NBA Finals Game 1: Warriors make light work of Cavaliers
Kevin Durant had 38 points as the Warriors ran out convincing winners in Game 1 of the NBA Finals at the Oracla Arena in California. Final NBA: Cavs vs Warriors, juego 2
Cavaliers @ Golden State: latest news NBA Finals Game 1 live stream online
NBA Finals live stream online: Cavaliers @ Warriors preview
The Cleveland Caveliers begind their defense of the NBA crown early Friday morning against the same opponents from the same series last year. With the Golden State Warriors looking good at 3-1, LeBron and the Cavaliers rebounded to win the series 4-3 in what was the first time a team had come back from a 3-1 deficit.
Despite the fact that the Cavaliers are defending champions and have waltzed through the playoffs with the same ease as the Warriors have, they remain underdogs, which is something that Golden State's head coach, Steve Kerr can simply not wrap his head around.
Steph Curry is a fantastic basketball player and Kyrie Irving is one of the most exciting but this series could easily become a showdown between Kevin Durant and LeBron James, two shooting forwards who first faced off in the NBA Finals in 2012 on different teams. Durant was still with the Thunder and James had brought his talent to Miami. James won on that occasion but Durant is back with a better surrounding cast and will be looking for revenge.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers stomped to the finals by beating the Pacers, the Raptors and the Celtics only losing once in 13 games. The defeat came at the hands of the Boston Celtics and was one of the biggest upsets in the history of basketball postseason play. The Cavaliers were 16-point favourites on the night and it might be a sign of the Cavs' ability to implode.
During the season, LeBron James bemoaned the lack of bodies during a particularly difficult spell in Jauary. "It’s like when you don’t have bodies. It’s tough,” James said. “The [expletive] grind of the regular season. We’re a top-heavy team. We have a top-heavy team. We top-heavy as [expletive]. It’s me, [Kyrie Irving], [Kevin Love]. It’s top-heavy."
“I’m not singling out anybody,” James continued. “I’m not. Yeah, we won [the championship], but [expletive], you know what, let’s see if we can do something.”
He also praised the strength of the Warriors' roster but will be hoping they don't play to their full capability when the finals begin on Friday morning.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors got a whole lot better during the offseason when they added Kevin Durant as a free agent from the Oklahoma City Thunder and as they did not lose any of their important puzzle pieces, they just got a whole lot better. He suffered a knee injury during the season that could have been a lot worse than it was and is back to his best to lead the Warriors.
They will be rested and ready having walked to the finals beting the Trail Blazers, the Jazz and the Spurs 4-0 in each of those games. There has even been talk of the first ever 16-0 postseason but surely the LeBron factor will keep it competitive until at least the sixth game.
Steve Kerr will not be on the bench on Friday morning for the Warriors as he continues to battle back pain and migraines after surgery two years ago but he says he is playing it by ear and could be back for game 2.