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LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers Can’t Handle Golden State Warriors Bench [Game 1]

Published on: June 3, 2016 at 9:19 AM
By Dustin Murrell

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ “Big 3” (LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love) combined for a total of 66 points in Game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals. When you consider that Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were only good for 36 points, it would seem reasonable to think the Cavs walked away with a 1-0 lead in the series. But when you consider that Golden State’s bench scored 45 points compared to the Cleveland bench’s 10, you have a better idea of how the Warriors carry a 1-0 lead into Game 2.

Just like last year’s NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers traveled to Oakland to lose to the Golden State Warriors in Game 1. This year, however, the Cavs are a much healthier team, and have proven to be much more dominant in the NBA Playoff rounds leading up to the Finals.

Cleveland will hope that history repeats itself Sunday, as LeBron led the Cavs to an overtime victory at the Oracle Arena in Game 2 of the NBA Finals last year.

Cavs-Warriors Game 1 stats

Stephen Curry ended with just 11 points, 6 assists and 7 rebounds, along with 5 turnovers. Coming off the bench, Shaun Livingston lead the Warriors with 20 points, going 4-for-4 from the line and shooting 80 percent from the field. Draymond Green had the only double-double for Golden State, with 16 points and 11 boards. He also had a game-high 4 steals and a team-high 7 assists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfumzSeVQ1Q

LeBron did what he could on Thursday but still came up short. He had 23 points, 12 rebounds and a game-high 9 assists. Kyrie Irving lead the Cavs with 26 points, going 11-for-12 from the free throw line. Kevin Love had a double-double (17 points, game-high 13 rebounds) as did Tristan Thompson (10 points, 12 boards). In direct opposition to Golden State, Cleveland had very little contribution from their bench in Game 1.

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2015 NBA Finals: Warriors vs. Cavaliers

One year ago, Golden State won Game 1 of the NBA Finals, defeating the Cavs in overtime 108-100. But Cleveland would go on to win Game 2 (also in OT) and Game 3, giving them a temporary lead in the series. The Warriors dominated the Cavs in Game 4, tying the series after beating Cleveland 103-82. They beat them by 13 points in Golden State for Game 5, and then clinched the NBA Championship during Game 6, which they won by 8 points in Cleveland.

Of course, during last year’s NBA Finals, the Cavaliers dealt with injuries that really set them back. Kyrie Irving went down with a knee injury in Game 1 and wouldn’t return to the series. Kevin Love had already been injured in Round 1 and didn’t see any time on the court during the 2015 NBA Finals. Anderson Varejao was injured at the time as well. This year, all three men are healthy (although Varejao now plays for the Warriors instead of the Cavs).

NBA Finals: Where To Watch Game 2

Game 2 of the NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors will be Sunday, June 5 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. Tickets for the game are sold out, although second market options are available to see Cavaliers vs. Warriors live at Oracle Center for Game 2. As of Friday morning, the cheapest seats were being sold for $500 (before fees and taxes). The game is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. PST and will air on ABC.

Game 3 and Game 4 of the NBA Finals will be at The Q in Cleveland on Wednesday, June 8 and Friday, June 10 respectively. Assuming the Golden State Warriors don’t sweep the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, Game 5 will return to the Oracle Arena on Monday, June 13. A potential Game 6 would be in Cleveland on Thursday, June 16. If it goes to Game 7, the 2016 NBA Champions will be crowned at Golden State’s arena on Sunday, June 19.

[Photo credit Ezra Show/Getty Images]

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