You can read a full report from tonight’s game here:
Warriors win Game 1 of the NBA finals 124-114!
And that could be the series. If the Cavaliers had pulled off a huge upset in Game 1 - and they were very close to doing so. Inches from doing so, the complexion of a series the Warriors are expected to walk would have been changed. But instead the Cavs, who will need to be at their best each night to stand a chance, know they blew a huge chance of victory. If you can’t beat the Warriors when LeBron scores 50 and you have free throws to effectively win it with seconds to go, when can you? The Warriors simply won’t be beaten. Not against the Rockets. Not against the Cavs. If there’s hope for Cleveland it’s that they have shown they can get close to Golden State than many (nearly everyone) thought.
Tristan Thompson ejected
Not altogether surprisingly, someone on the Cavs loses it and is off to the locker rooms. Tristan Thompson is the first man to snap, shoving the ball into Draymond Green’s face. Who would have thought Draymond would have been at the centre of things?
Updated
Cavaliers 114-122 Warriors, 0:30 OT
The Warriors hold on to the ball - and who can blame them. Smith hits a three-pointer about five minutes too late.
Cavaliers 111-122 Warriors, 1:00 OT
Draymond is doing a little shimmy. Of course he is. LeBron now has 50 points after a free throw. How much does the guy need to do? This has to be incredibly frustrating. Klay hits a three. Another little dagger.
Cavaliers 109-119 Warriors, 1:30 OT
The Cavs are playing like a team that knows it’s blown its chance. They trade twos with the Warriors. Not enough though. Green then hits a three. Game over? All but.
Cavaliers 107-114 Warriors, 2:30 OT
Replays show JR Smith thought the Cavs were ahead at the end of the regulation. That’s why he didn’t shoot. That could go down in history. Will go down in history.
Cavaliers 107-114 Warriors, 3:00 OT
The hapless Hill is blocked by Draymond Green and the Warriors hit a three. What a collapse for the Cavaliers early on. Love then misses and the momentum is firmyl with the Warriors. A seven-point run for the Warriors.
Cavaliers 107-109 Warriors, 4:00 OT
Jeff Green called for a hold on his namesake Draymond. The ball eventually wends its way to KD, who is fouled and heads to the free throw line. Durant is 7-8 from the line tonight. He makes both this time around.
Cavaliers 107-107 Warriors, 4:30 OT
LeBron is not happy with JR Smith, who had a chance to shoot in the dying seconds. And then there’s Hill’s missed free throw. Anyway, we continue.
End of fourth quarter: Cavaliers 107-107 Warriors
Hill is fouled and has free throws. What pressure: he’s an 80% free-throw shooter. He makes the first ... and misses the second. We’re going to overtime! The Cavs had possession and a timeout but didn’t call one. Big miss in both respects.
Cavaliers 106-107 Warriors, 0:23, 4th quarter
The Cavs have the ball. He goes for the dunk, is blocked and then still manages to tip it in. Curry then goes to the other end, gets it in off the glass and get a free throw after Love paws his face. He makes it.
Cavaliers 104-104 Warriors, 0:36, 4th quarter
Was LeBron in a legal guarding position when he was fouled. The verdict is ... changed. What a huge call with the game in the balance. If that had remained the Cavs would have been favorites to take this game. Instead, the Warriors get two free throws and make them both. We’re tied. What a call. If the Cavs lose this after being so close, you wonder what that does to their morale going into Game 2. Timeout called.
Updated
Cavaliers 104-102 Warriors, 0:36, 4th quarter
Offensive foul as LeBron takes one for the team and gets in the way of KD. The Cavs have a very good chance of pulling off a huge shock. The play is being reviewed...
Cavaliers 104-102 Warriors, 0:58, 4th quarter
LeBron gets his three throw. Two-point lead.
Cavaliers 103-102 Warriors, 0:58, 4th quarter
KD misses from three and LeBron calms play down on the edge of the arc. ANd he drives, scores and is fouled! Oh my! The Cavs have the lead. This is set up for Steph/KD/Klay from three with 0.00000004 seconds to go, right? The immaculate LeBron has 46 points. 46!
Cavaliers 101-102 Warriors, 1:37, 4th quarter
JR Smith’s three attempt bounces on the rim for an age before dribbling away to safety. Until it comes to Love who ... hits it from three!
Cavaliers 98-100 Warriors, 2:37, 4th quarter
LeBron gets his 42nd point of the evening to bring the Cavs within four. KD then misses horribly from beyond the arc with an airball. Good defence from Love there. LeBron then throws down a dunk and we’re within two!
Cavaliers 94-100 Warriors, 3:37, 4th quarter
LeBron’s top score in a finals game is 44. He has 40 tonight with time still to play. Don’t say he didn’t try. JR Smith misses from 22 points but Looney misses at the other end for the Warriors.
Cavaliers 94-100 Warriors, 4:37, 4th quarter
The Warriors hit a long-needed three from Draymond Green and it’s followed up by, who else, Curry with a three of his own. Is this the crucial mini-surge from Golden State? What a time to find their range from three. Does any other team in sport step up exactly when it’s needed like the Warriors do. Their assurance is uncanny at time. Cavs call a timeout.
Cavaliers 94-94 Warriors, 5:20, 4th quarter
Bad pass from Curry - lobbing the ball over KD, who doesn’t have a Cavs player anywhere near him. The Cavs charge up court and the ball eventually comes to Love who tips it in. We’re level!
Updated
Cavaliers 92-94 Warriors, 5:50, 4th quarter
LeBron tries to strip the ball from KD and is called for a foul. That looked harsh and LeBron is unhappy to say the least. KD gets one of the two free throws. This is close.
Cavaliers 92-91 Warriors, 6:52, 4th quarter
Clarkson, who has and this is being kind, below average makes an actual basket. Then LeBron, who has been ... better than Clarkson, gets his 40th point. The Warriors are starting to get cold from three-point range and the Cavs have sneaked into the lead!
Updated
Cavaliers 88-89 Warriors, 8:52, 4th quarter
Kyle Korver is obviously still a little salty about that foul earlier and it spurs him on to what Kyle Korver does - make a nice, clean three. And only one point separates the teams. Steve Kerr decides to stop all this comeback nonsense and calls a timeout. And we all breathe.
LeBron James HAMMERS it home!#WhateverItTakes 88 | #DubNation 89#NBAFinals #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/CTwtXoTAYx
— NBA (@NBA) June 1, 2018
Updated
Cavaliers 85-89 Warriors, 9:30, 4th quarter
Green starting to pull off some fine passes for the Warriors. One releases LeBron for a lay-up. Korver’s shooting foul gives Thompson three free throws. Korver’s not happy - I’m not sure why, it was a fair call. Klay gets all three. Of course he does.
Cavaliers 80-84 Warriors, 10:00, 4th quarter
Nance has a couple of free throws to bring the scores to within two ... and he misses both of them. Maybe not the ice-cold blood you need at this stage.
Cavaliers 80-84 Warriors, 10:30, 4th quarter
Jeff Green chooses a good time to get his first points of the game and brings the Cavaliers to within four.
Cavaliers 78-84 Warriors, 11:30, 4th quarter
So LeBron had the smallest of rests at the end of the third. Let’s see if it’s enough. He has 36 points - the rest of the Cavs have ... (does complex maths) 42.
Cavaliers 78-84 Warriors, end of 3rd quarter
LeBron ends the third having a nice sit down - he’ll need it if he’s to overcome the six-point deficit in the fourth. In many ways this is a victory for the Cavs to be so close at this point in the game - particularly given how good the Warriors have been in the third this season - but it’s going to take something very special to clinch Game 1.
The @warriors close the 3rd on a 14-5 surge!#DubNation 84 | #WhateverItTakes 78
— NBA (@NBA) June 1, 2018
Steph & KD: 21 PTS apiece
LeBron: 36 PTS#NBAFinals➡️ #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/majh3unt6K
Updated
Cavaliers 78-84 Warriors, 0:35, 3rd quarter
Love has 14 points and 11 rebounds and doesn’t look like he’s feeling ill effects from that concussion in the Conference finals. Nance decides not to defend and Durant has around three hours to dunk.
Cavaliers 75-82 Warriors, 1:15, 3rd quarter
KD is starting to - ominously for the Warriors – find his range. He’s up to 19 now tonight. A three-pointer from Klay Thompson opens up a comfortable gap for the Warriors and it’s extended a few seconds later by Kevon Looney’s dunk. This is far from a collapse from the Cavs but would you want to be trailing the Warriors going into the fourth quarter when they’re at home? Thought not.
Cavaliers 73-75 Warriors, 3:00, 3rd quarter
Nance fouls Durant as he spaghetti legs down the court. KD gets both free throws - of course he does - and the Warriors have the finest of leads as we approach the endgame.
Cavaliers 73-73 Warriors, 3:45, 3rd quarter
LeBron has just tied some guy called Michael Jordan for the most 30+ point games in NBA playoff history (109 if you’re interested). And there’s another three-pointer from LeBron. Curry responds with a three-pointer of his own and we’re tied.
Cavaliers 68-68 Warriors, 5:26, 3rd quarter
LeBron James is feeling it tonight! 🔥🔥🔥
— NBA (@NBA) June 1, 2018
31 PTS on 11-13 shooting for The King!#WhateverItTakes #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/q0YoyP4H3U
The Cavaliers have done more than the Rockets did in the third quarter of the Western Conference finals Games 6 and 7 and have stemmed the flow of Warriors points. In fact, a LeBron three completes a seven-point run for the Cavs and we’re level. Maybe this series is going to be a little more interesting that we thought.
Updated
Cavaliers 63-68 Warriors, 7:00, 3rd quarter
Sorry, a few technical problems but we’re back now. A surge from the Warriors to start the second-half and it looks like it may be business as usual as Golden State go through their usual third-quarter revival.
Cavaliers 56-56 Warriors, end of the first half
After some back and forth, Steph Curry ties the game at the buzzer.
Cavaliers 51-48 Warriors, 2:18, 2nd quarter
The Cavaliers build up a 51-40 lead but the Warriors have flipped the metaphorical switch Klay hits his second three pointer of the game and in a blink the Cavs lead is a mere three pointers, highlighted by a Kevin Durant jumper.
Cavaliers 44-35 Warriors, 6;31, 2nd quarter
Oh maybe that lead does hold-up. The Cavs get 4 straight points from LeBron, who else. Meanwhile, Thompson hits a big time three-pointer. I guess he’s okay.
Cavaliers 40-35 Warriors, 8:25, 2nd quarter
And the Cavaliers start to get some separation between them and Golden State. Doubt it will last but it’s something.
Cavaliers 32-31 Warriors, 10:37, 2nd quarter
LeBron opens the second with an emphatic dunk. Patrick McCaw then gets his first points of the game on the free throw line and Klay Thompson, is back of the floor.
Cavaliers 30-29 Warriors, end of the 1st quarter
So the Warriors and the Cavaliers are leaving me in the dust. I’ve fallen way behind so I’m cutting my loses and moving on to the second. It the end, neither team zooms past the other at the end of the 1st, it’s just a one point game.
Cavaliers 24-23 Warriors, 3:30, 1st quarter
Nick Young unties he game, but it’s not all good for the Warriors
It’s worst news for Klay Thompson who injures his leg. He’s out of the game. And then we get a long series of free throws
Cavaliers 20-19 Warriors, 5:26, 1st quarter
JR Smith hits a three that unties the game, but, of course, that doesn’t last long. Green and Jordan Bell add to the scoring and Boston takes a timeout.
Cavaliers 15-15 Warriors, 6;42, 1st quarter
There’s the fast pace we were expecting, as the two teams start trading buckets. When the smoke clears the two teams are still tied.
Cavaliers 6-6 Warriors, 9:17, 1st quarter
The Cavaliers struck first but the Warriors immediately strike back. Steph Curry hits the first basket for the Warriors, an old fashioned three point ply
Cavaliers 4-0 Warriors, 10:00, 1st quarter Warriors
And the NBA Finals have officially begun. Cavaliers get the first two baskets.
Opening tip
Cavaliers 0-0 Warriors, 12:oo, 1st quarter
And the NBA Finals have officially begun.
Tonight’s National Anthem was tea she pretty much nails it. The Warriors intro music? Incredibly awful.
Okay it’s 9pm EST so actual basketball should be just around the corner.
Well, I think he pulls it off.
LeBron James took a whole lot of crap online for his pregame outfit Thursday night https://t.co/jKKEGZRWbJ pic.twitter.com/pVRgnphnge
— The Comeback NBA (@TheComebackNBA) June 1, 2018
Quick answers here: the Cavs absolutely have a shot here and I find what’s going on in Philly is hilarious.
Updated
Email from Cian Fox:
Do the Cavs have any chance?
Hunter,
A couple questions before the action kicks off.
Firstly, it seems everyone is counting the Cavs out despite LeBron fighting tooth and nail to bring them to the Finals, do you think they have a hope against one of the best teams ever assembled in the NBA? Surely there is no upset on the cards here, with the Cavs looking weaker than in previous years. They were reliant on a series of spectacular performances by LeBron to overcome a weakened Boston side and a young Indiana Pacers, with the playoffs exposing the weakness of the supporting cast of Love, Smith, Hill etc. As a result, I cannot see this going past 5 games unfortunately.
Also any thoughts on the Bryan Colangelo Twitter saga? incredible story coming out of Philly.
Predictions anyone? I am saying that the Cavaliers are going to come on strong off at the start and then the Warriors will crush them in third quarter because that’s what they do.
Kevin Love
Good news for the Cavaliers as Kevin Love will play in Game 1 after sitting out the last two games. I guess the hamstring is feeling little bit better.
Wake up, it’s Groundhog game. This is not a repeat, it’s the NBA Finals and once again the Cleveland Cavaliers will face the Golden State Warriors with a championship on the line.
This is is LeBron James’s eighth straight Finals appearance and it wash’t easy for him this time around as they were taken to Game 7 by two opponents, the Indiana Pacers the Boston Celtics.
The Warriors, of course, are THE WARRIORS, which might be one of the greatest NBA teams of all timeThey also are playing without a key guy in Andre Iguodala, the defensive player that has proven he can slow LeBron down (totally stopping him, of course, is impossible.)
As always, we love hearing from you, faithful reader. If you want to join the conversation either email us (hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com) or tweet them to to @HunterFelt and we’ll use your thoughts throughout the liveblog. It’s the Golden State Warriors vs the Cleveland Cavaliers: live! The game time start is 9:00pm EST, but we’ll be back before then.
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Hunter will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on LeBron James and other all-time greats:
The average NBA player’s career lasts only 4.8 years, about the same time it takes for a drink packet to decompose or the lifespan of a guinea pig. Players who choose to endure the relentless mental pressure and physical pounding for 15 or 20 years are rare. Only seven NBA players have made it to 20 or more seasons, myself among them. Those of us who were still playing in our mid-30s faced the endless speculation about whether we were still fit enough, strong enough, and skilled enough to continue to be an imposing force in the game. Every news article or commentary about us was guaranteed to include the qualifier “for his age”. Ageing athletes are treated like terminally ill patients, with everyone speculating when our demise will finally come. LeBron James, 33 years old and finishing his 15th season, continues to break records, including my own all-time field goal postseason record, as he gets ready to play in his eighth straight NBA finals.
I often get asked about LeBron. How does his play now compare to when he was younger? How long can he keep playing? What does it take to stay in the game so long? Is he the best player who ever lived?
LeBron is a much better player today than he was when he was younger. Few can dispute that he was the catalyst who drove the Cavaliers to defeat the Celtics in the playoffs. Having that power isn’t just a matter of skill, it’s a willingness to take on the responsibility of rallying the team and of having the respect of the team as a leader, not just a player. Seizing that responsibility shows a man of confidence, maturity and inner strength. Earning the team’s respect shows a man who is knowledgeable about the game, dedicated to the team as a whole and cares about players as individuals. LeBron is a great individual player, but he’s an even greater team member. And that’s what wins championships.
