NBA Finals: 2015 Game 1 vs. 2016 Game 1
With a year of hype leading up to the highly-anticipated NBA Finals rematch between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, Thursday night's Game 1 fell short of the nail-biting affair the basketball world had dreamed of, as the Warriors handily took the win in a game that was all but over by the start of the fourth quarter.
In conjunction with Thuuz Sports, a sports entertainment company that gauges the excitement level of sporting events based on six factors (pace, parity, momentum, social media buzz, novelty, and context), we compared Game 1 from the 2015 Finals to Game 1 from the 2016 Finals.
2015 Finals • Game 1
Recap - After a blocked Stephen Curry layup with under 30 seconds to play and a missed buzzer-beater by Iman Shumpert, four quarters weren't enough for the two teams in this thrilling Game 1 battle. Headed into overtime with the scored tied at 98, the Warriors shut down the red-hot James (44 points) and went on to win 108-100.
Lead changes - 13
Ties - 11
Leading scorers (Cleveland) - LeBron James: 44 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists; Kyrie Irving (injured in OT): 23 points, 6 assists, 7 rebounds; Timofey Mozgov: 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists.
Leading scorers (Golden State) - Stephen Curry: 26 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds; Klay Thompson 21 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist; Andre Iguodala: 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists.
2016 Finals • Game 1
Recap: The Warriors held the lead for the majority of the first half and went into the break with a comfortable 52-43 gap. The Cavaliers battled back in the third and the two teams exchanged a few leads, but the Warriors pulled away in the fourth on the way to a 104-89 win in a game that was headlined by role players.
Lead changes: Seven
Ties: Three
Leading scorers (Cleveland) - Kyrie Irving: 26 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds; LeBron James: 23 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists; Kevin Love: 17 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists.
Leading scorers (Golden State) - Shaun Livingston: 20 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds; Draymond Green: 16 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists; Harrison Barnes: 13 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists.
Follow AJ Neuharth-Keusch on Twitter @tweetAJNK