In Game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors took a 1-0 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers despite off shooting nights for the Splash Brothers.
In a game where Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for meager 20 points on 8-of-27 shooting, you’d think the Cleveland Cavaliers would’ve had a chance.
Thanks to the Golden State Warriors‘ bench play in Game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals, however, you’d be dead wrong.
Despite the Splash Brothers’ struggles until victory was all but assured, 45 points from the Dubs’ second unit helped the defending champs build a double-digit lead for most of the night to protect home-court advantage with a 104-89 Game 1 victory.
More from Cleveland Cavaliers
- Latest intel calls Donovan Mitchell’s future with the Cavs into question
- 5 players who will challenge Victor Wembanyama for Rookie of the Year
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Analyzing the Max Strus acquisition
- Ranking the 5 best available shooting guards in 2023 NBA free agency
- NBA Rumors: Cavs have secret weapon to lure LeBron back to Cleveland
The key stretch came in the final two minutes of the third quarter after the Cavs had taken a one-point lead and a bench-heavy Warriors team closed the period on a 7-0 spurt…before extending it to a 15-0 spree when the fourth quarter began.
Shaun Livingston led the way with a playoff career-high 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, Andre Iguodala added 12 in his patented sixth man role and Leandro Barbosa looked more like the Brazilian Blur of old with 11 points, countering the Splash Brothers’ lowest scoring game of the entire 2015-16 campaign.
Curry finished with 11 points, six assists and five rebounds while shooting just 4-of-15 from the floor, Thompson had nine points on 4-of-12 shooting and Draymond Green finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
LeBron James finished one assist shy of a triple-double with 23 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, Kevin Love had a 17-13 double-double and Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 26 points on a less than stellar 7-of-22 shooting. Cleveland’s bench only added 10 points as the Cavaliers’ Big Three combined for 66 of the team’s 89 points.
Early on, it was readily apparent the Dubs still didn’t have anybody who could stop LeBron from asserting his will in the post. Try as he might, Harrison Barnes was no match for King James when he caught the ball near the low block and took it to the basket.
Luckily for the Dubs, Barnes managed to counter some of those baskets with seven of the Warriors’ first nine points, starting the game 3-for-3 from the floor with a three-point play over Tristan Thompson thrown in.
The Warriors’ offense hummed in the first quarter, and though they only held a 28-24 advantage heading into the second, it was very obvious Cleveland’s defense was going to have a hard time putting up the same fight that the Oklahoma City Thunder did in the conference finals.
Fortunately for the Cavs, they were actually able to post a 5-2 advantage when LeBron got his first rest with 1:46 left in the period. Despite LeBron’s eight points in the first quarter, he’d only score 15 the rest of the way.
To start the second quarter, Golden State’s bench responded during a critical stretch while both Steph Curry and Klay Thompson took a breather.
Fueled by the return of Livingston’s turnaround jumper and a few dazzling plays in a seven-point spree by Barbosa, the Dubs opened up an 11-point lead and were a +7 with Curry resting before LeBron broke the run by getting to the foul line.
The Warriors’ bench started the game 7-for-9 from the field, affording the Splash Brothers some extra time to rest before checking back in.
The Dubs’ defense was in full force as the Dubs opened the second quarter on a 15-5 run, with former Finals MVP Andre Iguodala coming up with back-to-back strips on LeBron and Kyrie.
With Iggy and Draymond guarding LeBron, the Dubs managed to hold the King to 0-of-4 shooting in the period.
Despite numerous defensive breakdowns and a couple of wide open three-point looks for Curry and Barnes though, the Warriors couldn’t extend the lead further into double digits.
Klay Thompson having to sit with three fouls didn’t help Golden State’s defense or spacing on the offensive end, and after Kyrie re-directed a deflected pass out to Love for three, the Cavs had somehow cut the lead back down to eight.
The Cavs dominated the tempo late in the second and slowed the game down to a grind, which is how they need to play to win this series. Unfortunately, after getting the lead all the way down to six, a Draymond three-pointer right before halftime extended Golden State’s advantage to nine.
Despite Curry starting the game 2-for-8 and the Splash Brothers only combining for 10 points at the half, the Warriors’ supporting cast did a good job of building an early lead and sustaining it, countering Cleveland’s Big Three, who scored 34 of the team’s 43 points (11 for LeBron, 10 for Love, 13 for Kyrie on 12 shots).
Barnes was Golden State’s leading scorer at the break with nine points, Green and Bogut chipped in eight apiece, Barbosa had seven and Livingston added six.
To start the third quarter, Curry fell to 2-for-10 shooting after he missed a makable layup over Thompson and then rushed the ensuing put-back. Still, the Warriors opened up an 11-point lead thanks to Cleveland’s lack of defensive communication out of the pick and roll.
At that point, a quick 5-0 spurt from Kyrie Irving and an offensive put-back from Tristan Thompson cut that lead back down to four. With the Splash Brothers being a combined 4-of-17, it was starting to look like Cleveland might seize momentum in Game 1.
With Curry still struggling, the Cavs’ Big Three began to take control of the game. A Kevin Love three-point play helped Cleveland cut the lead to one, which he then followed up with an offensive put-back to take the lead.
The Splash Brothers were a combined 6-for-22 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Dubs went on a run to close the quarter, fueled once again by Livingston and Iguodala (who had extra motivation after a shot to the groin from Dellavedova).
Despite being outworked in the third quarter and losing the period by three points, the Dubs still held a six-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
The bench came through clutch again to start the fourth, with four straight jumpers from Iggy, Barbosa, Livingston and then Barbosa extending the lead to 14 and marking a 15-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters.
After Kyrie ended the run with a bucket, the Dubs’ bench just kept plowing ahead with another 6-2 run, extending the lead to 16 with 8:34 to play.
At that point, the Warriors’ Big Three trickled back in as Kerr opted to close the game with the Lineup of Death. A 20-point lead was chopped down to 14 after J.R. Smith nailed a three for his first points of the night.
A three-pointer from LeBron cut the lead down to 11, but Livingston’s two free throws ended Cleveland’s 9-0 run and all but assured the victory for the Warriors. In fitting fashion, back-to-back triples from the Dubs extended the lead to 17 and put Game 1 away for good.
More hoops habit: 2016 NBA Finals Preview: Warriors vs. Cavaliers
Game 2 will be played Sunday night at Oracle Arena with the Golden State Warriors leading the series, 1-0.