After waiting for over a week to get this series started, the NBA Finals are finally here. The Bay Area has been waiting a long time for this and now we get to see Steph Curry and Klay Thompson chase the Larry O’Brien trophy.
The last foe standing in their way is LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron is a two-time NBA Champion, so he knows how to win in this stage.
The Warriors don’t have the experience, but they have the better team. It’s extremely important for them to win Game 1 and roll with the momentum.
Here’s our instant recap:
1st Quarter
Tristan Thompson was the first to score in these Finals and the Warriors were a little cold. It might be the jitters, but both Splash Brothers could not find the target. Andrew Bogut was active early on and was making an impact on both ends of the floor. The Warriors were having trouble hitting shots, but LeBron James was not, he hit his first couple of shots. The Cavs found themselves leading 9-8 with about six minutes left in the quarter and Steve Kerr called a timeout. Harrison Barnes hit a triple out of the timeout to give the Warriors the lead. The Cavs then followed by a 10-0 run and it wasn’t because Cleveland was playing great, but the Warriors could not find a basket. Kyrie Irving and Timofey Mozgov hit some shots and Oracle was quiet. Iguodala hit a bucket to stop the bleeding, but JR Smith and Lebron combined to hit three straight triples and this game was getting out of hand. The second unit came into the game and gave them some points to keep them within striking distance. Warriors down 29-19 after one.
Bron can’t guard Iguodala. https://t.co/1CADIkxsmn @warriorsworld
— Alex Torres (@alextorresww) June 5, 2015
2nd Quarter
The second unit was looking to revive the Warriors and they used Iguodala’s last second dunk as momentum. The Warriors went on a 8-0 and the Cleveland was down to six. Leandro Barbosa and Shaun Livingston provided the boost and Oracle started to cheer once again. Unfortunately, the momentum was killed with a Mozgov dunk down the middle. Then Marreese Speights checked into the game and gave them immediate offense. Irving and LeBron scored to keep the lead safe, but the Warriors were starting to click. The Warriors started the game slow, but were on a 21-7 run, fueled by Speights, Curry, who hit his first triple and Draymond Green who was active all over the floor. The game was tied at 36, but all the momentum was with the Warriors. Curry started catching fire and the Warriors now had a five point lead. Iman Shumpert hit two triples to keep the game close, otherwise the Warriors would have run away with it. LeBron hit some key buckets down the stretch to take a two point lead, but Draymond Green’s dunk tied it again. A JR Smith long triple gave the Cavs a 51-48 lead going into the break.
MVP. https://t.co/zImIMWCppV @warriorsworld — Alex Torres (@alextorresww) June 5, 2015
3rd Quarter
Klay Thompson hit a layup to start the second half and the lead was only one. LeBron and Irving kept applying pressure and knocking down buckets and the Cavs were up seven again. A Klay bucket and a Harrison Barnes triple got the Warriors within two, but Cleveland always had a response. Midway through the quarter the scoring picked up, but it was LeBron who put the team in his back. The Cavs were taking the Warriors best shot and they would not relinquish the lead. LeBron then started getting every call, although you can make an argument that it was an offensive foul. On the Warriors side, Klay was keeping his team in the game. The scoring stalled a bit on both ends, but the Warriors finished the quarter strong and Andre Iguodala had the highlight of the quarter by stealing it from LeBron and finishing with a dunk on the other end. LeBron had 31 points after three quarters, so the Warriors have to find a way to slow him down in the fourth. The game was tied at 73.
Those handles tho. https://t.co/TVE4gpttZX @warriorsworld
— Alex Torres (@alextorresww) June 5, 2015
4th Quarter
Irving wasted no time, he scored an easy layup and Cleveland was up by a bucket. The Warriors came back with a 5-0 run thanks to an Iggy triple and a Livingston basket. However, LeBron James was not going to be stopped. Plus Irving was playing very well and knocking down shots of his own. The Warriors were fighting back and it was Klay and Iggy were keeping the Warriors alive with their outside shooting. The Cavs always had a response and the Warriors could not capture the lead. A Curry jumper and two free throws from Klay gave the Warriors a three point lead. LeBron came back to score a triple and tie the game. The game was coming down to the wire, but Curry hit a shot to give the Warriors a two point lead with less than a minute left. Mozgov came back and was fouled on the dunk attempt and hit two free throws to tie the game at 98. Curry had an open lane to the basket and it looked like he was going to get an easy two, but Irving fouled/blocked him from behind. LeBron had a chance at a game winner, but missed and we have overtime.
Curry shake and bake. https://t.co/v7DjZFcvNA @warriorsworld — Alex Torres (@alextorresww) June 5, 2015
Overtime
The Cavs went cold to start the overtime period and Steph Curry used his deadly shot to draw some fouls. Curry hit four free throws to give the Warriors a four point advantage. The Cavs didn’t look like a team who were going to win this game, they were simply not the same team. A Harrison Barnes triple and made it a seven point lead. Oracle could feel it, the Warriors were close to winning Game 1. The Cavs only got two points in the overtime period and it was a garbage basket. The Warriors controlled the overtime period and they’re up 1-0 in the NBA Finals.
LeBron not guarding anyone, try to zone up Steph… HB wide open 3, 105-98 Warriors
— warriorsworld (@warriorsworld) June 5, 2015