There is so many hand on face moments in life. But when it is magnified, it can take away from the moments leading up to it and the moments after, for a while.
For game one of the 2018 NBA Finals, the box score will read Golden State Warriors-124, Cleveland Cavaliers-114 ending in overtime.
The game had beautiful moments filled with drama in the final moments of regulation.
LeBron James scored 51 points to go along with eight assists and eight rebounds in the opener of his eighth straight NBA Finals and ninth overall. Crown him again.
There was controversial replay reversal.
There was a bit of a face-to-face action in overtime, which may result in suspensions for the Cavaliers.
It had everything. The star players played well.
George Hill an 80 percent free throw shooter missed the back end of a free throw that led to a meme that will go viral for infinity.
The moment.
Hill made the first of two free throws with 4.7 seconds left after being fouled by Klay Thompson, but when J.R. Smith secured the rebound of the second over nearly 7 footer Kevin Durant, he dribbled back toward half court instead of shooting, apparently thinking the Cavs had a lead, when the game was tied at 107.
That meme illustrated James in disbelief to what Smith was doing, “I thought we were ahead,” Smith’s lips appeared to utter. If it weren’t Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the moment would have been almost funny.
“He thought it was over. He thought we were up one,” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said.
Smith had no idea what was going let alone if he was in Oakland, California. He was clueless. Let us be honest here. His reaction live to when the best player in the league was yelling at him did not make any sense to what the situation was. Call a timeout. Put up a shot while potentially getting fouled. Something opposite of dribbling the basketball out.
“I just thought we were going to call a timeout. Because I got the rebound, I’m pretty sure I couldn’t shoot it over KD,” Smith said of Durant. “If I thought we were ahead, I would have just held on to the ball so they could foul me. Clearly, that wasn’t the case.”
Stephen Curry played well scoring 29 points, and the Warriors capitalized on Smith’s mistake that sent the game into overtime, where the Warriors outscored the Cavaliers 17-7 in the extra five minutes.
Individually, James was King. First quarter: 4 for 4 with a 3-pointer, 12 points, three assists, a steal, and turnover.
“We’ve got to move on,” James said. “This game is over and done with. We had opportunities.”
James has 109 career 30-point games in the playoffs, tying Michael Jordan for most ever.
The game practically over, James had words with both Curry and Klay Thompson (it was the light skin coalition against one), then Tristan Thompson and Draymond Green tangled moments later and made contact. After the replay review, Tristan Thompson received a Flagrant two foul and ejection with 2.6 seconds left.
The message was the Cavaliers did not recover from Smith’s moment in regulation.
Game two scheduled for Sunday at 8 pm, Oakland, California.
George Hill, you had one job. Make both FT’s and we don’t even say J.R.’s name!