Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals concluded on Thursday, June 4 with the Golden State Warriors defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers by merely 8 points. The Warriors and Cavaliers were neck and neck up until the last stretch. Warriors lead 1-0. The two powerhouse teams meet again for Game 2 on Sunday, June 7 at 5 p.m. in the Oracle Arena at Oakland, California.
"At the end of the day we gave ourselves a chance. I missed a tough one. But we had so many opportunities to win this game but we didn't," said LeBron James in a post-game interview referring to his fatal missed fade-away jumper.
The Warriors and Cavs were tied at 98 – 98 up until the end of the 4th quarter. It was during the brief few moments at overtime that the Warriors kicked their game up a notch, taking the Cavs by a whirlwind defeat. Tony Manfred at Business Insider noted that the Warriors did not utilize their small team lineup of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes, and Draymond Green up until the very end. These five players can shoot 3-pointers, defend, and play offense interchangeably on the court. Steve Kerr, the head coach of the Warriors said in a post-game interview that he devised this to disrupt LeBron James.
"You have to kind of try to keep doing some different things with LeBron because he's, I mean, he's just so talented and can score in so many ways,” said Kerr. "So we just decided to change the look a little bit. Whether that worked or not, I mean, it worked on the scoreboard. He may have missed a couple shots that he had been hitting earlier, but it was just something we did."
Kyrie Irving resting during a basketball game on October 2014.
Kyrie Irving is out for a good 3 to 4 months after fracturing his knee cap. Irving is done and is awaiting surgery. In a post-game interview, he shared his concerns with the Associated Press that he was “a little worried” yet “it’s a natural reaction.” Irving said that the team will “take the necessary steps to see what’s going on.” Another factor in Cleveland loss was James’ missed shot at 3.8 seconds. Critics wonder why James took the easy and risky shot. He failed to work and drive against Iguodala, choosing to shoot a 21-foot fade-away jumper. Perhaps he was dismayed by Iguodala’s towering 6’6” height.
“One of the smartest defenders in the league,” said Kerr. “He’s not stronger than LeBron, but he is very strong. A big thing guarding LeBron is angles, right? It’s trying to figure out where he’s going because he’s looking for teammates. He’s looking to score. There’s a lot going on.”
Team Rosters:
Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee, Draymond Green, Andrew Bogut, Andre Iguodala, James Michael McAdoo, Harrison Barnes, Leandro Barbosa, Shaun Livingston, Marreese Speights, Justin Holiday, Festus Ezeli, Ognjen Kuzmic, and Brandon Rush.
Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Kendrick Perkins, Brendan Haywood, J.R. Smith, James Jones, Timofey Mozga, Iman Shumpert, Anderson Varejao, Joe Harris, Matthew Dellavedora, Mike Miller, Tristan Thompson.
Game Schedule and Scoreboard:
Game 1 on Thu. June 4 at 6 pm: Warriors 108 – 100 Cavaliers at Oakland
Game 2 on Sun. June 7 at 5 pm: Warriors vs. Cavaliers at Oakland
Game 3 on Tue. June 9 at 6 pm: Warriors vs. Cavaliers at Cleveland
Game 4 on Thu. June 11 at 6pm: Warriors vs. Cavaliers at Cleveland
Game 5 on Sun. June 14 at 5 pm: Warriors vs. Cavaliers at Oakland
Game 6 on Tue. June 16 at 6pm: Warriors vs. Cavaliers at Cleveland
Game 7 on Fri. June 19 at 6pm: Warriors vs. Cavaliers at Oakland
