So, the seven-game series of the NBA finals kicked off last night (or in the early hours of this morning, for those of us in Africa).
This final series is pretty historic for two main reasons: these two teams met in the finals last year and everyone will be watching the Lebron James – Steph Curry “shoot out” – metaphorically of course.
Lebron James – who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers – is also making some history of his own. He is the eighth player in the NBA to appear in six straight (or consecutive) finals.
The seven-game series started off on the Gold Warriors’ home turf, where they managed to take Game 1 with 104 to the Cavaliers’ 89.
What was pretty epic about this game was not the Lebron-Curry rivalry, but the performance of the Golden Warriors’ bench (substitutes).
As most would be aware, players that come off the bench are generally considered second rate – or simply not good enough to start ahead of some of their counterparts.
In this case, Game 1 appears to have been won because of the Warriors bench. In fact, the bench came on and put 45 points on the scoreboard compared to the 10 points put on by the Cavaliers bench.
As the game concluded, one of the commentators remarked how this game had been won by the Warriors bench.
During the post-match press conference, Lebron, who appeared slightly annoyed (for obvious reasons), also gave credit to the outstanding team effort put on by the bench. This came after a journalist asked what he thought about Steph Curry carrying the Warriors team. Lebron quickly interjected, arguing that it wasn’t just Steph, but the team, including the bench, which put on a stellar performance.
In his six NBA finals – of which he has won two – Lebron has only won Game 1 once. This means he is in familiar territory and may not be really fazed by it.
What remains to be seen however, is how the Cavaliers will bounce back – if they do. Or will they suffer at the hands of Curry’s lethal three-pointers from long range?
It is no secret the Cavaliers have risen to their current glory because of Lebron’s talent and leadership. But he cannot do it alone. He needs everyone, including the Cavaliers bench, to put in their bit.
After a while, it gets a tad too heavy to carry alone, even for champions, especially in a seven-game series!
We will keep watching the series and bring you the reports (most likely on the deciding game) – stay tuned.
Good luck to both teams!