2015 NBA Finals Game 1: By the Numbers

The NBA Finals kicked off last night with a game worthy of all the hype. The Golden State Warriors overcame a huge night from Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James (44 point) to take Game 1, 108-100, in overtime. 

Here’s what you need to know if you missed Game 1:

Star of the Game: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
He may not have escaped with a victory, but LeBron James played like the best player on the planet. James scored an NBA Finals career-high 44 points while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing six assists. In all, James directly caused 59 of Cleveland’s 100 points!

Play of the Game: Steph Curry shakes Tristan Thompson
Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov threw a floater up at the basket, which Warriors’ center Andrew Bogut rebounded. He passed the ball to Curry, who dribbled up the court. Curry shook Tristan Thompson and threw up a mid-range jumper to give Golden State a 98-96 lead. The Cavs eventually forced overtime, but Golden State pulled away. 

Number of the Game: 34
While Curry had a great game, the Warriors got a big spark off the bench. The unit combined to score 34 points. Reserve Andre Iguodala led the way with 15 points on 6-for-8 from the field and 2-for-3 from the 3-point line. Point guard Shaun Livingston added four points, five rebounds, and three assists in only 16 minutes. 

Surprise of the Game: Cavs go cold in OT
Both Cleveland and Golden State had a wild end to the game, scoring several big buckets and free throws down the stretch to keep things close. But after James hit a big 3-pointer to tie the game at 96 with 2:38 left in regulation, the Cavs went almost eight minutes without a field goal until James hit a layup with less than 10 seconds left in overtime. Cleveland missed 12 straight shots over that stretch.

Advanced Stat of the Game: Assist Percentage
The Golden State Warriors posted a 61.5 percent assist percentage in the win. That means out of their 39 made shots, 61.5 percent of them were caused by an assist, which means Golden State had 24 assists. On the other hand, Cleveland assisted on only 48.7 percent of its field goals. 


Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images