The NBA Finals began Thursday night and the whole world couldn't wait for the matchup of the Cavs against the Warriors. Lots of people were expecting a great game, as the rivalry between these opponents is deep to the core. The game stayed close up until halftime, but once the second half started, the Warriors kicked it into another gear. The played great defense and poured on the points and the Cavs couldn't keep up. The Warriors won the game 113-91 and the Cavs knew they played bad. LeBron James and head Coach Tyronn Lue both know they need to play better if they want to take down this dominant Warriors team.
It was really bad
The Cavs played bad basketball all night and in the second half it finally caught up to them. They ended the game with 20 turnovers, which is too much against the Warriors. The Warriors love to score points in transition and they did exactly that, taking advantage of the Cavs miscues. LeBron James despite having a great game had eight turnovers, the most in any Finals in the past 30 years.
LeBron James knew his turnovers put his team at a disadvantage, telling reporters at the postgame press conference, "It started with myself having some turnovers, especially in the first half. I pride myself on not turning the ball over, and I did it too much.
James knew he didn't have his best game, and he realizes that in order to stop the Warriors, they need to do a better job on Kevin Durant.
Durant had 30 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assist in game one. A majority of his points came from dunks, as the Cavs let Durant walk through open lanes, trying to protect the three-point line. When LeBron was asked what stood out in game one he simply replied, "KD." That's all he needed to say, as KD was the engine that kept the Warriors pushing Thursday night.
LeBron is already looking ahead to game two saying, "We made a lot of mistakes. There's nothing really needs to be said. We know we're capable of playing a lot better. We didn't play as well as we know we're capable of, so we look forward to the next one."
They're the best do it, right?
Tyronn Lue had a more sarcastic approach to the loss the Cavs suffered Thursday night.
He started off by saying the Warriors are "the best I ever seen" after a reporter asked him about Golden State's 13-0 postseason start.
When asked to further elaborate by another reporter Lue explained "I mean, no other team has done this, right? So 13-0, and they constantly break records every year, last year being 73-9, this year starting the playoffs 13-0. So, they're playing good basketball. But we can play better."
Tyronn Lue is a coach who pulls no punches so he will give you the real deal in interviews. He knows the Cavs can play better and he expects them to in game two. Lue is used to the Finals pressure after that historical 3-1 comeback last year, so he isn't sweating this loss as much as people think. It is a long series and the Cavs will come ready to play next game. Game two is on Sunday at 8 p.m. EST, so tune in to see how the Cavs respond to the game one loss.
