Courtesy – Variety.com
Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals is finally is over and in the bags. The Golden State Warriors won in a thrilling overtime game over the Cleveland Cavaliers, 108-100. Now, if Game 1 is a sign of what is to come this series, then we better buckle up because this is going to be a thrilling series.
LeBron James and company came out very aggressive and prepared for Game 1. After the first quarter, the Cavs were leading the Warriors 29-19. Despite the great game from LeBron and the Cavs, Golden State stayed strong throughout this whole game and ultimately was able to take advantage of Cleveland’s weaknesses and steal the game. It was a great night statistically for the Cavaliers and Golden State still won. This should make all of Cleveland worried, not just King James.
This article will examine three major takeaways from Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals.
1) Andre Igoudala Is Biggest X-Factor For Golden State
Courtesy – Yahoo Sports
Andre Igoudala has been in the league for now for 11 years. He is now in his second year with the Golden State Warriors. Igoudala is arguably Golden State’s best bench player and definitely put on a show Thursday night. He played 31 minutes in Game 1 and finished with 15 PTs, 3 REBs, 2 ASTs, 1 STL and 1 BLK. He was a major spark to Golden State’s offense coming off the bench, hitting 6 for 8 from field goal range and 2 for 3 from behind the arc. I also believe that Igoudala is arguably one of the hungriest player on his team for a NBA Championship.
Not only is he a consistent provider to his team, but he also provides a lot of locker room experience and veteran leadership to a team that didn’t have a single player making a return trip to the Finals. Andre isn’t the star he used to be early on in his career but coming off the bench, he is able to keep the second unit alive, so the Warriors do not slow down during their lineup changes. He also has one of the most difficult assignments, guarding LeBron James. On Thursday night he did a great job. A lot of Warriors covered LeBron in Game 1, but Andre had the most success. LeBron had 27 PTs and shot 54.5 percent from field goal range when not guarded by Igoudala. However, when Igoudala was guarding James, LeBron only had 11 PTs while shooting 28.6 percent from the field. After Game 1, it is safe to say that Igoudala will be a huge x-factor for the rest of this series.
2) JR Smith Has To Perform Better For Cleveland
Courtesy – USA Today
Since joining the Cleveland Cavaliers, JR Smith has evolved and some people were arguing that JR has finally become the player we all want him to be, which is reliable and consistent. However, after watching Game 1 on Thursday night, we all got to see the JR everyone was familiar with. He was playing exactly as he did before he left the New York Knicks, throwing up shots and missing completely.
In Game 1, Smith played 34 minutes and only had 9 PTs and 4 REBs. Smith didn’t have a single assist, steal or rebound. He only hit 3 out of 13 shot attempts. Smith was unable to get to the free-throw line, so all of his points came from behind the arc where he was 3 for 10. Smith missed plenty of open looks. LeBron needs Smith’s help from behind the three-point arc. Also, Smith came off the bench for Game 1 and he was supposed to be an important bench piece for Cleveland. Unfortunately though, Golden State’s bench outscored the Cleveland’s bench 34-9. Those 9 points came from JR’s only made three-point shots, which by the way, were scored in the first half of the game. Golden State’s bench is deeper and better than the bench that Cleveland has. Without any bench help, especially from JR Smith, the Cavs have a zero percent chance of winning. Also, if JR does not improve, head coach, David Blatt, will have to think of something because if he can’t, then Cleveland is playing with a ticking time bomb on their bench.
3) LeBron James Alone Is Not Enough
Courtesy – USA Today
Remember in 2007, when the San Antonio Spurs swept the Cleveland Cavaliers during LeBron James’s first trip to the NBA Finals? This could end up turning into a similar situation.
After watching Game 1, it is apparent how much more deeper Golden State’s bench is compared to the bench of Cleveland. LeBron had his best NBA Finals performance of all-time finishing with 44 PTs, 8 REBs and 6 ASTs. He also shot 47.4 percent from the field. James had a great game. He took over from the start, forced his way into the paint a lot and also got to the free-throw line.
James though did have trouble with his jump shot. He hit his first three-point of the night and hit a game tying three, but other than that, the Warriors gave LeBron deep looks all night and he couldn’t capitalize. He even had two air-balls. Cleveland needs someone on their roster to step-up, especially with Kyrie Irving’s health uncertain as he left overtime with an injury. No NBA superstar has ever won an NBA Championship all by themselves and I believe that is something that will not change anytime soon. Kyrie had 23 points and Mozgov had 16 but other than that, Cleveland did not give James the support he needed and without it, the Cavaliers are in danger of being possibly swept.
