1 because…
– An obscure rule allows a charge to be changed to a block
– An 80% free throw shooter hits 1 of 2
– A teammate doesn’t know the score with a chance to winCool cool cool
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) June 1, 2018
And then there was the crazy-ass ruckus at the end of the game. There was absolutely no reason to hit Thompson with a flagrant-two foul. Then, as he so often does, Draymond Green showed up and exacerbated the situation by being obnoxious, and Thompson couldn’t keep his cool, shoving the basketball into Draymond’s face and inciting a brief ruckus before he finally left the court. Now, Thompson may face a suspension for Game 2 for failing to leave the court in a timely manner.
All of this wastes an epic performance from LeBron James, who continued remarkable run through this year’s playoffs with, once again, 51 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. The Cavs really should have won this game. A missed free throw happens to the best of us, but not knowing the goddamn score in that situation. Christ, the score is on full display all over the arena. What the hell, JR? There’s no coming back from that.
“The score! The Score! I bid thee, see the score!
Woe unto thee, erroneous Earl of Pipe!
For vict’ry stood within our royal grip!
A tragic error hath kill’d all of our hope!
Thou hast placed a pox upon our village!
My tears are not enough to mend my heart.” pic.twitter.com/twAtk66qzk— NBA Shakespeare (@TheBasketbard) June 1, 2018
That was one of the wildest games I’ve ever seen, and the ramifications of it could ring out. It could plunge the Cavs into a tailspin for the rest of the series, which is important because LeBron can leave Cleveland again this summer.
Game 2 is going to be fascinating. It feels like the Cavs just put forth their premium effort, and still lost, and in awe inspiring, totally deflating fashion. Will they be able to bounce back, or is this series just over now? We’ll find out Sunday at 8:00 pm.
We got a close game, controversy and narratives behind an unreal LeBron night. Since the Warriors winning SEEMS like fate accompli considering how everything broke their way, that was a pretty fun result. I’m amused.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) June 1, 2018
12:35 am – I’m still awake for some reason! I just had to come back to include this…
Ty Lue on J.R. Smith’s blunder: “He thought it was over. He thought we were up one.”
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) June 1, 2018
JR Smith: “I was trying to get enough to bring it out to get a shot off. I knew we were tied, I thought we were going to call timeout. If I thought we were ahead, I’d have held onto the ball and let them foul me.”
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) June 1, 2018
Now we have the Cavs coach and JR Smith giving conflicting reports on the now infamous final play of regulation! Holy fuck, I love the NBA so much.