That will do it. Warriors win 113-91. They're 13-0 in the playoffs.
Never forget
This game was actually a fight between Durant and LeBron for Rihanna's love
This is like Ivan Drago losing once and coming back with with his friends to beat up Rocky
Warriors 20 point lead in the 4th quarter. It feels more like 40 at this point.
Shumpert shooting transition threes is not the wave
Klay Thompson is out there shooting threes like Andrew Bynum and the Warriors are still blowing out the Cavs. This ain't right.
Nothing more disrespectful than playing Patrick McCaw in the third quarter in game 1 of the NBA Finals
It's 93-72 at the end of the 3rd quarter. Warriors are winning. This was supposed to be fun.
So, that escalated quickly
It's amazing to think that there was a time people thought the Warriors' rim protection was a weakness. The Cavaliers are shooting less than 40 percent in the restricted area through three quarters.
Kevin Durant just crossed up Richard Jefferson so badly that Jefferson's knee cartilages were crying out for help
The Cavaliers are trying to slow this game down by going back to LeBron James in slow pick and rolls. With Draymond Green out, they're able to pull Kevin Durant to the perimeter and get to the rim.
Steph Curry shook LeBron so hard that it looked like LeBron was pulled away by a divine force
LeBron James didn't make Mike Brown millions of dollars to be disrespected like this by a man who has a cooking show with his wife
Kevin Love is the Mr. Krabs meme right now
The Warriors are seeking out Kevin Love like sharks swim to blood.
The Warriors started the third quarter on a 13-0 run. It's danger time.
Imagine trying to stop Kevin Durant on the break only to see him kick it out to Steph Curry? I'd sue
Largest lead of the night. It's 67-52, Warriors. 9:59 left in the third quarter.
I'm no basketball expert but I don't think Cleveland is going to win this by turning the ball over and not making shots
One thing you take for granted with the Warriors: the combination of Draymond Green and Kevin Durant both as help defenders is an incredible amount of length to pass through. They just cover so much space.
Apparently Kevin Durant is better than Harrison Barnes. Or so they say.
This is a major change from the Warriors that's significant.
Well they are, the Warriors are #LightYears ahead
Honestly it feels like the Cavaliers should be down by a lot more than eight at this point.
This halftime show is the closest Tracy McGrady has ever been to the NBA Finals
It's halftime of Game 1. Kevin Durant has 23 points and the Warriors lead 60-52.
Again, it's scary how Steph and KD have screening chemistry down. If Kyrie Irving is on Steph, the Cavs have to switch, and that means a major mismatch. They did not have that chemistry down earlier this season.
Look man, Kyrie Irving can't guard Kevin Durant. I hate to break it to y'all.
Here is the crazy Kyrie Irving 4-point play.
Steph Curry just grabbed a rebound over LeBron and Tristian Thompson so we can just turn this off
Kyrie Irving is a damn magician
Beautiful Steph/KD pick and roll to set up Kyrie Irving on Durant on a switch inside. Cleveland double-teams and Shaun Livingston gets an easy layup. If the Warriors have that play down, there's no stopping them.
Just kidding, Kyrie Irving just hit a wild three-pointer and got fouled. 49-43 now.
Warriors up 10 now, 49-39 with 4:46 to go in the first half.
This is what it's like to play the Warriors. Look at all the Cavs on this play. They're all running to shooters! Kyrie Irving's first instinct is to find Stephen Curry. And because he does, Kevin Durant gets the easiest dunk he'll ever see.
The Cavaliers are going to be so good when they find out that they're allowed to play defense
Every time Draymond Green shoots a three, Steve Kerr's back pain flares up
The Cavs are dodging bullets. They're only down 41-34, but the Warriors are dictating the terms of this game and are just missing some good shots. I'd be worried if I were the Cavaliers. Cleveland's defense is trying, but the Warriors are so hard to guard when you try to match them conventionally. Too much movement.
Andre "It's not a foul if you don't get caught" Iguodala
Klay Thompson turned into Tony Allen while we weren't watching. Can defend all day but apparently is more brick-layer than splash brother
The Cavaliers defense is just welcoming the Warriors to score layups/dunks. The Kwik-E-Mart of NBA defenses
Fun fact!
Not a great sign that the Cavaliers still can't really guard the Warriors with Draymond Green out. Thirty-five points allowed despite only a handful of transition chances, and it could have been worse if the Warriors made more layups. They're defending conventionally matchup-wise, but if they can't even stop the Warriors straight up, it might be worth thinking about juggling some of these matchups.
Iggy hits a three at the buzzer. Warriors 35-30 at the end of the first quarter.
Iguodala didn't mean to make that three
Thing we didn't really expect: the Warriors are pounding the offensive glass. Some of that is JaVale McGee, but a lot of it is that it's hard to cover everything with the Warriors. The more you switch and scramble, the more you open yourself up to offensive boards.
Steph Curry range: far as hell
JaVale McGee didn't deserve that. Shaq is somewhere watching that gif on a loop and applying icy hot to his chest
LeBron just dunked on KD and stared him down and here. we. go.
You see how much the Cavs don't want Stephen Curry to get an open 3? Look at Kevin Love here. He's willing to concede a 2 on 1 just so Steph doesn't get open.
A point should be subtracted from every basket Durant makes until he brushes his hair
The pace of this game is kind of wild. And ugly. It's 12-12 with 6:43 left in the first quarter.
The Cavaliers are again attacking Stephen Curry in pick and roll. So far, I've counted four times. Three times with Bron, Cavs 0-3. One missed open 3, one turnover, one as a decoy. Plus, once with Kyrie Irving and J.R. Smith, and Kyrie toasted Steph. But clearly, this is still part of the Cavaliers' gameplan.
Zaza Pachulia is so shook right now. Someone needs to find him an arm to pull or an ankle to injure so he can calm down
As Mark Jackson said, Klay Thompson has already stoned Kyrie Irving twice outside and Kevin Love in the post. He is a special defender.
J.R. Smith hits the first basket of the NBA Finals, of course.
It sounds exceptionally loud in Oracle right now.
Looks like conventional matchups early for Cleveland. LeBron is on Kevin Durant. Kyrie Irving on Steph Curry.
Mike Brown is still being paid by the Cavaliers. The ultimate scam.
That Train guy was singing like he had money on the Cavaliers and he was starting to regret his bet
National Anthem is getting started now. Here we go.
What I want to see tonight:
1. Who will put the opponent's big man on skates the worst? Steph Curry is going to get either Kevin Love or Tristian Thompson alone eventually, and Kyrie will have the same opportunity with JaVale McGee or Zaza Pachulia. I want to see a Rudy Gobert spinning type of situation. That's all I ask for.
2. How will Deron Williams play? It's an odd thing to think now that at one point there was a reasonable debate of who was better between Williams and Chris Paul. Williams is no longer that player, but he is in the Finals before his former foe. He's a key aspect of the Cavaliers bench, but beyond that, it should be fun to see him get to play in the biggest stage. Hopefully he responds well to the pressure.
3. Will LeBron James come out the gates swinging? The MVP snub. The talks about the Warriors being injured last Finals. Cleveland being labeled an underdog. That the addition of Kevin Durant makes this Finals the Warriors' to lose. LeBron is past having to prove how great he is, but there has to be a part of him that just wants to remind everyone just how much of a force he is.**
4. Draymond Green I just want him to talk trash to LeBron again or to kick someone. He's the villain, I want him to become the super-villain.
5. Will Klay Thompson show up? Klay has gone from being a splash brother to the fourth best player on the team, which isn't a problem but he's played a bit-part role in their playoff run. It's going to be interesting to see if he continues to be a reduced version of himself. He's still Klay Thompson and could easily explode for 30 points in one quarter, but that doesn't seem as likely as it used to be in previous years.
A few big Xs and Os keys to watch for tonight:
1. Who does LeBron James guard and when? I'd expect Kevin Durant to start, but don't be surprised to see him move around on other Warriors. That'll say a lot about Cleveland's defensive philosophy. Here's a more detailed piece on the issue
2. How will the Warriors deal with Stephen Curry defending the pick and roll? That doomed them in last year's Finals, but they've had a long time to figure out a better plan.
3. Who will win when Draymond Green switches onto Kyrie Irving and when Kevin Durant switches on Kevin Love? Cleveland will attack those matchups, but Golden State will also happily allow them. That'll be the bellwether.
4. Offensive rebounds vs. transition defense. If the Warriors force stops and get boards, they will blitz Cleveland in transition. Can the Cavs slow the pace of the game down by attacking one-on-one, drawing fouls, and dominating the glass? That's their only chance
5. How is Andre Iguodala looking? The Warriors need him to slow LeBron, but is he up to the task this time around? And if not, who can be? Because the Warriors will need to be able to slow LeBron one on one without helping too much off Cleveland's shooters.
Steph from the tunnel during pregame!
If you're looking to see our best NBA Finals preview pieces, check out this Twitter thread.
JaVale McGee got things started with this incredible Shaq hat.
It's finally here! The NBA Finals tip-off at 9:00 PM EST tonight. Check back as I'll be here hanging out with Mike Prada and Zito Madu all night with updates on the game.
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