There’s still a long way to go, but with one game down it’s advantage Golden State Warriors.
The defending champions beat Cleveland Cavaliers 104-89 in the NBA Finals opener in Oklahoma, despite poor performances from Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
With Curry, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, and Thompson managing just 20 points between them at Oracle Arena, bench players Andre Iguodala, Leandro Barbosa and Shaun Livingston rose to occasion.
Livingston top scored with 20 points, with Iguodala (12) and Barbosa (11) also helping the Warriors’ cause.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr wasn’t overly concerned at the performances of Curry and Thompson.
“Even the best players in the world have bad nights,” Kerr explained. “But it didn’t hurt us.”
The second game of the best-of-seven series also takes place at Golden State’s Oracle Arena on Sunday.
The meeting between the two teams is a repeat of the 2015 NBA finals. Just as was the case last year, Cleveland will hope to level the series in the second game on Sunday despite losing the opener by 15 points.
With the Warriors boasting a 39-2 record at home this year and having beaten them in all three of their 2015-16 meetings, it certainly will not be a straightforward task for the Cavaliers.
