The Golden State Warriors saw the turning of a tide at the very end of regulation in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, as an already gutted Cleveland Cavaliers team was demoralized after a few calls from the referees and some self-inflicted wounds that wound up costing them the outcome.
LeBron James was seen imploding on the Cavs' bench after a J.R. Smith gaffe in the winding seconds of regulation sent the game to overtime, in which they were outscored 17-7.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr spoke with ESPN's Zach Lowe in his podcast, The Lowe Post, and mentioned watching the clip, which shows the Cavs' superstar in utter silence and frustration with his team, after squandering a golden chance against a team with plenty of championship pedigree,
Lowe: “What was your first reaction to the video that comes out of LeBron James in the huddle [sitting in complete silence] after whatever it is J.R. Smith did [to end regulation in Game 1 of the Finals]? Did you watch it?”
Kerr: “I did watch it. [I thought it was] unremarkable. If people think, or expected to see [LeBron] going – ‘Hey, it’s OK guys! We’re gonna win this!’ – that’s not how it works. It’s not a Hollywood movie. In every huddle, there’s all kinds of angst, and anger and emotion. None of that surprised me. That’s probably what our huddle would have looked like, too.”
The Cavs already had a tough whistle going for them, after a charge on Kevin Durant was reversed to a blocking foul on James, yet point guard George Hill had the chance to win it at the line and didn't missing the second of two free throws before Smith ran away with the ball with the score still tied, forcing overtime.
The Cavs looked already defeated, starting with an utterly frustrated James, without his usual poise — now facing inevitable defeat at the hands of a rousing home team.
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