The first game of the 2018 NBA Finals ended up being considerably closer of a contest than first anticipated. In the end though, the team expected to win it all protected home court in The Bay. The Golden State Warriors used a big third quarter and got some clutch shooting late in overtime to hold off the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-114.
Cleveland and Golden State traded buckets in the first quarter, with both teams starting out hot. The first real action came when J.R. Smith slipped and fell into Klay Thompson’s knee, prompting a chorus of boos. This forced Thompson back to the locker room following the collision, but he eventually returned And finished with 24 points.
Klay Thompson went down in some pain after getting tied up with JR Smith pic.twitter.com/qS6AcOZY2x
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 1, 2018
Midway through the second quarter, Cleveland quietly built an 11-point advantage behind some masterful play by LeBron James. The King finished with an insane line of 51 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to lead the Cavaliers. It was not until Smith gambled on a steal that lead to a big buzzer-beater by Steph Curry to tie the game at 56 headed to the half.
? Stephen Curry sinks the buzzer-beating 3 before halftime ? pic.twitter.com/ifBJpzeZbn
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 1, 2018
Golden State, as they have all playoffs, utilized a big third quarter to take some control. Center JaVale McGee, who only played three minutes in the Warriors series against the Houston Rockets, came up big in the third frame. He provided a burst of energy defensively that lead to some easy points on the other end. On top of that, he provided a comedic foil that this series rarely has seen.
SUPER #Shaqtin…. put a cape on this one @MikeGoldFool pic.twitter.com/TdxnzE8h9x
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 1, 2018
Golden State carried an 84-78 lead into the final quarter, but the Cavaliers weathered the storm enough to keep things close. The Cavs and Warriors traded blows, with the underrated Cleveland squad managing to take the lead late in the game and quiet a no relay raucous Oracle Arena. This LeBron dunk helped the Cavs cause:
LeBron James drives by Curry and dunks it down right by KD ? pic.twitter.com/U2Rm7cURLs
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 1, 2018
Cleveland had opportunity knocking with under five seconds left and a chance to pull off a monumental upset. A George Hill missed free throw, which would have given the Cavs the lead, is miraculously recovered by J.R. Smith. Instead of putting it back up or finding the open man, he proceeds to make a bone-headed play by running back behind the three-point line and running out the clock. Smith was caught on camera telling LeBron that he thought Cleveland was ahead, a catastrophic failure.
George Hill misses….
JR Smith rebound… AND HE DRIBBLES IT OUT?!
OVERTIME!?!?!?! pic.twitter.com/mniWDuMbxG
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 1, 2018
As predicted, the Warriors use a 7-0 run into overtime and make the Cavaliers pay for the mistake.
Draymond Green drills the three-pointer to ice this one for #DubNation pic.twitter.com/qHURQEqJBv
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 1, 2018
With the game well out of reach, things got chipper at the end. Tristan Thompson was ejected, prompting a scuffle with Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. Ultimately, it did not alter the outcome at all. Golden State will carry a 1-0 series lead into Sunday. It is not yet known if forward Andre Iguodala will be available for the contest with his banged up knee.
Tristan Thompson gets ejected and mushes Draymond Green with the basketball pic.twitter.com/SKvvFjv0V9
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 1, 2018
The Cavaliers and Warriors will clash for Game 2 Sunday June 3rd at 8:00 p.m. EST.
