The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t get off on the right foot to start the NBA Finals on Thursday night falling 113-91 to the Golden State Warriors.
It was a disappointing defeat for the Cavaliers, that has LeBron James considering the opponent being among the best teams he has ever faced in his illustrious NBA career.
“I’ve seen a lot of great teams and they rank right up there. They work well together. They have some guys that can actually lead a franchise without anybody else by themselves. They put you in tough positions defensively and offensively. You got to be able to keep your composure, stick to the game plan, and try to execute as best as you can for sure.”
The Warriors have steamrolled through the NBA playoffs becoming the only team to win their first 13 games of the postseason. They have done it primarily behind their explosive offense led by Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. The pair of former league MVPs notched 38 and 28 points respectively in Game 1.
Golden State is an offensive juggernaut that showed on Thursday night what they are capable of behind strong play from Durant and Curry. However, Cleveland was able to force them to shoot just 42 percent from the field and had even held a 59-50 rebound edge.
It’s also unlikely that James has another repeat performance turning the ball over eight times and should play a more efficient game next time around.
The Warriors may be one of the best teams that the league has ever seen, but they are not an insurmountable hill for the Cavaliers to climb if they clean up their offensive sloppiness and receive stronger play from their supporting cast.