Oakland, Calif. • LeBron James defied belief with another brilliant playoff performance and was in utter disbelief at teammate J.R. Smith and the officials about key plays down the stretch that sent the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 124-114 loss to Golden State in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.
James posted the first 50-point game in the finals since Michael Jordan did it 25 years ago and had the Cavaliers in position to stun the heavily favored Warriors in the opener before Smith’s blunder turned the tide in Golden State’s favor.
James finished with 51 points and had the Cavaliers in position to win when his pass down low to George Hill drew a foul on Klay Thompson with 4.