Warriors Stomp Cavs In Game One Of Finals 113-91

Meeting in the NBA Finals for the third time in just as many years, the Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in game one on Thursday night, 113-91. The Warriors gained a slight lead in the first quarter and didn’t relinquish it for the rest of the game.

The Warriors spent most of the night capitalizing on the Cavs’ many mistakes. In all, Cleveland turned the ball over 20 times. The Warriors, only four.

While the Cavaliers took the series last year – Golden State won the year before that – the Warriors picked up a difference maker during the offseason. And what a difference he made.

Kevin Durant, who signed a two-year, $54 million contract with the Warriors a year ago next week, was game one’s high-scorer, sinking 38 points on the night. He also had eight rebounds and eight assists.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Durant didn’t want to take any credit for the win or for slowing down Cleveland’s LeBron James.

“It’s about the Golden State Warriors versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. We’re only going to do it together,” Durant said. “That’s just our whole mindset. So I just try to do my part, stay locked in on both ends and have some fun out there. They’re tough to stop but I think we did it as a group tonight.”

James, for his part, scored 28 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists. While not as dominate as past appearances in the Finals, he was still the high-scorer on his team.

When asked what the difference in the game was, James didn’t hesitate. “KD.”

He continued, “You take one of the best teams ever assembled, last year … and then in the offseason you add a high-powered, offensive talent like that, and a great basketball IQ like that. That’s what stands out.”

This is the third straight year in which Cleveland lost game one to the Warriors. Last year, they battled back from a 3-1 series deficit and won three straight to take home the title. The difference maker in that series was Kyrie Irving, who on Thursday scored 24 points.

“There’s no time to be disappointed. I think that we’re just thinking about the next game, things that we can correct going forward,” Irving told reporters. “They capitalized a lot on our mistakes in transition and easy baskets that we can’t allow going into game two.”

Irving’s counter part, Stephen Curry, got off to a slow start but started sinking three-point shots consistently once he heated up. He finished with 28 points and 10 assists. With game one under his belt, the reigning MVP knows not to get ahead of himself, and to take the rest of the series one game at a time.

“We talked about it going into the series, you know, a lot of us have been through both sides of a championship run and a finals that’s kind of back and forth,” Curry told reporters.

“You’re not going to see crazy celebrations, you’re not going to see us getting ahead of ourselves. We are obviously going to enjoy what we do on the floor, be passionate about it, and have each other’s backs when we’re out there. But every 48 minutes is a separate event and a separate mentality. The goal, obviously, is to lock in on the moment.”

The NBA Finals resumes in Oakland on Sunday, June 4 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.