Golden State Warriors: 5 Lessons From NBA Finals Game 1

1. Step On It

There’s an old saying in sports that when you’ve got your foot on an opponent’s throat, step on it. This brutally graphic, not-so-sportsmanship-based expression might seem a tad premature after one game in a seven-game series, but last night’s OT taught us a lot.

First of all, we can’t ignore that it feels like Kyrie Irving could be out this entire series after exiting with what looked like a severe injury late in overtime. And even if he does play again in the Finals, how effective can anybody expect him to be, realistically?

I predicted the Warriors would win this series in five, assuming Kyrie Irving would be able to play the whole series. But if he’s out? This thing could be another depressing Finals sweep for the city of Cleveland.

While it’s absolutely unfair that the basketball gods felt the need to exact their cruelty on a supremely talented 23-year-old at the worst possible time, the Warriors and Cavaliers will play on. The Dubs can’t make the mistake of underestimating this Cavs team if Kyrie’s out, because that’s exactly when LeBron will strike.

Game 1 was a narrow overtime victory at home, a place where Golden State has only lost three times all season, which feels like a cause for alarm. But it also felt like Cleveland’s (and LeBron’s best shot). The Dubs took the Cavs’ Game 1 haymaker and still emerged with the victory.

There’s still business to be taken care of in Game 2, which should be seen as a must-win game for Golden State no matter what Irving’s status is. A win could help the Dubs close this thing out in four or five games. A loss could extend the series and the longer it goes, the more LeBron James’ experience gives Cleveland the upper hand.

Luckily, the inexperienced Warriors, who didn’t have a single player with Finals experience before last night, conquered their butterflies. They trailed by 14 in the first quarter and were down by double-digits entering the second quarter. But even after falling behind early, and even with LeBron’s 44 points, the Warriors STILL won Game 1.

Now that they’ve calmed down and now that Stephen Curry has gotten comfortable making shots on basketball’s biggest stage, Game 2 could be a blowout. The Dubs can still play better, and that’s a terrifying thought.

The Warriors just have to go out there with the mentality to make that happen and let the banged-up, on-the-ropes Cavs know they have no shot here. Their foot is already on Cleveland’s throat; now they need to step on it.

Next: 2015 NBA Finals: Game 1 Recap

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