To start, reserves key
Bench carries Warriors as Curry, Thompson struggle
Except this was highly unusual.
On a night the Splash Brothers were amiss, unable to hit anything, backcourt backups Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa carried the Warriors to a 104-89 victory in the NBA Finals opener against the Cavaliers.
They were swift, stunningly accurate, and reduced the Warriors' All-Stars to spectators during a key run that started late in the third quarter.
In a bad sign for the Cavaliers, they lost despite Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combining for 20 points on 8-for-27 shooting.
It was Livingston who received a standing ovation when he checked out briefly with 6:08 to play. He scored 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting while Barbosa had 11 points and made all five of his shots.
Another backup, Andre Iguodala, couldn't be left out after totaling 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Game 2 in the Finals rematch is Sunday, also at Oracle Arena.
Game 1 wasn't without theater, especially in the third quarter as the Cavaliers gradually came back from a 14-point deficit to claim a one-point edge.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was so upset he shattered his clipboard while punching it with a pen. That was nothing compared to the anger, and, um, pain, felt by Iguodala after he was punched below the waist by Matthew Dellavedova while pushing the ball downcourt.
It didn't matter in the big picture. The Warriors went on a 29-8 run with the reserves leading the way.
The Warriors' backups outscored the Cavaliers' 45-10.
Meanwhile, LeBron James had 23 points on 9-for-21 shooting for the Cavs.
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