Thanks for following tonight’s liveblog. We’ll be back again on Sunday night for Game 2.
Steph Curry and Klay Thompson will also likely be back for Game 2. Maybe the Cavaliers can call David Blatt and see if he has any ideas on what to do?
Until then, enjoy all the Kevin Durant rumors. And know that even if your team misses out on him, Shaun Livingston is a free agent next summer.
FINAL: Warriors 104-89 Cavaliers
The Warriors take a 1-0 lead. It was the lowest-scoring combined game for Curry and Thompson all season, yet Golden State won with ease. I’m trying to think of a positive the Cavaliers can take from this game and I’ve got nothing.
No one got seriously injured? Sure, let’s go with that.
Stop it.
mood. #DubNation pic.twitter.com/wulqdaiEUM
— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) June 3, 2016
Warriors 104-87 Cavaliers, 1:53 4th quarter
Steve Kerr calls timeout to put in his reserves. Based on how his bench has played, the lead will be up to 40 points in no time.
Warriors 104-Cavaliers 87, 2:24 4th quarter
Some guy named Steph Curry just hit a three and then that was followed right away by the same from Klay Thompson (who?). It’s great to see the Warriors get some of their lesser players involved.
Warriors 98-85 Cavaliers, 3:32 4th quarter
After a LeBron three cut it to 11, NBA superstar Shaun Livingston knocked down to free throws to keep the Warriors comfortably ahead. We’re almost at the roll-the-ball-inbounds portion of the game.
Warriors 96-82 Cavaliers, 4:43 4th quarter
The Cavaliers go on a 6-0 run, punctuated by J.R. Smith’s first points of the night on a three-pointer. If Smith is going to be chucking them up down the stretch, it’s definitely worth sticking around.
Warriors 96-76 Cavaliers, 5:43 4th quarter
Game over. But please do continue following the liveblog, okay?
An Iguodala dunk on a no-look pass from Curry gets the lead to 20. Golden State’s bench has now outscored Cleveland’s 43-5.
Warriors 92-76 Cavaliers, 6:49 4th quarter
Harrison Barnes dunks it home on a great pass from Draymond Green. Golden State’s lead is 16 points: 2 points more than Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have scored combined, late in the 4th quarter. What.
Shaun Livingston is a free agent after next season. He will be able to afford a nice car very soon.
Updated
Warriors 88-72 Cavaliers, 8:34 4th quarter
Forget about who the Cavs have to stop Curry, they need to focus on Livingston. He’s got 16 points now on 8-of-10 shooting - abusing the smaller Cleveland guards - and the Warriors have their biggest lead of the night.
Warriors 84-70 Cavaliers, 9:30 3rd quarter
Shaun Livingston is taking over and is 8-for-10 on the night. Your rooting interest aside, it’s great to see him come so far from his knee injury. (Don’t Google it.)
Warriors 78-68 Cavaliers, 11:10 4th quarter
The lead is back to 10, and it’s all thanks to the Golden State bench again with Iguodala and Barbosa hitting early.
Updated NBA Power Rankings
3- Cavaliers
2- Warriors
1- Warriors bench
The Warriors are shooting 48% from the floor despite Curry and Thompson at a combined 6-for-22.
It will be interesting to see what Cleveland does on offense in the 4th. LeBron is LeBron, but the offense was clicking with Irving and Love getting a lot of touches.
End of 3rd quarter: Warriors 74-68 Cavaliers
Curry threw up a three from half-court at the buzzer. (It missed.) At least we know he’s not worried about his stat line.
Final verdict: Just a normal foul on Dellavedova. Five minutes for that. But at least we all got to see a lot of replays of Iguodala getting hit in the crotch?
Warriors 71-68 Cavaliers, 0:38 3rd quarter
Dellavedova fouled Igoudala ... Down Under ... and things got heated. The refs are watching replays to see who will get the fouls.
Warriors 69-68 Cavaliers, 1:20 3rd quarter
Curry misses a wide open three, but Shaun Livington puts in the rebound to give the Warriors the lead back.
Cavaliers 64-63 Warriors, 3:45 3rd quarter
There’s Cleveland’s first lead since the opening minute on another tough basket by Kevin Love. Oracle has gone very silent. Everyone is checking the latest app they developed on their phone.
Warriors 63-62 Cavaliers, 4:27 3rd quarter
A Steph Curry turnover -- he now has 4 on the night and remains 2-for-10 from the floor -- leads to a Kevin Love and-1 on the other end. So much for the 14-point lead.
Warriors 61-57 Cavaliers, 5:59 3rd quarter
Cleveland now has 12 points from the line while the Warriors have just 1. And Klay Thompson just bricked a three off the backboard. Maybe the Finals aren’t his thing.
Warriors 56-52 Cavaliers, 8:03 3rd quarter
Remember how LeBron had to play the Warriors without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love last year? It turns out having those two helps! They have 28 points combined to LeBron’s 13 and Cleveland is right back in it.
Warriors 56-50 Cavaliers, 8:33 3rd quarter
Steph Curry has missed his last 8 shots. Thompson and Curry are a combined 4-for-17. The Warriors better go back to their bench if they want to keep their lead.
Updated
Warriors 56-45 Cavaliers, 9:57 3rd quarter
Steph Curry is 2-for-10 on the night and yet the Cavs are on the verge of getting blown out. Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green both have 10 points. This is the dominant inside game the Warriors are known for?
Updated
2nd half is underway!
Warriors 52-43 Cavaliers, 11:35 3rd quarter
Cleveland opens with a turnover and Klay Thompson responds with a missed jumper. If you were still in the kitchen or bathroom, you missed nothing.
The Warriors have come a long way:
@Super70sSports This is the time the Golden State Warrios took their team photo in my high school's gym pic.twitter.com/X6YFG6FnIZ
— Pro Football Journal (@NFL_Journal) June 3, 2016
I wonder if Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are watching this game.
Since it’s halftime, let’s kill some of the break by watching Steve Kerr and Tyronn Lue play against each other.
#TBT... Steve Kerr & Tyronn Lue go head-to-head on the court!https://t.co/jVQ0l1nJvx
— NBA (@NBA) June 2, 2016
A few halftime thoughts:
- LeBron got off to a good start taking it to the basket, but was less involved in the 2nd quarter. Irving and Love actually lead the Cavs in shot attempts at the half.
- The Cavs are shooting only 35% from the floor and should probably be grateful they’re not down 20 points.
- Curry is only 2-for-8 from the floor. Maybe his people will announce during the half that he is now only 65%.
- What is wrong with Draymond Green? Stop kicking people.
Halftime: Warriors 52-43 Cavaliers
Harrison Barnes leads the Warriors with 9 points. Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green are next with 8. The Cavs have controlled Curry and Thompson so far, but it hasn’t mattered. Gulp.
Warriors 49-41 Cavaliers, 1:05 2nd quarter
Kevin Love gets called for an offensive foul on the way to the basket. Anderson Varejao sold it with a classic Varejao flop. The Cavaliers preferred when his flopping helped them, not hurt them.
Kevin Love has 10 points and 7 rebounds. He’s been solid. Except on this play.
Kevin Love is out there #Shaqtin https://t.co/nngNRBBGNT
— The Cauldron (ICYMI) (@CauldronICYMI) June 3, 2016
Warriors 49-41 Cavaliers, 1:46 2nd quarter
The Cavaliers made a bit of a run behind Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love and had a chance to get even closer ... but then J.R. Smith chucked up a contested three that barely nicked the rim. It was his first shot of the night. It wasn’t worth waiting for.
Warriors 45-36 Cavaliers, 4:09 2nd quarter
After Curry misses a three, Irving hits one to get the Cavs within 10 points.
Warriors 43-30 Cavaliers, 6:00 2nd quarter
Golden State extends its lead on back-to-back steals by Andre Iguodala - one on LeBron and one on Kyrie Irving. Kevin Love, you’re next on the list.
Warriors 41-29 Cavaliers, 7:00 2nd quarter
And there’s Klay Thompson’s first points of the game on a drive to the basket. The distinct feeling of Cleveland sports is washing over this game.
Barbosa’s three-pointer came after he shook off a clumsy ref:
Ref go boom. https://t.co/I70tBtnUZk
— Dr Cork Gaines (@CorkGaines) June 3, 2016
Warriors 39-28 Cavaliers, 7:55 2nd quarter
The Golden State continues its domination with a corner three by Leandro Barbosa. Maybe the NBA Finals should be the Warriors starting five vs. the Warriors bench?
Updated
If Klay Thompson gets going ... poor Cleveland.
Warriors shooting 61.5 percent, up 36-28. And still no points from Klay Thompson. #NBAFinals
— Bill Reiter (@sportsreiter) June 3, 2016
Warriors 36-28 Cavaliers, 9:01 2nd quarter
With Steph Curry on the bench, the Golden State bench give the Warriors it’s biggest lead of the night. It’s timeout time again for Ty Lue.
Warriors 28-24 Cavaliers, 11:15 2nd quarter
Kevin Love gets an offensive foul, Cleveland’s sixth foul of the night.
By the way, we’re now at the Luis Suarez-biting-everyone stage of Draymond Green’s kicks. The guy needs some counseling.
Draymond Green, who is playing with the threat of suspension over him, is kicking already.
Unreal. And a kick! This dude 😂😂 https://t.co/7aMgUPShc5
— Mike Goldfarb (@Shaqtin_A_Fool) June 3, 2016
End of the 1st quarter: Warriors 28-24 Cavaliers
Both teams are shooting well so far: Cleveland at 50% behind LeBron’s 4-for-5 from the floor and Golden State hitting at 54.5%. But the Warriors are moving the ball a lot better and getting more clean looks. Cleveland’s best shots so far have just been LeBron pushing by everyone on the way to a lay-up. Not that there’s anything wrong with that approach.
Updated
Warriors 26-24 Cavaliers, 0:45 1st quarter
Kyrie Irving gets it down to 2 points with a great drive down the lane. He now has 6 points in the game.
Updated
Warriors 26-19 LeBron Cavaliers, 1:46 1st quarter
Another timeout for Tyronn Lue. And then the camera caught him scratching his head. Seems about right.
Updated
Warriors 24-17 Cavaliers, 2:35 1st quarter
Kevin Love just lost track of the shot clock and then was taken out of the game for Channing Frye. The first Kevin Love Panic moment for Cavs fans.
Warriors 24-17 Cavaliers, 3:18 1st quarter
The Warriors are hitting shots and on defense they can’t contain LeBron going to the basket. It’s very, very, very early, but this looks a lot like last year’s Finals.
Some context on Kevin Love making his first shot tonight: Love is shooting 52.9% this postseason in games in which he makes his first shot, and just 31.1% in games when he misses his first shot. (via ESPN Stats and Info)
Warriors 16-15 Cavaliers, 5:50 1st quarter
Steve Kerr called timeout, so let’s take a look at that very bad defensive matchup the Cavaliers had on Curry:
Dont think anyone has ever been as doomed as Tristan Thompson is trying to guard Steph Curry on an island https://t.co/1moeDpoFKM
— Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) June 3, 2016
Warriors 14-11 Cavaliers, 6:56 1st quarter
Cleveland came out of the timeout and isolated LeBron and he took it to the basket for two. This Lue fellow might just make it as a coach!
Warriors 14-9 Cavaliers, 7:26 1st quarter
Steph Curry hits his first attempt of the Finals and you’ll never guess: it was a three. The Oracle crowd goes crazy and Tyronn Lue calls time to give them more time to celebrate. And also probably make some adjustments. (Curry hit that three with Tristan Thompson guarding him on the perimeter. That’s not a match-up Cleveland wants.)
Warriors 9-7 Cavaliers, 8:32 1st quarter
Harrison Barnes have 7 points just three minutes into the game. His playoff high this year is 13.
Cavaliers 5-5 Warriors, 9:22 1st quarter
Golden State took its first lead after some great ball movement leads to a Harrison Barnes bucket and the and-1, but Cleveland immediately came back with a bucket by James.
There's the tip!
Cavaliers 3-0 Warriors, 11:21 left in the first quarter
Golden State won the tip, but had their first possession end on a missed Draymond Green three. Cleveland came right down and had a three hit by Kevin Love, his first-ever NBA Finals points.
Series over. The Cavs have won.
Just received word, Sasha Pavlovic has been activated for tonight's game.
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 2, 2009
Despite this fact, the Cavaliers are planning to play. They have their basketball sneakers tied and everything.
Teams that won at least 65 games in the regular season have never lost a NBA Finals series (14-0)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 3, 2016
Updated
They’re beginning player introductions. The public address announcer called them the “Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers.” By now during NBA Finals intros, we should be referring to the Eastern Conference champion as the “team LeBron currently plays for!”
Cavaliers fans seem to be hanging a lot on the fact that Cleveland took the Warriors to six games last year without Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. And, yes, having them in the lineup will be huge for the Cavs.
But it’s also true that Golden State won despite Klay Thompson having a horrible Finals. He won’t be that bad again.
On the ticket site StubHub, buyers can get in the building for tonight’s game for $230. The lowest-priced tickets for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final in nearby San Jose are $379. That’s the exact opposite of what you’d expect based off of TV ratings.
Tip-off is scheduled for less than 30 minutes from now, but it would be nice if they could move it up because everyone is sick of waiting. Also, and more importantly, then we wouldn’t have to see more of this.
This fan is ready! #NBAFinals https://t.co/MsFlyBSAyb
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 3, 2016
Possibly playing in Cleveland’s locker room right now as extra motivation.
Looking back, it’s amazing that most fans only started disliking Draymond Green a few weeks ago.
Welcome to the liveblog of Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder Golden State Warriors!
Get ready for a night of watching basketball by doing a bit of stretching ...
Matthew Dellavedova is ready. The Warriors don't stand a chance. https://t.co/4vgJb9ct5j
— SportsPickle (@sportspickle) June 2, 2016
... and going through your pregame routine, no matter how bizarre ...
Steph Curry has added an unusual twist to his dribbling drill https://t.co/ZvW8ielJiq
— The Cauldron (ICYMI) (@CauldronICYMI) June 2, 2016
Okay! Now we’re ready.
DJ will be here shortly. In the meantime, read how Steph Curry borrowed a little bit of Reggie Miller and a little bit of Steve Nash:
he best basketball players always get their games from someone else. Greatness was never conjured without a ghost to chase. A young Kobe Bryant channeled Michael Jordan’s driving, slashing style, while Jordan, growing up in North Carolina, modeled himself after the NC State star David Thompson, who dared to fly when the game was just starting to rise off the floor.
But Steph Curry is like nobody before him, not even his father Dell, who was one of the NBA’s better shooters in his era. No one has brought the same blend of dance and gymnastics to both a jump shot and a dribble. The attempts he takes as a matter of routine are the kinds of flings others make in desperation. His greatest attribute is that he is original at a time when it is nearly impossible to invent something that hasn’t been tried in the past.
And since nothing in sports comes without imitation, Curry has said Steve Nash and Reggie Miller were his biggest basketball influences. Watch him for any time and you can see the pieces of each in his play. His seemingly effortless acceleration while dribbling is reminiscent of Nash, while some of Miller’s long, arcing jump shots could trace a trajectory exactly like Curry’s.
