OAKLAND, Calif. -- Surviving a spectacular onslaught from LeBron James, the Golden State Warriors took control in overtime and played like the best team in basketball when they needed to the most.
And if Game 1 was any indication, it's going to be a wild ride in the NBA Finals.
James scored 44 points, his first 40-point game in the Finals, but got only four shots in overtime -- missing three. The Warriors beat the Cavaliers 108-100 on Thursday night to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Game 1 did not disappoint: The best team in the NBA during the regular season (the Warriors) against the best team in the postseason (the Cavs). A city looking for its first major pro sports championship in 51 years (Cleveland) against a franchise that hasn't been to the Finals or won a title in 40 years (Golden State).
This year's MVP, Stephen Curry, vs. James, the four-time MVP.
And the two superstars' fingerprints were all over a tight, spectacular opening salvo in this series, which resumes with Game 2 Sunday night at Oracle Arena.
Curry had 26 points and Klay Thompson 21 for Golden State. James was 18 for 38 with eight rebounds and six assists, and Kyrie Irving -- who limped to the locker room early in overtime -- had 23 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks.
With the raucous building coming to life in the closing minutes of regulation, James and Curry traded clutch baskets. It was a 3-pointer from the top from LeBron, followed by Curry -- caught in so much traffic he seemed to have been dribbling around cones -- launching a lightning-quick 2-point jumper that gave Golden State a 98-86 lead. Two free throws by Timofey Mozgov tied the score with 31.9 seconds left.
Out of a timeout, the Warriors drew up a brilliant play to get Curry a clean look at a driving layup, but Kyrie Irving chased him down from behind for a block off the glass with 24.1 seconds left. James missed a fallaway jumper, and Iman Shumpert's miss from the corner as the buzzer sounded off the tapout sent the game to overtime -- where the Warriors cruised.
Here's what we learned:
1. It's LeBron vs. the world
James' wide-ranging powers were on full display. He started by loosening up the defense with an assortment of jumpers, then put his perimeter house up for sale and moved to the post, where he dominated. With 31 points on 12-for-25 shooting through three quarters -- with the score tied at 73 -- James put the Warriors on notice that they can't take everything away from him. James remained in full command even with Irving looking healthier and more impactful than he has in weeks -- until the point man hobbled off in OT.
2. The long layoff hurt the Warriors more
At least early, when Golden State shot 6 of 21 in the first quarter and trailed by as many as 14 en route to a 29-19 deficit after one. Their bench, led by Marreese Speights (out since May 9, calf strain) got things under control in the second quarter, but the Warriors did not come out of the gates looking like a team that lost only three games all season on its home floor.
3. The Warriors' depth is going to be a problem
After stopping the bleeding in the first half, the Warriors' second unit held serve in a tie game early in the fourth with Curry resting on the bench for the first 4 1/2 minutes. Golden State got 34 bench points (15 from Andre Iguodala) compared to Cleveland's nine (all from J.R. Smith, who was 3 for 13). And in what looks like it has the potential to be a six- or seven-game series depending on Irving's injury, the Warriors' versatility may be harder for Cleveland to overcome than James' dominance will be for Golden State.
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