Kevin Durant, Golden State Dominate The Defending Champion Cleveland

Thursday night the rubber match series began between Golden State and the defending Champion Cleveland in the 2017 NBA Finals.

How did game one of seven turnout ? Probably not how anyone would have expected but Golden State always has had the ability to turn a small lead into a larger one after intermission  and that's exactly what happened as Golden State took game one of this year's finals. "according to http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/features/recap-warriors-170601

Cleveland and Golden State went toe-to-toe through the first quarter, hinting at the heavyweight battle that was about to unfold. But Golden State opened the gap in the second period and pulled away in the third -- handing the Wine & Gold their worst loss (and first road defeat) of the postseason – an 113-91 decision on Thursday night at Oracle Arena. "according to http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/features/recap-warriors-170601

In their third Finals matchup with Golden State, Cleveland has now dropped the first game in each meeting. "according to http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/features/recap-warriors-170601

Tyronn Lue knew that his squad couldn’t afford to turn the ball over against the high-octane Warriors, but that was easier said than done in Game 1 – with Cleveland committing 20 miscues that led to 21 Golden State points. "according to http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/features/recap-warriors-170601

”We talked about it before we come into this series, that our best defense is going to be our offense, of taking care of the basketball, not a lot of turnovers,” lamented Lue. “And tonight we had 20, and that's way too many against this team.” "according to http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/features/recap-warriors-170601

And as familiar as these two teams are with each other come June, there’s a colossal difference between this year’s Dubs and the team Cleveland’s battled against in previous seasons. "according to http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/features/recap-warriors-170601

As for Golden State, the new addition Kevin Durant lead the charge as he scored 38 points to go along with eight rebounds and eight assists. Stephen Curry meanwhile sank six three-pointers on his way to a double-double with 28 points and 10 assists, while Draymond Green added nine points and 11 boards. With the victory, Golden State takes a 1-0 series lead and remains undefeated (13-0) in postseason play. Their current 13-game win streak. "according to http://www.nba.com/warriors/gameday/20170601/recap

Both teams may have been affected by the long layoff coming into the series, as they struggled to score out of the gate. J.R. Smith opened the scoring with a three-pointer at the 10:26 mark of the first quarter, after which Zaza Pachulia and Kevin Durant responded with consecutive buckets to jump in front. Kyrie Irving followed his own three-pointer with a layup 41 seconds later to give Cleveland a 12-8 lead with 7:11 remaining in the opening frame, but that would turn out to be their largest advantage of the entire night. After Durant tied the score at 14-14 with an 18-foot jumper, LeBron James began to leave his stamp on the game. He’d go on to score the Cavaliers’ next 10 points to keep pace with the Dubs and knot the score once more at 24 all with 2:34 left in the first quarter. Stephen Curry then broke the deadlock with the first of his six three-pointers in the game, and Golden State would go on to lead for the duration of the contest. After Irving scored with 33 seconds left to pull Cleveland within 32-30, Andre Iguodala sent the Warriors into the break with a five-point advantage after draining a three-pointer at the quarter buzzer. "according to Both teams may have been affected by the long layoff coming into the series, as they struggled to score out of the gate. J.R. Smith opened the scoring with a three-pointer at the 10:26 mark of the first quarter, after which Zaza Pachulia and Kevin Durant responded with consecutive buckets to jump in front. Kyrie Irving followed his own three-pointer with a layup 41 seconds later to give Cleveland a 12-8 lead with 7:11 remaining in the opening frame, but that would turn out to be their largest advantage of the entire night. After Durant tied the score at 14-14 with an 18-foot jumper, LeBron James began to leave his stamp on the game. He’d go on to score the Cavaliers’ next 10 points to keep pace with the Dubs and knot the score once more at 24 all with 2:34 left in the first quarter. Stephen Curry then broke the deadlock with the first of his six three-pointers in the game, and Golden State would go on to lead for the duration of the contest. After Irving scored with 33 seconds left to pull Cleveland within 32-30, Andre Iguodala sent the Warriors into the break with a five-point advantage after draining a three-pointer at the quarter buzzer.

Game two will take place on Sunday. Will the King Lebron James and the defending champion Cleveland comeback in game two and tie the series at Oracle Arena? Will Golden State forward Kevin Durant lead Golden State in scoring again or will it be another one of their players taking charge perhaps guards Stephan Curry or Klay Thompson? Will Golden State take a 2-0 series lead? 

Tip-off is set for 8:00 pm. The game will be televised on ABC.