Forget the Warriors' big three: Game 1 was about their big bench 12:57 AM ET ESPN Stats & Information You read your box score right. The Golden State Warriors put seven players in double figures, and Klay Thompson was not among them. Stephen Curry barely was. Warriors Season vs Finals Game 1 2015-16* Game 1 Finals Curry/Thompson PPG 52.5 20 Transition PPG 22.2 11 3-pt FG PG 13.0 9 … [Read more...]

Basketball Daily Dose: Dose: How you Livingston? Game 1 goes to GSW 104-89, but not the way you’d think Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson didn’t do much of anything in Thursday’s Game 1, while Cleveland’s Big 3 of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love (as well as Tristan Thompson) all played very well for the most part. However, it didn’t matter, as the Warriors’ bench carried the Dubs to a … [Read more...]

Matthew Dellavedova clocks Andre Iguodala below the belt in Game 1 Well, gang, it took almost three quarters, but we finally got our first groin shot of the 2016 NBA Finals ... and you're not going to believe this, but Draymond Green was not involved! [Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball] In the final minute of the third quarter of Thursday's Game 1, … [Read more...]

Three reasons why Golden State beat Cleveland in Game 1 The defending champion Golden State Warriors struck first in Game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals, rolling out to an early lead and downing the Cleveland Cavaliers by a 104-89 score. [Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball] Here are three reasons why the Warriors pulled away with ease … Bench Alignment … [Read more...]

Steve Kerr smashes clipboard in frustration 11:18 PM ET The Golden State Warriors have led Game 1 of the NBA Finals by as many as 14 points, but the Cleveland Cavaliers, sparked by a 7-0 run, cut the lead to four early in the third quarter, leading Warriors coach Steve Kerr to take out his frustrations on his whiteboard. The Cavs even took the lead at one point in the third. Kerr got heated in a … [Read more...]

Warriors coach Steve Kerr destroys clipboard during Game 1 timeout The Golden State Warriors went into halftime of Game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals with a nine-point lead over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers, but a poor defensive start to the third quarter and some strong shotmaking by the Cavs cut that lead down in a heartbeat after a put-back by Tristan Thompson, leading Warriors coach Steve … [Read more...]

Silver to seek end of Hack-a-Shaq, cites surge 10:51 PM ET Brian WindhorstESPN Senior Writer Close ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010 Covered Cleveland Cavs for seven years Author of two books OAKLAND, Calif. -- NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he would use his "bully pulpit" to try to force through reform to eliminate the intentional fouling of poor free throw shooters, also known as the … [Read more...]

Leandro Barbosa sends referee Ken Mauer flying before hitting a 3 Leandro Barbosa's NBA career has been all about energy. The man affectionately nicknamed "The Brazilian Blur" made a name for himself streaking past opponents off the dribble and knifing to the basket as part of the Seven Seconds or Less Phoenix Suns, and even at age 33, the Golden State Warriors reserve still brings a … [Read more...]

Report: Griz hire Bickerstaff as associate coach 8:30 PM ET ESPN.com news services The Memphis Grizzlies have hired former Houston Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff as an associate head coach, according to a report by the Memphis Commercial Appeal on Thursday. Bickerstaff, 37, will coach alongside David Fizdale, who was introduced as Memphis' head coach this week. Bickerstaff was an … [Read more...]

Who matters most in the 2016 NBA Finals? We've finally reached the pinnacle of the basketball calendar: the 2016 NBA Finals, a renewal of unpleasantries between the two teams that battled for last year's championship. In one corner: the Golden State Warriors, who dominated the competition en route to the greatest regular season in NBA history and are coming off the sternest test of their … [Read more...]