Kevin Durant looking at Rihanna, Irving making a sumptuous shot plus Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry dominating play were the highlights of Game 1 of the NBA finals.
In a postseason in which they have seen little to no competition, the Golden State Warriors kept right on rolling and tied the N.B.A. record for consecutive postseason wins at 13 with a 113-91 drubbing of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the N.B.A finals.
The game started slowly for the Warriors, but picked up toward the end of the first quarter and from that point on the win was never in doubt.
Reporter: "…you looked towards the crowd towards Rihanna. Was that on purpose?"
KD: "I dont even remember that."#NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/P4AIN2zyun
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 2, 2017
The Warriors’ Big Four lineup only got significant offensive contributions from two of its members, but that was still far too much for LeBron James and the Cavaliers’ other stars.
Looking like they had something to prove, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry put on a show in Game 1 as the former M.V.P.s combined for 66 points, 18 assists and 14 rebounds.
How, Kyrie?#NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/4vI2YMyHp7
— NBA (@NBA) June 2, 2017
The other two members of the Big Four were quieter, with Klay Thompson limited to just 6 points on 3 of 16 shooting, and Draymond Green focusing on other aspects of his versatile game while scoring just 9.
Durant’s thundering dunks and the return of Curry’s supercharged swagger had the crowd at the Oracle Arena in a frenzy for nearly the entire second half, with the Cavaliers never quite giving up but not keeping up at all in terms of intensity.
Andre Iguodala beats the buzzer to get his @Warriors teammates up & excited!
? @AmericanExpress pic.twitter.com/n4iPIXHYoX
— NBA (@NBA) June 2, 2017
On defense the Warriors employed the strategy that worked so well in 2015, letting James operate as a one-man show.
The game’s best player hardly disappointed with 28 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists despite being guarded closely by Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala all game, but he did not get nearly enough help from any of his teammates outside of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, and did plenty of damage to his own team’s chances by committing 8 turnovers and 4 personal fouls.
"I pride myself on not turning the ball over and I did it too much. They played a hell of a game." – LeBron James#NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/WJbxUDtcDV
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 2, 2017
While the loss was a blowout, the Cavaliers did seem to force the Warriors to alter their typical game plan, with Golden State playing in the paint far more than the team is accustomed to. Unfortunately for Cleveland, the strategy did not pan out as the Warriors adjusted to that style easily, and played a free-flowing and efficient brand of offense even without their typical flurry of 3-pointers, tying the record for fewest turnovers in an N.B.A. finals game with 4, matching the mark set by the 2013 San Antonio Spurs.
Steph Curry on tonight's @Warriors win for 1-0 #NBAFinals lead! #DubNation pic.twitter.com/6H6TmgzuAh
— NBA (@NBA) June 2, 2017
The teams will return to the Oracle on Sunday with an 8 p.m. Eastern start as Cleveland, which is one of the teams tied with Golden State for the record postseason winning streak, will try to keep Golden State from stretching theirs to 14.
