Cavs Blow It, Lose Game 1 Of NBA Finals

CLEVELAND, OH — There may not be a more heartbreaking or Cleveland way to lose a game. With time expiring, the game tied, and the ball in his hands, JR Smith dribbled away the clock thinking the Cavaliers were leading. Game 1 of the NBA Finals went into overtime and Cleveland lost.

Smith claims he knew the score of the game. Ty Lue said he didn't. On-court reactions to Smith's play would suggest the guard didn't know what he was doing. The rest of the Cavaliers looked gut punched.

LeBron James was, per usual, brilliant. He had 51 points while shooting 19-for-32 from the field, plus eight assists and eight rebounds. He cried out for Smith to give him the ball in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. His pleas went unheard. He then asked the refs for a timeout. He got none.

In a tale now all-too-familiar to Northeast Ohioans, the King found himself without any knights to lead.

Kevin Love shot sub-50 percent from the floor, going 9-for-20 from the field, while notching 21 points and 14 rebounds. JR Smith was the only other Cavalier in double digits. He had a dazzling 10 points. He also lost track of the score and cost Cleveland a golden opportunity to sneak away with a Game 1 victory.

Meanwhile, Golden State's big three (Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson) struggled as a group, particularly Durant. Only Thompson shot at least 50 percent from the field, going 8 for 16. Meanwhile, Durant went a measly 8-for-22, while Curry went 11-for-23.

Both men have won MVPs over LeBron and many talking heads have claimed Durant has surpassed James as the best player in the league. Thursday night's game could be seen as a referendum on that position, a position weakly defended and weakly made.

Much of Golden State's success came from its bench. Shaun Livingston went four-for-five from the floor, scoring 10 points in clutch moments. Kevon Looney, Jordan Bell, JaVale McGee, and David West all shot over 50 percent from the floor.

For contrast, Jordan Clarkson and Jeff Green were a combined five-for-18 from the floor. Both men played significant minutes in Game 1.

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch