Warriors Pull Away in OT to take 1-0 Finals Lead

Welcome in to the full recap of Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals where the Golden State Warriors mustered enough offense in OT to pull away against the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-124 despite an epic 51-point performance from LeBron James.

It's inevitable that the Warriors would take a 1-0 lead over the Cavs. But, it was a lot difficult for them than expected as long as the Cavs have LeBron as a one-man wrecking crew. Through all four quarters of the game, it was tightly contested and it certainly made the fourth consecutive meeting between these two interesting. Hypothetically speaking, the Cavs could've stole this game from the Warriors had George Hill made the 2nd free throw or J.R. Smith called the timeout after the offensive rebound off Hill's miss. Then again, anything can happen on the Warriors' side with the one timeout they had and 4.7 seconds left on the clock. Overtime showed why the Warriors are the clear favorites here and if you hang around with them past regulation, that's advantageous to them and they pull away.

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LeBron James, 51 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 19-32 shooting. You just knew that LeBron is gonna have to go beast mode to give the Cavs a chance against the Warriors. I'd say if the Warriors had a healthy Iguodala, it wouldn't have made a difference. He just add his way no matter how many different looks the Warriors threw at him on defense. Greatness was at work here. It just wasn't enough.

Kevin Love, 21 points, 13 rebounds. Kevin Love's return proved to be a boost for the Cavaliers and LeBron finally got some help. He struggled from deep, but he feasted in the key. Love posted defenders up and just threw up hook shots over smaller defenders.

Rebounding. Literally, this is the only advantage Cleveland has over Golden State and it is still the constant from the last three finals. They have the size to do that. This game, the Cavs destroyed the Warriors on the offensive boards 19-4. Outside of LeBron, the offensive rebounding number allowed Cleveland to hang around with all kinds of 2nd chance opportunities.

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One free throw/one timeout. As I said, even if the Cavs made the free throw, the Warriors still had 4.7 seconds remaining and a timeout to draw something up. But, that sequence in the final seconds of regulation was Cleveland's one shot to possibly take a 1-0 lead in these series. It would've added something a little different in the fourth consecutive meeting between the two teams. It's not more of George Hill's miss, but J.R. Smith's blunder to dribble out the clock after securing the rebound from Hill's miss, thinking they have the lead. Certainly, that drove LeBron and Tyronn Lue nuts considering they have one timeout left to draw up a game-winning play. J.R.'s gonna get a lot of roasts for the blunder.

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Stephen Curry, 29 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists. With Kevin Durant struggling early on and Klay Thompson exiting the game early, Steph Curry had to put up big scoring numbers. The former 2-time MVP showed that he was just that. Though overshadowed by LeBron's 51-point performance, Curry traded clutch shots with the Kings as the fourth quarter winded down and played a big part in the Warriors pulling away in OT.

Klay Thompson, 24 points, 5 three pointers. Lucky for Warriors fans that Klay was able to survive a major injury scare in the first quarter. In defense of J.R. Smith, that was unintentional and he did slip off the floor. But, Klay turned out to be okay, still able to move around, and still put up 20+ points.

Kevin Durant, 26 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks, 8-22 shooting. KD in the first half was terrible. KD in the 2nd half? Not so much. Durant made a nice adjustment coming into the 2nd half to take more shots inside. That created all kinds of mismatches for the Cavs' defense with Durant posting up on smaller defenders.

Draymond Green, 13 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks. Once again all members of the Warriors' big four made it to the positives. Draymond got the Oracle crowd all amped up by the end of the game. He stuffed the stats sheet once again and brought all kinds of activity on both ends of the floor, especially on defense.

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Bench. Shaun Livingston contributing 10 points off the bench erased some made up for the disappearance of the Warriors' rotation. So did JaVale McGee's start in the 3rd quarter until he went all Shaqtin'. They definitely miss Iguodala's leadership and veteran presence.

Conclusion

Well, with the Warriors needing OT to take down a one-man army, it definitely makes it interesting. But as I said, LeBron can put up legendary numbers, but it won't be enough since he lacks a strong supporting cast. The Cavs will be thinking "what-if" with the way  the final seconds of the 4th quarter played out. Also, things can change that'll lessen the Cavs' chances. The scuffle Tristan Thompson had with Draymond Green and Kevin Love walking off the bench with 2.6 left in OT could possibly lead to some suspensions. If it does, the Cavs will be so shorthanded that LeBron's gotta drop a 70-point triple-double the next game to give the team a chance. All jokes aside, they did hang around and went the distance. But hang around with the Warriors too long and they'll start pulling away. I'll see you guys on Sunday for Game 2!

2018 NBA Finals: Cavs-Dubs IV - Game 1 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half of Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts as the game rolls on.

OT

CLE 114 GSW 124

All the Cavs needed was just one free throw. Because if I can infer from the Lakers' matchup vs. the Warriors when they went the distance to OT, Golden State just has too much firepower to pull this out. This game provided the same narrative. Once the Cavs hang around with the Warriors too much, they get burned and Golden State was able to pull away to take a 1-0 lead in these finals. Things got a little extracurricular with Tristan Thompson's ejection with 2.6 remaining in OT. Can't expect anything else from these two rivals. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q4

CLE 107 GSW 107

This harkens back to the first NBA Finals meeting between these two. Big time clutch performances from LeBron, Curry, and Durant for their respective teams. George Hill had a chance to be a hero late in the quarter, but he couldn't make the 2nd free throw. Didn't understand why the Cavs didn't call timeout after getting their own miss. They could've had a chance to draw another game-winner up for LeBron for the Cavs to steal Game 1. Extra five minutes to start these finals!

Q3

CLE 78 GSW 84

Nick Young, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr. You got former Lakers going at it down the stretch in that quarter. Meanwhile, the third quarter continues to be in the Warriors' favor. But, the Cavs are doing a nice job keeping within striking distance and preventing this from being a further blowout. LeBron, Love, size, and rebounding are the reasons why. Kevin Durant made a nice adjustment after a sluggish first half, taking more shots inside rather than jacking up threes. He's exploited some nice mismatches for the Cavs defensively to get easy buckets. A surprisingly close game considering the disparity of the teams in terms of talent. Let's see what the fourth quarter has in store.

2018 NBA Finals: Cavs-Dubs IV - Game 1 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the first half open thread of Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals! As the game rolls on, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

CLE  56 GSW 56

How many of you thought Curry was gonna miss that three at the buzzer? Instead of the Warriors being down three, they've tied it at 56 a piece. Because in all honesty, it felt like the Cavs won the first half of this game. LeBron James continues to personify greatness with 24 points in the first half. At one point, he was 6-6 from the field before finishing the half 9-11 from the field. He's getting some help. Love stepped up the scoring in his surprise return when LeBron took a seat. LNJ is contributing off the bench with 8 straight points with his hustle and energy. Meanwhile on the Warriors' side, Kevin Durant struggled with his shot. If you're wondering why they only put up 56 points at the half, that's one of the reasons why to go with the turnovers. He caught on with the game-tying three-pointer down the stretch and hopefully for the Warriors' sake, that builds up some momentum. Klay exiting the first half after J.R. Smith's slip also disrupt Golden State's game plan a little bit. With him back, look for the Warriors to recover some of their original game plan on both ends. For the Cavs, they need to let LeBron continue to do his magic and remain active on the boards. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

CLE 30 GSW 29

A lot different this time around with the Cavs mustering enough to put up 30 points here. The quick 4-0 start helped set the momentum for them until Steph Curry picked the Warriors back up with 6 quick points. Warriors are turning the ball over as well to help the Cavs gain some momentum. The bigger headline here is J.R. Smith slipping and landing on Klay Thompson's legs. That made Klay go back to the locker room and it pretty much changed the whole dynamics of this quarter in favor of the Cavs. The good news for Warriors fans, he should be fine.

Cavs-Dubs NBA Finals '18 Preview

And here...we...go again. Welcome in to the 2018 NBA Finals preview provided by yours truly. By now, you should know who these teams are considering they faced each other in the last three NBA Finals series. If not, the matchup features the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers lead by the best player on the planet LeBron James against the Western Conference and defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors lead by their Fantastic Four in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green. For three consecutive finals, this matchup has been the NBA's "cash cow" in terms of star power from both teams. Now, they'll duke it out once again for basketball supremacy for a fourth consecutive time. So if you're a believer in league parity, then this matchup might not be for you. Time to rehash from three straight NBA Finals Preview posts!

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors re-exerted their dominance in the NBA landscape last year by easily beating the Cavs in 5 games. Even by re-signing Kevin Durant and extending Steph Curry to a lucrative $200 million contract, someway, somehow, they managed to keep their loaded roster in tact with the exceptions of Nick Young, Jordan Bell, and Quinn Cook. But, this season proved that the Warriors weren't all invincible. Their star players each took turns being sidelined with injuries. Kevin Durant with the rib injury, Draymond Green with pectoral injuries, and Klay with the injured hand. But most notably, Stephen Curry was riddled with all kinds of injuries on his lower body, ranging from a rolled ankle to a sprained MCL. Outside of the injuries to the "Fantastic Four," this season made the Warriors look vulnerable. They weren't as good as the past three years on the defensive end in particular. Their title as "top team in the West" was handed over to the Houston Rockets. However, however, in the playoffs, Golden State started to regain some of their championship pedigree back dispatching both the Spurs and the Pelicans in five games in the first two rounds. They went the distance against Chris Paul, James Harden, and the top-seeded Rockets in the Conference Finals. Though the Warriors won in 7 games lead by their scoring trio of Durant, Curry, and Thompson, they could've easily won in five or six games if it weren't for a couple of both team and coaching blunders. One can ask "what if" had Chris Paul been healthy. The Warriors caught a break with his injury, but luck didn't hang on to them when Iguodala went down during the series.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Unlike the Warriors, the Cavs underwent an extreme makeover with their roster following last year's Finals loss. They made headlines when they traded Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder. The Cavs continued to retool their roster by adding Jeff Green, Derrick Rose, and Dwayne Wade in an effort to counter the Warriors' star power and depth. The problem was that it wasn't the year 2011. With the roster to begin the season, the Cavs looked old, slow, and out of sorts on both ends of the floor. As a result, they blew up the roster by midseason. I.T. along with Channing Frye was traded to the Lakers for Clarkson and Nance (still a great trade by Magic and Pelinka to get out of JC's contract). D-Wade got sent back to Miami. Crowder and D-Rose was dealt to the Jazz in a three-way trade with the Kings to get George Hill and Rodney Hood. The positive was that the Cavs got younger and more athletic, but the negative was that LeBron James now had a weaker supporting cast. That showed in the Cavs' road to the Finals, but through some otherwordly intervention, LeBron was able to mask most of the weaknesses on the Cavs' roster. The Cavs played the same three teams they faced last year in the Pacers, Raptors, and Celtics, ironically in the same playoff rounds. The only constant was that the Cavs swept the Raptors despite the Raptors being the best team in the East and having home court. Both the Pacers and the Celtics were much tougher tests that went the distance with the Cavs compared to last years incarnation of both teams. But, the Cavs still prevailed. As much as a lot of us dislike LeBron, we can't deny his greatness any further. He was in god mode throughout the postseason, putting up ridiculous numbers, playing almost 40+ minutes a game, and carrying a team that is mediocre at best without him. It was much more like LeBron vs. the Pacers, Raptors, and Celtics during Cleveland's road to the Finals.

Keys for the Dubs

Andre Iguodala's return is indefinite and Golden State really could use him on defense against LeBron James. Kevin Durant can help disrupt LeBron's game with his length, but it's not gonna be enough without legit help at the Small Forward position. So with Iggy out, the Warriors are gonna have to double up on their defense on LeBron. He is essentially the Cavs' engine on offense. We could possibly see KD, Draymond, and Klay exchange assignments on guarding arguably the best player in the world right now. The defense is not gonna be as stifling with Iggy out, but as Game 7 against the Rockets show, the Warriors still have a tendency to apply swarming ball pressure. On offense, it all starts with the Warriors' core four. Curry, KD, and Klay can still score at will. Durant, in particular, has to place trust on his teammates to make plays. When he struggled in mid-point of the Conference Finals, he was trying to play hero ball and it stops the Warriors' ball movement. No player on the Cavs can equal the scoring prowess of the trio. They have to push the tempo and constantly move the ball.

Keys for the Cavs

Let's face it. Outside of Kevin Love, LeBron James has no help. Love's status is still in question because of a concussion in Game 6 against the Celtics. LeBron can continue to play his game and put up big numbers, but that's not going to be enough. He has to find a way to get teammates involved. The Cavs do have J.R. Smith, Kyle Korver, George Hill, Jeff Green, and Jordan Clarkson as scorers/shooters, but they've been up-and-down throughout the regular season, let alone the postseason. They are going to be needed to give LeBron the support. Tristan Thompson and Larry Nance Jr. must out-rebound any Golden State player inside to give Cleveland all kinds of opportunity. They have the size, athleticism, and hustle factor to do that. Defensively, they're going to have to generate as many turnovers from the Warriors as they can. Golden State is still prone to make bone-headed decisions with the ball and the Cavs must capitalize on every opportunity given to them.

Prediction

After three straight previews, I think you guys can telegraph my prediction in these finals. The Warriors just have way too much depth and too many weapons. The only edge that the Cavs have is that their roster is younger and more athletic. And as long as they have LeBron, they have a chance. But, let's face it, he can't do it by himself against a star-studded Warriors squad and their deep rotation. Unless the rest of the Cavs somehow show up, I just don't see it. They'll give a little bit of a fight, but look for LeBron's epic postseason run to come to a screeching halt. And look for the Warriors to extend their NBA domination.

Warriors in 6

A Season in Review: 2017-18 Lakers

Welcome in to the long-awaited, "A Season in Review" post for the 2017-18 Lakers. A little delay to bring this up since I had to finish up a couple projects. Anyway, I provide a condensed version of how the season went and provide a couple of scenarios the Lakers can do to take the next step in the return to relevancy.

Things are finally looking up for the Lakers as they were able to improve upon last year's 26-56 record, finishing at 35-47. By standards, if we were to expect improvement from the Lakers, it would result in a playoff spot and some Laker fans feel that way. It's our old school mentality of "championship or bust." But if you're a realist like I am, this was a much improved season than in years' past. Recalling from my Season Preview post, I had this team finishing with a 30-35 win record and they matched that threshold.

Three things highlighted the Lakers' improved record this season: 1) the emergence of Brandon Ingram, 2) Julius Randle's breakout year, and 3) the immediate contribution of the Lakers' 1st round picks from the draft class of 2017. For a good chunk of the season, B.I. has proven that he can be the Lakers' 2-way player of the future. This year, he was more relentless in getting to the basket and drawing contact. His length disrupts opposing teams' offensive flow defensively. He was also confident in taking shots he was hesitant to take during his rookie year last season. If he continues to improve his long range and free throw shooting, he'll reach that Kevin Durant ceiling. Julius Randle didn't see the floor to start the season in favor of Larry Nance Jr. starting and it lit a fire under him throughout the year. Since he won back the job, Randle became a bully for defenders. Albeit undersized, Randle's play this season reminded us of the old school post up player who would just punish defenders in the paint with raw strength and power. His speed and quick step also made him tougher for opposing teams to defend him. The 1st round rookies: Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart contributed in some way, shape, or form. Kuzma carried over his impressive Summer League showing, proving to be an all-around scorer. He had some ups and downs, but he looked like a seasoned vet than a rookie. He just needs to work on the defensive stats. Josh Hart had an impressive 2nd half of the season, scoring, rebounding, and defending. I absolutely love the poise he had whenever he stepped on the floor. That's something you don't see every day from a rookie. Winning the national title at Villanova helped him big time. Lonzo Ball obviously has a lot to do to convince most Laker fans, particularly in the scoring department. But aside from the shooting woes, he sets the tempo of the game. The passing and court vision are as advertised. He's an underrated rebounder and team defender. Ball showed some flashes as he got better shooting the ball in the 2nd half of the season. But, a little fine tuning here and there during the off season and he'll be an all-around special player.

Outside of the growth and maturity of the young core, the veterans that Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka added were much better fits than Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng (he's still here) last year. Brook Lopez gave the team a Center who could space the floor and post up defenders inside. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was a decent complement to Lonzo Ball in the backcourt, providing scoring and defense. The acquisitions of Isaiah Thomas and Channing Frye before the trade deadline were tremendous moves by Magic and Rob. Particularly, I.T. brought a certain swagger back to the team that was lost since Kobe retired. With a good influx of talent and veterans, the Lakers were a lot more competitive this year than in season's past. There were games where they off to slow starts, even terrible starts, but they find ways to get themselves back in the game. The biggest improvement was the team defense. The Lakers defended the ball better. They made opposing players work for their shots. They pressured opposing team's into making mistakes and it helped set up their fast pace style of play on offense. Not to mention, the unselfish nature of this team was infectious and it rubbed off on the players to play team basketball. The Lakers this year notched many signature wins against more of the better teams. You look at the road game against Houston where the Lakers snapped their 14-game winning streak. The one-point victory over Boston at home. The road game against San Antonio to cap off a 4-game sweep on the road. We saw a lot of glimpses in games where the Lakers hung in there in games and find ways to win. They gave us a little bit of a tease by keeping afloat in the playoff picture this late into the season, especially in a really competitive West where it was a "who's who" conference outside of Houston and Golden State this season. Unfortunately, the Lakers went through a pair of long losing skids to ensure another losing season. For every Laker loss, most of the blame goes to high turnovers in games than the opposition and especially poor free throw shooting. The Lakers were one of the worst free throw shooting teams this season. It wasn't until they brought in I.T. where they had a reliable free throw shooter that could close out games. Those are areas that the Lakers need to work on if they want to take the next step.

So, with an improved record and a stabilized young core, is it good enough to lure in a LeBron James or a Paul George? The case for and against landing a star player to go with a young core is that the team would become instant contenders, but the young players would experience delays in their development. Technically, the Lakers' young core is still in a developmental stage, but there's no question that Magic and Rob have to add quality pieces in this years' free agency class to make the team better. They have a lot of options: they can sign, PG, LeBron, or both, they can max out Randle and/or max out PG, they can re-sign Randle to a max deal and re-sign Lopez and I.T. to reasonable contracts and wait until next year when guys like Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard are available in the open market. They also have to add some rim protection and more 3-and-D players. There's a lot of options to decide. If you want my honest opinion, I believe signing LeBron would be a mistake. When you have two players in LeBron and Lonzo, both players a pass-first mentality, it's not gonna work out. Though I won't discredit LeBron's ability to take over games when needed. Not to mention, we don't know how long will LeBron retain his freakish athleticism. Randle obviously deserves a contract after a breakout season and he has a better long-term upside. Paul George is a marquee target because he's a hometown player and I think he would be a huge upgrade over KCP.  Lopez and I.T., are the two players I want the Lakers to resign. The asking price both will demand will be the biggest question. Or if they lose out in the LeBron and PG sweepstakes, 2019 is a good plan B with Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard coming up. Klay, I'd think would be a better fit as he would provide the Lakers a consistent scorer and he could form a nice defensive backcourt with Lonzo. He's also familiar with the system Luke Walton's implementing. Differentiating between 2018 and 2019's most coveted free agents, Paul George for marquee purposes, Klay Thompson for better overall fit with the system. Whichever plan works, Lakers win either way.

This Summer should provide a lot of interesting headlines and scenarios on the Lakers' front. I compare this upcoming offseason to what the Raiders went through in 2015-16. The Raiders improved from a 3-13 record to a 7-9 record. And in the following offseason, free agents looked at the Raiders and saw that they have a stable core of Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, and Amari Cooper. As a result, the Raiders became a hot ticket for free agents and signed guys such as Kelechi Osemele and Bruce Irvin. When I look at what the Lakers accomplished, they're trending in the same waters. Free agents will look at their stable core of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Julius Randle (maybe) and their improved record. It will leave free agents interested in playing with such young talent. Also with Luke Walton, Magic Johnson, and Rob Pelinka in charge, there is a robust relationship between the coach and the front office. For once, we can finally look at the offseason and say to ourselves that signing a big time free agent is realistic because of the promising young core, head coaching continuity, and a robust, competent front office. Thank you for following my coverage of the Lakers' 2017-18 season. Hopefully, they continue to shoot for the moon in 2018-19.