Philippines, 17 Sep 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


NBA Finals Game 1 was Man versus Team


PhilBoxing.com




CHICAGO -- Normally, when LeBron James wreaks havoc in a playoffs game, like he did in Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals yesterday, his team almost always wins.

But the King's herculean effort, one that produced 44 points, fell 9 points short as the Golden State Warriors dug out of an early 14-point hole to win in overtime, 108-100 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland.

James, a four-time MVP, unleashed his entire offensive arsenal upon the Warriors, penetrating at will and scoring in all manner possible -- 3-point shots, free throws, lay-ups, and all sorts of jumpers from short-range to mid-range to long range.

While Warriors fans were mortified seeing LeBron work on going for 50, letting the King rack up the points was actually a part of Golden State's best-laid plans. They chose to let LeBron go off while freezing the rest of the Cavaliers.

Obviously, it worked. And that is why the Warriors are three games away from their first championship since 1975 when Rick Barry led Dub Nation to the promised land..

The Warriors knew that LeBron -- a nimble 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds -- is an unstoppable juggernaut. So instead of collapsing on him each time he drove the lanes and leaving a bevy of Cavaliers wide open, the Warriors opted for single coverage, giving him different looks and using multiple defenders.

LeBron ended up hoisting 38 shots, making 18. And he eventually faded in the waning stretch, which helps explain why he badly missed a step-back jumper that would have stolen Game 1 for the Cavs in regulation.

More importantly, the Cleveland offense stagnated. Besides the injured Kyrie Irving (23 points and 6 assists) and the hard-charging Timofey Mozgov (16 points and 7 rebounds), no other Cav contributed significantly.

Iman Shumpert, who started in place of the sidelined Kevin Love, made only 2-of-8 shots for 6 points. J.R. Smith went 3-for-13 for 9 points while Matthew Dellavedova and James Jones went scoreless after a combined 26 minutes.

The Cleveland bench, which has been so deservedly celebrated in these playoffs, were decimated by the Warriors reserves, 35-9.

After a jittery start, falling behind 26-13 early, Golden State got their act together and played the brand of team basketball that won them 65 regular season games.

Led by Steph Curry's 26 points, 10 Warriors scored in Game 1, five in double figures. Andre Iguodala was especially spectacular, making 6-of-8 field goals while covering James like a blanket.

Game 1 of these 2015 NBA Finals turned out to be Man (LeBron) versus Team (Warriors).

If it keeps up, this series could end sooner than most of us thought.

Photo: LeBron James (L) sizzled with 44 points in Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals, but the herculean effort wasn't enough to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers past the Golden State Warriors, who won the overtime thriller, 108-100.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Homer D. Sayson.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • TICKET NEWS: EUBANK JR-BENN II ON SALE FROM THIS WEDNESDAY
    , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • “Night of Champions” Returns to Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando on September 19
    , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • Canelo-Crawford: The Consolidation of Boxing’s New Commercial Empire
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • A New Era for Boxing: Canelo vs. Crawford Shatters Global Viewership Records on Netflix
    By Dong Secuya, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • Crawford Not the First Lightweight to Distinguish Himself at Super Middleweight
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • Kurt Scoby and Josh Popper Headline Boxing Insider Card September 19 in Times Square
    , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • Green and Gold 2025: Amateur Boxing’s International Gathering in Bolivia
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • Pakistan's Sameer Khan Set to Battle for UBO Youth World Title in Brico Santig’s Sep 27 Show in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • SAMBO Pilipinas is Southern NSA of the Year 2025
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Kingsley “The Black Lion” Ibeh To headline historic “Legacy Nights” Inaugural Pro Boxing event in El Salvador
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Smarts over power
    By Joaquin Henson, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • HALL OF FAME FLIES FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF FOR TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION RICKY HATTON
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Kazakhstan tops the medal table at the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 thanks to victory in the final bout of the competition
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 13: JOE FRAZIER’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS AN AMATEUR FIGHTER
    By Maloney L. Samaco, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • A New King, A New Challenger: Turki Alalshikh Proposes Crawford-Benavidez While Canelo Alvarez Faces Defeat with Humility
    By Dong Secuya, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Highly Questionable Title Eliminator
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Yoseline Perez Earns Silver Medal at Inaugural World Boxing Championships
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • 21-year-old Filipino wins at Germany rapid chess tournament
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Nagoya Nightmare: Naoya Inoue Notches One-Sided Decision over Murodjon Akhmadaliev
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Inoue’s Philippine Connection: Which Pinoy Super Bantamweight Could Challenge “The Monster?”
    By Carlos Costa, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Yoseline Perez Advances to the Finals at the World Boxing Championships Perez Set to Face Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao-Wen Huang for 54-Kilogram World Title
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Canelo Gets Outboxed, Loses Undisputed Title to Crawford
    By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • A Masterpiece of Boxing: Terence Crawford Dethrones Canelo Alvarez in Historic Showdown
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • LEWIS CROCKER IS CROWNED THE NEW IBF WORLD WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION
    , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Battle of Undefeated: Callum Walsh Vanquishes Fernando Vargas Jr.
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.