Warriors bench dominates game 1

Game 1 of the NBA finals featured two of the best players in the game today, Steph Curry and Lebron James. Both stars took a back seat in Oakland on Thursday night.

Curry and Klay Thompson struggled the entire way, only accounting for 20 of the Warriors 104 points. But Golden State’s bench came alive, led by long time veteran Shaun Livingston and the rest of the team’s deep roster.

"Just really proud of the way everyone contributed,” said Curry in a postgame interview. “That's why we're here. Everyone having an impact on the game."

The bench was too much for the Cavaliers in this one, outscoring their bench 45-10. The Warriors leading scorer Livingston (20 points) had the hot hand throughout the game, knocking down tough midrange jumpers with ease.

“Just staying confident in my shot,” said Livingston in a postgame interview. “Staying confident in my game.”

While the splash brothers did struggle in game 1, James had a solid game of 23 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, but it was overshadowed by the Warriors stout bench performance.

"The one thing we always speak on is our depth, the depth of this team,” said Warriors forward Draymond Green. “And that showed tonight."

The beginning of the game gave Warriors fans a glimpse of what they saw against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team was struggling to hit shots and Cavaliers imposing their way into the paint to score points.

This time Golden State was up to the task. Instead of falling behind early and often, the Warriors got clutch performances from Green, Livingston, Andrew Bogut and Leandro Barbosa.

The Warriors lead for most of the game, keeping their offensive tempo high with key shots after playing stout defense. However the Cavaliers did not go away. They kept the game close in the first three quarters before letting the game slip away in the fourth.

A big reason for the Cavaliers struggles were turnovers, they turned the ball over 15 times while the Warriors only committed nine.

Last year’s finals MVP Andre Iguodala was a force for the defending champs off the bench, he pestered James throughout the night and contributed offensively with 12 points and seven boards.

“He’s a brilliant basketball player,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr in a postgame interview. “He does not get enough credit, (...) he always settles us down and knows exactly what is happening.”

Along with the game on the court, there were a few oddities during the game, after a 7-0 run by the Cavaliers, Kerr smashed his clipboard in his hands in frustration.

“Destruction tends to ease some of the anger,” Kerr said. “So I try to take it out on the board instead of a player.”

The Warriors will continue to push the pace in game 2 on Sunday, hoping for better performances from Curry and Thompson.

“We would like to take care of business and head on the road with a 2-0 lead,” Kerr said.