Kevin Durant, Warriors embarrass Cavaliers in Game 1, 113-90: 3 takeaways

Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry went off in a big way in Game 1 for the Golden State Warriors. Here are three big takeaways from their win over Cleveland.

Different series, same results for the Golden State Warriors. This juggernaut of professional basketball has won its 13th straight 2017 NBA playoff game, pulverizing the Cleveland Cavaliers to the tune of 113-90 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Golden State dictated pace in this game and it completely unraveled Cleveland defensively. The Warriors went at the rim initially before the 3-pointers started to go in during the third quarter. Cleveland just does not have the defensive acumen to keep pace with Golden State if the Warriors are halfway competent offensively.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Warriors’ win over the Cavaliers in Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena in Oakland.

Takeaways

Kevin Durant dunked and Stephen Curry shot 3s. Sure, you can try to convince yourself that it was a total team effort by the Warriors, but we all know who won the game for Golden State: small forward Kevin Durant and point guard Stephen Curry.

Durant made a point of attacking the rim in transition with tremendous ferocity. He dominated the first half of the game with six highlight reel dunks. He would finish the game with 38 points in 37 minutes on 14-of-26 shooting, gathering eight rebounds and dishing out eight dimes. This has to be one of the best games of Durant’s playoff career.

Curry eventually got hot from 3, and he was the biggest reason Golden State pulled away from Cleveland early in the third quarter. He would finish with 28 points on 11-of-22 shooting, including 6-of-11 on 3-pointer in 32 minutes in Game 1. Curry would also have 10 assists, eight rebounds and three steals.

Okay. It’s time for LeBron James’ help to starting helping. We get it. LeBron James is probably the best player in the NBA today. He’s a top-three player all time, but he needs more than just point guard Kyrie Irving and power forward Kevin Love to help him out in the 2017 NBA Finals.

James carried a loathsome burden of the Cavaliers’ offense in Game 1. He had 28 points on 9-of-20 shooting. James would play 40 minutes, collecting 15 rebounds, assisting on eight buckets, but also turning the ball over eight times.

Love had a double-double with 21 rebounds and 15 points, but on 4-of-13 shooting. Irving had 24 points, but it was a high-volume shooting night for the Cleveland point guard. He did that on 10-of-22 shooting, with three rebounds, two assists and four turnovers.

Overall, Cleveland was careless with the basketball and nobody outside of its big three was stepping up. That’s probably why they got blown out on the road in Game 1. Keep in mind that Cleveland has to win at least once in Oracle to have any shot at a repeat as NBA Champions.

Klay Thompson is beyond lost and everybody knows it. While Golden State dominated in Game 1, it wasn’t all gold for all the Warriors. Shooting guard Klay Thompson was absolutely horrendous for Golden State offensively. He’s become the odd man out in Golden State with Durant being fully integrated in how the Warriors do things.

Thompson had a pathetic six points on 3-of-16 shooting, including 0-5 on 3-pointers. While he’s probably Golden State’s best on-ball defender, and contributed in that regard, his best skill as a basketball player is his ability to catch and shoot from distance. Without it, he’s just a rotation player.

Next: Every NBA team's greatest playoff moment

Game 1 may have shown us how this best-of-seven series might go. Golden State continues to win, but Thompson looks completely miserable out there for the Warriors.