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.