Warriors overwhelm Cavs 113-91, take 1-0 lead

Golden State Warriors blew out the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 Finals opener, 113-91, for the Warriors' NBA-record 13th consecutive win to open the playoffs. Their 34.9 percent shooting night left the Cavs unable to mount any sort of comeback once the game out of hand in the second quarter and especially into the third.

The Cavs finished with a playoff-high 20 turnovers that cost them 21 points. The Warriors had four turnovers for six points. And it's here where one starts to consider how much of Game 1 was Golden State playing well and the Cavs not so much.

Kevin Durant, the former league MVP looked unstoppable and led all scorers with 38 points to go with eight rebounds and eight assists. Stephen Curry, the reigning two-time MVP, added 28 points with six 3-pointers and 10 assists.

The Warriors led 60-52 at halftime. It was a near miracle the score was that close.

The Warriors looked invincible and led by as many as 24 and blew the game open with a 13-0 run to start the third quarter. The Cavs didn't score for the first four minutes.

The Warriors gave the Cavs' defense all sorts of fits. They dominated in points in the paint (56-30) and were plus-18 in fastbreak points. That's with a number of missed shots at the rim, particularly in the first half. Cleveland didn't have a steal and forced just four turnovers.

LeBron James, playing in his seventh consecutive Finals, paced the Cavs with 28 points to go with 15 rebounds and eight assists, but also committed eight turnovers. Kyrie Irving added 24 points on 10-of-22 shooting. Kevin Love posted 15 points and a playoff-career high 21 boards, but shot 4-of-13.

The Cavs' defense was sloppy and didn't do a good enough job pressuring the Warriors' ball-handlers and getting in the passing lane.

In addition to the defensive miscues and turnovers, Cleveland received virtually nothing from Tristan Thompson (0 points, four rebounds in 22 minutes), J.R. Smith (three points), Deron Williams (zero points) and Kyle Korver (zero points, 0-of-3 shooting).

Lebron James almost always loses Game 1 in the Finals. He's now 1-7 in Game 1 and 0-6 on the road. The Cavs have dropped the first game in all three Finals against the Warriors. The only time he won a Game 1 was in the 2011 NBA Finals, which his Miami Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks.

James needed just five points to become the first player to score 6,000 career points in the postseason. He also passed Reggie Miller (320 3-pointers) for second place in league history in playoff 3s.

After the Cleveland Cavaliers Game 1 loss to the Golden State Warriors, Lebron James was asked what stood out to him. His answer was simple.

“K.D.,” he said.

When a reporter followed him, James stated the obvious.

“I mean, you take one of the best teams that we had ever assembled last year, that we saw in the regular season and in the post-season, and then in the off-season you add a high-powered offensive talent like that and a great basketball IQ like that, that's what stands out,” James said,

The Cavs are now 12-2 this postseason.

COMING UP FOR THE CAVS: Game 2 in Oakland is scheduled for Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, and the Cavs have some serious adjustments on defense to make and figure how to limit the turnovers if they want to make the series competitive.