The Warriors bench outscored the Cleveland bench 34-9 in Game 1. The 25-point advantage was huge, especially after the Warriors starters got off to a slow start. It was the bench that got the Warriors back into the game late in the first quarter and early in the second.
After Golden State fell behind by 14 (29-15) with 58 seconds to play in the first quarter, the Warriors went on a 12-2 run in just over five minutes to cut the deficit to four points with 7:41 to play in the half - with all 12 points coming from bench players. It was the beginning of a 23-10 run that led to the Warriors tying the game at 36-all with 4:21 to play.
Marresse Speights had eight points in just over eight minutes of play in his first game back since the third game of the Conference Semifinals.
But the star off the bench was Andre Iguodala, who finished with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block in 32 minutes. He shot 6-of-8 from the field including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. It wasn't just the points that he scored, but the times that he scored them. Iguodala made momentum-shifting plays that got the crowd going crazy, including last-second thunderous dunks to close the first and third quarters.
For the Cavs, only J.R. Smith scored off the bench as he had one of his worst shooting performances of the playoffs — going 3-of-13 overall, with 10 of those shots coming from 3-point range.
Go Golden State, I'll wager if someone (cough: axl) isn't scared.. Though they beat the Rockets, which was goddamn shenanigans, they do have a line-up.. Not to say CLE doesn't at all.. I just feel like GSW's has the conference finals man-handled. Curry and his .3 second shots, nothing you can do..
