For the second consecutive year, the Golden State Warriors won Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Except, this time, instead of combining for 47 points, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 20. Shaun Livingston scored that many by himself.
Even with Kevin Love active for this year's series and Kyrie Irving fully healthy, the Cleveland Cavaliers got no help outside the big three. The only other player on the roster who scored more than three points was Tristan Thompson, who had 10. It was Thompson's first double-double of the 2016 postseason. He was one of three Cavaliers with a double-double, the others being Love and LeBron James, who was one assist from a triple-double.
But, the story of Game 1 was not the starters. The highly-anticipated Curry-LeBron matchup flamed out quickly and the Warriors' bench was the difference. They provided more than enough to win the game, outscoring Cleveland's bench 45-10. Livingston was the team's high scorer, making eight of his ten shots, some of which were tough angles. Andre Iguodala, who once again guarded James, added 12 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Leandro Barbosa, who scored a total of 14 points in 43 minutes in the Western Conference Finals, notched 11 points in 11 minutes in Game 1 of The Finals. He made all five of his field goals.
The Cavaliers won the rebounding battle as expected, but it played a nonfactor. The Warriors had 29 assists and shot nearly 50 percent. Seven players finished in double figures for the Dubs. Their defense was revived, too. The Cavs were held to under 100 points for just the third time this postseason and under 90. It was the tenth time they did not eclipse 90 points this season and their ninth loss.
James, who has generated over 80 percent of his points in the paint during the playoffs, made 42 percent of his shots. It was his second-lowest shooting percentage in the playoffs and his lowest since the first round. He has shot 53.7 percent during the 2016 postseason.
Draymond Green, who was named as the team's X-Factor in The Finals Preview, finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. But it was Steve Kerr's ability to rely on depth that was key. After being visibly frustrated as the Warriors struggled to defend the Oklahoma City Thunder during the Western Conference Finals, Kerr went back to the formula that has made the Warriors so deadly these past two years. He portrayed confidence in his defenders, namely Iguodala, and got much better production out of his bench. Well, maybe it was at the expense of a whiteboard for Kerr to have that epiphany.
If Game 1 taught us anything, it is that the 2016 NBA Finals could be quite similar to 2015. That would primarily illustrate the gap between the two teams' benches. In last year's Finals, the Warriors' bench averaged 25.2 points-per-game to the Cavaliers' 15.8 points-per-game. The Dubs' second unit shot 48.7 percent from the field in the 2015 Finals, while the Cavs' bench shot 31 percent. Cleveland's starters actually averaged more points-per-game (77.7) in those Finals than that of Golden State's (75.5). The Cavaliers' bench ranked third-worst in scoring during the 2015-2016 regular season.
Heading into Game 2, the thought bubble above the heads of LeBron James and his teammates reads "Uh-oh" in the minds of most who watched Game 1. It is hard to imagine that Curry and Thompson will be as cold as they were collectively in the series opener. The combination of them getting hot and the Warriors' role players producing has been deadly.
2016 NBA Finals Lesson One: Team basketball trumps hero ball. There is a reason these Warriors made history this season. As much as the focus has been on the unanimous MVP, the team's role players are the ultimate force that makes them impossible to defend.