When the Golden State Warriors talk about “strength in numbers” — their team mantra — they aren’t talking about the stat sheet. But they could be. Game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals proved that Golden State is deep and can pull what’s needed from a variety of sources. Not surprising from a team that saw 11 players score against OKC in a hotly contended Western Conference Finals Game 7. Whereas most NBA teams see their bench grow shorter as they get deeper into the playoffs, Golden State is the opposite. Hey, Andre Iguodala was last year’s Finals MVP coming off the bench most games for the Warriors.
But strength in numbers isn’t just about personnel — it’s about what the personnel on the floor produce. And Cleveland has some miserable statistics to chew on from Game 1:
- Cavs shot 38% from the field (Warriors 49%)
- Kevin Love took one free throw
- Cavs had just 17 assists (Warriors 29)
- Kyrie Irving took 22 shots to his 4 assists
- Only 4 Cavs scored more than one basket (8 Warriors did)
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