Golden State Wins Game 1 Of the NBA Finals

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is now in the books and the Golden State Warriors have taken a one-game lead, winning at home against the LeBron-led Cleveland Cavaliers and putting the pressure on the shoulders of King James and company to avoid going down 0-2, creating a hole even he will have trouble climbing out of.

A dominating performance by LeBron James (51 points), where the best in the game not only put on a show but tied the great and celebrated Michael Jordan for 30-point playoff games with 109, couldn’t keep the Cavs from falling apart as the game wound down.  As usual, he tried to carry his Cavs to another victory — setting a playoff-high in points for himself — and gave many fans reason to say “All hail King James.” The millions watching were reminded about how good he really is, it simply wasn’t enough.

With tonight's performance, LeBron James has tied Michael Jordan for most 30+ point games in the playoffs with 109. pic.twitter.com/UlbeVEExjI

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 1, 2018

The game went down to the wire, tied with only a few seconds left in the matchup. George Hill made a big free throw to tie the game for Cleveland but missed the second attempt. J.R, Smith got the rebound but made a huge mistake by bringing the ball back out beyond the three-point arc when a bucket — or even a chance at drawing a foul — could have given the Cavs the victory. The mistake sent the game to overtime.

The overtime period saw Golden State go up with an early seven-point run and it was out of reach the rest of the way. By the time there was only a minute left in the OT period, Golden State had an 11-point lead. Smith made a three to get the difference to eight points but the game was out of reach and Golden State simply ran out the clock. Well at least they tried to.

The Cavs let Game 1 slip through their fingers. pic.twitter.com/cwwBaQgzUs

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 1, 2018

The game didn’t end without controversy. Tristan Thompson was thrown out of the game for a flagrant foul 2 and the referees tried to sort out the chaos with 2.6 seconds in the game as the players on the court got into it with each other. The trash talking that led to the insanity will now add drama to Game 2.

The league will now take a look at the final seconds to see if any suspensions should be warranted and the Cavs will try to figure out how to rebound after losing a game they probably should have won.