LeBron James authored an epic performance--scoring a playoff-career high 51 points on 19-32 field goal shooting--but, thanks to a missed George Hill free throw and inexplicable brain lock by J.R. Smith, the Golden State Warriors survived to force overtime and then defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-114 in game one of the 2018 NBA Finals. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 29 points and nine assists, Kevin Durant scored 26 points--but shot just 8-22 from the field--and Klay Thompson overcame a left leg injury he suffered in the first half to pour in 24 points on 8-16 field goal shooting. Draymond Green nearly had a triple double (13 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists) and Shaun Livingston chipped in 10 points on 4-4 field goal shooting in 18 minutes off of the bench.
All of those numbers pale compared to what James did. James started out hot and never cooled off, scoring 12 first quarter points on 4-4 field goal shooting as the Cavaliers led the heavily favored Warriors 30-29 after the first 12 minutes. By halftime, James had 24 points on 9-11 field goal shooting but the score was tied 56-56 after J.R. Smith's bad gamble let Curry get free for a buzzer-beating three pointer; sadly for the Cavaliers, that would not turn out to be Smith's worst gaffe.
A couple first half plays that may get lost in the shuffle could have a lasting impact on the series. First, J.R. Smith slipped on the floor and rolled into Thompson's left leg, causing a lower leg contusion that forced Thompson out of the game to get his leg retaped. After Thompson returned, I thought that it was obvious that he favored one leg when he ran and when he landed after jumping to shoot, although none of the TV commentators mentioned this. The second noteworthy play happened when James drove to the hoop and Green poked him in his left eye. Green inexplicably argued about the foul call and received a technical foul; meanwhile, James' eye soon became bloodshot and James said that his vision became blurrier as the game progressed.
As I wrote in my series preview, even though the Cavaliers are the clear underdog in this matchup, there is a "strategic road map to maximize their chances of victory." The Cavaliers had a very good game plan that incorporated the "road map" that I described and they executed that game plan very well. They only ran when they had a clear advantage; otherwise, they sought out mismatches in the post, exploiting their size. The Cavaliers also repeatedly ran half-court actions that resulted in Curry being switched onto James, who then attacked the mismatch. James is a great passer--he is a great all-around player who had eight rebounds and eight assists in this game--but he is not a pass-first player; he is one of the greatest scorers in pro basketball history. James is now tied with Michael Jordan for the most 30 point games in playoff history (109; Kobe Bryant is next on that list with 88). On the other hand, James set a record that he did not want to set: he is the first player to score at least 50 points in an NBA Finals loss.
The Cavaliers grabbed seven first half offensive rebounds, while the Warriors did not have any. There is a popular notion that the Warriors' small lineups make it essential for their opponents to go small but the truth is that teams with the right personnel can go big and force the Warriors to go big. At the start of the second half, the Warriors started JaVale McGee at center to counter Cleveland's size. McGee had an impact at both ends of the court and at first it looked like the Warriors would go on one of their signature backbreaking third quarter runs but the Cavaliers withstood the charge and kept the game close the rest of the way.
Cleveland's competitiveness throughout this game should put a rest to the notion that the Cavaliers' playoff run consists of LeBron James alone against the world; James is playing at a very high level but he has a good supporting cast around him. Kevin Love--who returned from a concussion suffered in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals to post 21 points and 13 rebounds--is a five-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA Second Team member. Kyle Korver is a former All-Star and Smith is a former Sixth Man of the Year. Jeff Green is a talented player who never blossomed into a star but who is nevertheless valuable because of his size, athleticism and versatility. George Hill is a solid two-way player. Many people seem to forget that the Cavaliers have a record-setting payroll, with players essentially hand-picked by James; if James does not think that his supporting cast is adequate he only has himself to blame, as he is never going to attract another star to Cleveland if he is unwilling to commit to staying with the franchise. James enjoys using his leverage to potentially leave as a free agent if the team does not do his bidding but the flipside of that power play is that it hinders the Cavaliers' ability to build around James now.
The fact is that this group is good enough to hang with the Warriors for 48 minutes on Golden State's home court. The final moments of regulation included a questionable foul call, some great plays and a staggering mental lapse. Cleveland led 104-102 when Durant drove to the hoop with 36.4 seconds remaining. Durant collided with LeBron James and the initial foul call was a charge on Durant but NBA rules permit officials to consult video review on such plays in the final two minutes. Upon review, the officials determined that James had not established legal guarding position and thus they reversed the call, awarding two free throws to Durant. My initial impression was that a block should have been called; ESPN's Tim Legler said the same thing after the game but I can understand someone legitimately believing that Durant committed a charge. The key question is whether Durant began his shooting motion before James was set; contrary to popular belief, the defender is allowed to move in such situations--to "firm up" as retired official Steve Javie termed it--but the defender has to assume legal guarding position before the offensive player starts his shooting motion. I think that James read the play very well but just did not quite make it in time--and I also think that it was so close that it could have been called either way. Reversing a call that is that close is not a good look for the NBA; the NFL requires "indisputable evidence" to overturn a call and that would have been a good standard to apply here.
After Durant made both free throws, James drove to the hoop and scored to put Cleveland up 106-104. Curry responded with a three point play to give Golden State a 107-106 lead. The Cavaliers forced a switch with Curry guarding James but instead of attacking James elected to pass to George Hill, who was fouled. Hill hit the first free throw to tie the game but he missed the second one. Durant did not box out J.R. Smith, who grabbed the offensive rebound--and proceeded to dribble out the clock as if the Cavaliers were up by one! The incredulous look on James' face after regulation time ended said it all. If you read lips, you could see Smith telling James that he thought the Cavaliers were up by one, though after the game Smith backtracked and claimed that he had dribbled out of the paint to look for a better shot as opposed to trying to shoot over Durant.
Whatever the reason for Smith's miscue, the Cavaliers still had an opportunity to stay the course and win the game. During the overtime--with the outcome still up for grabs--the Cavaliers looked deflated and tentative, while the Warriors played aggressively and confidently. The Warriors opened the extra session with a 9-0 run in less than three minutes, essentially delivering a knockout blow. Instead of seizing the opportunity to win the game, the Cavaliers fell apart. There is no excuse for Smith's mental breakdown but there is also no excuse for the team to collapse with five minutes of basketball left to play. Winning a championship inevitably requires overcoming adversity. The team huddle before the overtime was a great opportunity for the Cavaliers to come together but it seems like they splintered instead.
Hey, if Smith were my teammate I would be furious. I would probably have some choice words for him after the game, especially if we lost--but during the game the only valid response is to move on to the next play and do everything possible to win until the clock hits triple zeroes.
The Cavaliers' frustrations boiled over near the end of overtime, as Tristan Thompson took exception to Livingston shooting a jump shot; the outcome of the game had already been decided but Livingston shot the ball instead of just accepting a shot clock violation. Thompson was ejected based on being called for a flagrant two foul as the officials determined that he had swung an elbow at Livingston's head. Naturally, hot head Green had to stroll over and express his two cents about the situation, to which Thompson responded by shoving the ball in Green's face. Green acted like he wanted to fight, which is easy to do when you know that many people are about to jump in between to make sure that a fight does not happen. Thompson signaled to Green that if Green really would like to continue the confrontation then they could meet outside.
Some media members suggested that Kevin Love could face a potential suspension for wandering on to the court while all of this took place but Love was already on the court before the altercation happened, as play had been stopped. I suspect that the NBA will issue fines to Thompson and Green but that no one will be suspended.
The Cavaliers can use the bizarre, heartbreaking ending of this game as an excuse to fold or they can focus on the fact that they played the Warriors dead even for 48 minutes; if the Cavaliers bring that same effort level and execution on Sunday night, then they have a real chance to win game two and seize homecourt advantage.