Despite LeBron’s brilliance, Cavs’ problem was demonstrated in NBA Finals opener

Jonathan Raymond writes that LeBron James did just about everything he could for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals – and it just wasn't quite enough.

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts during his team's NBA Finals Game 1 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night. Ezra Shaw / Getty Images / AFP / June 4, 2015

Two MVPs had a chance to sink a winning shot in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Neither did.

Only one will have to rue the missed opportunity.

LeBron James did just about everything imaginable on Thursday night for the Cleveland Cavaliers, everything except nail the final three-point attempt of regulation.

With the score level 98-98 and the final seconds ticking down, James took a couple dribbles to his left, jab-stepped to clear some space against Andre Iguodala, stepped back and let fly what was, all in all, a pretty reasonable-looking attempt. Tough, but he’s hit that kind of shot before.

It went a little long. The game went to overtime.

Stephen Curry had just some 20 seconds earlier gotten blocked going for a lay-up on his own go-ahead attempt, but the Golden State Warriors had more left for overtime and escaped with the win.

If Game 1 was at all indicating, it would have meant a lot more for Cleveland.

LeBron was excellent, scoring a personal finals-best 44 points on 18-of-38 shooting. His mid-range jumper was accurate, he was indomitable in the low post, he added eight rebounds and six assists.

The Cavaliers were able to dictate the flow of Game 1, keeping Golden State mostly out of the rhythm they’ve become famous for this season. They were sharp defensively, especially – and surprisingly – Kyrie Irving, responsible for the block on Curry’s end-of-regulation attempt.

Irving had two blocks, in fact, and four steals, to go with 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists in an electric effort that saw him darting into open space, sinking floaters, attacking the rim.

The Cavaliers looked imposing. They looked the better team.

And still they lost.

For all of LeBron’s brilliance and for all of Irving’s electricity, there just wasn’t quite enough there for the Cavaliers to find a decisive edge over 48 minutes and certainly nothing left for the five minutes of overtime in the 108-100 loss. They will probably – rightfully – feel unlucky not to have taken this one. The problem is that Cleveland do not have room for unlucky in this series.

The Cavs are a thin team, and Game 1 illustrated that. Their starting five – James, Irving, Timofey Mozgov, Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert – effectively outplayed the Warriors’ starters. Mozgov had a very good game, with 16 points and a good defensive effort in the middle. Thompson had 15 rebounds and a good defensive game. Shumpert hit a couple of meaningful threes and played well defensively.

But JR Smith was just 3-of-13 off the bench, while James Jones didn’t score a point in 17 minutes (during which Cleveland were outscored by 11) and Matthew Dellavedova played a scoreless nine minutes (during which Cleveland were outscored by 13).

On a night when Golden State, a great team by any measurement, were merely good, and Cleveland’s starting collective looked better, there still just wasn’t enough.

Making matters worse, Irving appeared to re-injure his left knee in overtime.

What are the Cavaliers supposed to do after this? What more could James do?

Game 1 away was the game for them to steal. LeBron at his best, Irving cutting to and fro – and to come away from it with a loss? It’s potentially back-breaking.

It stretches reason to expect a regular confluence of James being that outstanding and Golden State being that pedestrian. If it wasn’t even enough on Thursday, when – and how – will it be in any other game?

The Warriors were saved by their superior depth. When their starters weren’t their best (Klay Thompson: 4-of-15; Draymond Green: 4-of-13) they found the contributions to keep pace. Festus Ezeli had an efficient five points and five rebounds in 12 minutes. Marreese Speights chipped in a big eight points on 4-of-8 shooting in only nine minutes.

Iguodala, a past all-star, came off the bench and was perhaps the most important player of the night. According to ESPN James had 11 points on 28.6 per cent shooting and three turnovers when Iguoadala was defending him. LeBron scored 27 points on 54.5 per cent shooting with just one turnover against Golden State's other defenders.

The Cavaliers simply can’t match that kind of top-to-bottom depth. Their only answer is SuperLeBron. For James to be so domineering and authoritative any team-wide disadvantage is nullified.

And they had that performance in Game 1. And it wasn’t enough.

Whether through fluke or force, the Cavaliers were just short on Thursday. And now Irving is a question mark again.

They didn’t have the margin of error for that to begin with against Golden State. Now it’s even harder to see how they’ll push the Warriors in this series.

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