Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
When it appeared LeBron James was not going to be denied, when he was in his best-player-in-the-world mode, treating the Warriors as if they were mere peasants with an array of breathtaking baskets, the home team weathered the laboring body shots until they sensed vulnerability.
The Cavaliers simply fatigued. James was exhausted after a night of heroics, Kyrie Irving then began favoring his troublesome knee and the Warriors seized their opponent with depth and precision in overtime.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 47 points and the Warriors scored the first 10 points in overtime to edge the Cavaliers 108-100 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena.
James appeared as if he would carry the Cavaliers to surprising victory but he didn’t score for the final 2:38 of regulation and then missed a stepback jumper that would have won in the final seconds. Realizing they had just avoided disaster, the Warriors responded with stellar defense in overtime with Curry hitting four free throws and then Harrison Barnes following with the decisive corner 3-pointer to seal the series-opening win.
James finished with 44 points but scored just a meaningless bucket in overtime with 8.9 left. Irving, who looked quick and energetic most of the might after battling knee tendinitis most of the postseason, injured his knee again early in overtime and left for good with 2:02 left. Irving departed the arena on crutches and is scheduled to receive an magnetic resonance imaging Friday. The result of that test could determine the fate of the series.
James attempted a whopping 38 shots as he transformed into takeover mode from the opening tip, but the Warriors hung close and then extended the game to overtime, where they finally prevailed.
Boston Globe – Warriors beat Cavaliers in OT in Game 1 of NBA Finals
For the majority of basketball fans in the greater Boston and New England area, Game 1 couldn’t have gone better. Despite a brilliant performance by LeBron James that was reminiscent of his season-crushing Game 6 performance at the Garden in 2012, the Warriors were just a little bit better. Adding to the pain of dropping the first game in OT was the potentially series ending knee injury to Kyrie Irving. If he’s done, then so are the Cavs. So would be LeBron’s first attempt at winning a title for Cleveland in his first reunion year. And fans around here couldn’t be happier.
The Cavs lost perhaps their best chance at winning in an arena that has been virtually impossible for road teams to win at. The Cavs actually defended Steph Curry and the pick-and-rolls they run for him fairly decently. I hope Kyrie can play is even relatively close to being normal because this could actually be a really good series. But the Cavs are already playing without Kevin Love, and the Warriors are just a tick better than the Celtics, Bulls and Hawks. They have several defenders that they can toss at LeBron, with Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, who dusted off his corpse to have a fantastic game. It’s too bad Cleveland isn’t at full strength, including Love, which leads into Page 2…
On Page 2, Kevin Love states (again) that he wants to stay in Cleveland
“I’ve never wanted to be in a game more than that one,” said Love, who had never been on a playoff team in his six prior NBA seasons.
Asked specifically whether that meant he wanted to be back in Cleveland next season, Love said, “Yes. I want to win.”
Love has never wavered from that stance in his lone season with the Cavaliers, but speculation has remained that he could leave as a free agent this summer if he opts out of the final season and $16.7 million remaining on his contract.
Asked why that speculation remains, Love said, “It’s just the way the world works now. People talk so much and might tell themselves a lie so much they start to believe it. From there, the narrative starts to change. I haven’t changed my narrative. I’m going to keep supporting these guys, and we’ll be talking to Cleveland after the season.”
ESPN, Ramona Shelburne – Sidelined Kevin Love ‘never wanted to be in a game more than’ Game 1
Round and round we go on the Kevin Love carousel. Depending on the day and depending on the writer, Love is either staying in Cleveland or is out the door on midnight of July 1st. Guys say a lot of things while riding the emotional highs and lows of the NBA Finals, so we’ll have to wait and see. Still, it all depends on what Love truly wants: to be a key cog in a recurring championship contending wheel, or be the main man on his own team.
Finally, Ron Adams had some ‘difficult personalities to coach’ on Celtics
Adams acknowledged that lone season in Boston was hard on the coaching staff.
“I was not surprised [at the playoff berth] in this sense: Brad is a really good coach that’s highly organized and we had a lot of loose ends going into that first season,” Adams said. “We had a brand new coach from the college game, which is tough. But we lacked a homogenous roster. We were a transient roster with some difficult personalities I think to coach. We survived the first year. The group became more homogenous with the moves they made during the season.”
Boston Globe – Former Celtics assistant Ron Adams a stabilizing force for Warriors
In the aftermath of trading the supposed best players on the team this past season, I guess it’s not a surprise to read something like this. What is surprising is how much of said “difficult personalities” were kept in check publicly. Other than Rajon Rondo’s birthday-gate, there weren’t a ton of issues that got out. It’s especially impressive since it was Brad Stevens’ first year with a new team coming from the NCAA. Maybe once Danny Ainge writes his autobiography in 20 years we’ll hear some solid stories. Although I’m guessing that season may not even have it own chapter.
The rest of the links:
ESPN Boston – Stevens on NBA Finals: “It’ll be a great thing to watch”
Boston Globe – Who will win the NBA Finals?
CSNNE – C’s reps in Italy to watch Adidas Eurocamp ahead of draft
MassLive – 2015 NBA Draft: RJ Hunter: Will Boston Celtics target NCAA tournament darling?
WEEI – Celtics draft preview: Drafting for need when they need it all
