Cavaliers vs. Warriors: Game 1 Stats and NBA Finals 2017 Game 2 Schedule, Odds

There wasn't much surprising about the Golden State Warriors blowing the Cleveland Cavaliers out of the water in 113-91 fashion in Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals.

The above is a testament to the quality of both teams and how a historic third meeting between the two sides conditions fans to expect anything. 

Looking at the numbers posted by both sides is where things start to get lopsided.

Let's do just that below, painting the picture as to how a bevy of factors helped the Warriors overwhelm the Cavaliers—the main one, of course, being the arrival and dominance of one Kevin Durant.

2017 NBA Finals Schedule

• Game 2: Cleveland at Golden State, Sunday, June 4, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, streaming on WatchESPN
• Game 3: Golden State at Cleveland, Wednesday, June 7, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC, streaming on WatchESPN
• Game 4: Golden State at Cleveland, Friday, June 9, at 9 p.m. on ET ABC, streaming on WatchESPN
• Game 5 (if necessary): Cleveland at Golden State, Monday, June 12, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC, streaming on WatchESPN
• Game 6 (if necessary): Golden State at Cleveland, Thursday, June 15, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC, streaming on WatchESPN
• Game 7 (if necessary): Cleveland at Golden State, Sunday, June 18, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, streaming on WatchESPN

Game 1 Stats

Player	Stats
K. Love	15 pts, 21 rebs, -11
L. James	28 pts, 15 rbs, 8 ast, -22
T. Thompson	0 pts, 4 rbs, -13
K. Irving	24 pts, 3 rbs, 2 ast, -17
J. Smith	3 pts, -12
D. Green	9 pts, 11 rbs, +12
K. Durant	38 pts, 8 rbs, 8 ast, +16
Z. Pachulia	8 pts, 6 rbs, +5
S. Curry	28 pts, 6 reb, 10 ast, +20
K. Thompson	6 pts, 3 rbs, 4 ast, +8

The above is, in a word, ugly. The rest, available at ESPN.com, isn't any better.

Durant is the main cause. His 38 points came on a 14-of-26 effort. Isolation skills not present a year ago when the Warriors lost a grip on a 3-1 lead permitted the team to run lineups with traditional big men such as Zaza Pachulia and JaVale McGee in Game 1 this year.

Having big men on the floor didn't seem to phase the Warriors, though—not when most of their major first-half notables came in transition. 

Check a jaw-dropping stat by NBA.com:

There's no excuse for a team led by LeBron James to surrender such a number.

But it somehow gets worse.

Cleveland simply didn't have the depth to compete Thursday night. The Warriors got 24 points from the bench, including key offerings from Andre Iguodala and new arrivals like McGee.

Cleveland...not so much. Richard Jefferson scored nine points, but Deron Williams was a clear liability in the backcourt and Iman Shumpert suited up for all of 17 minutes. Really, this line of analysis could transition to the starting lineups as well, thanks to the lack of production around LeBron, as noted by Bleacher Report's Erik Malinowski:

"

Cavs not named LeBron were 8-of-28 (28.6%) on uncontested field goals.

— Erik Malinowski (@erikmal) June 2, 2017"

"We did a great job of covering the 3-point line but other than that they played a hell of a game," James said, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).

James isn't far off in searching for a silver lining above. Golden State only shot 36.4 percent from deep—but like many could've predicted before the series, Durant's arrival means less of a live-and-die approach by attempts from range.

It's a lesson the world learned loud and clear on Thursday night.

Game 2 Odds and Prediction

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Here's the most predictable detail in the current sporting world: Oddsmakers out of Las Vegas like the Warriors to win Game 2 at home on Sunday night.

It's a seven-point line favoring the Warriors there, according to OddsShark, which is the same opening mark well before the first game of the series.

For those looking to bet on the second game or simply pick it outright, the main question pertains to whether the Cavaliers can adjust and make it competitive. They did so last year and pulled off the epic upset, but it'd be a gross exaggeration to suggest Cleveland can simply do it again.

One note from point guard Kyrie Irving seems to say it all for the Cavaliers, as captured by Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk:

The problem for the Cavaliers? This is the monster they created. Golden State won't bank on only shots from range to win games anymore, but it isn't out of line to suggest the team can still shoot better from deep as the series progresses.

Most aren't shy about the reason for the Game 1 blowout. Look at Draymond Green comments after, according to Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon:

"[Durant] can just go get a bucket. And that's one of the things that we need, a guy who can go get a bucket, get to the foul line. Tonight he shot eight free throws, which is huge. They were going on a run and he picks up a foul and gets to the line. That's huge for us. You are talking one of the best players in the game. To have a game like that when he's playing that way, it's tough to beat. 38, 8, 8, zero turnovers? I mean that's, we're real tough to beat when he's doing that."

Let's take a look at one more Game 1 stat for the road, a disparity created by a defensive-minded team accustomed to enforcing its will on to an opponent getting sloppy on both ends of the court because of Durant.

ESPN Stats & Info provided the note: 

Onlookers can reasonably expect the Cavaliers to adapt and play better as the series goes on, yet the disparity here is the fact the Warriors didn't exactly play the best game of their season, either.

Only Durant and Stephen Curry scored in double figures for the Warriors Thursday night. Cleveland has plenty of time to figure out a better way to clamp down on Durant, but it's only going to free up open deep looks for other players, helping the team with better depth once again pull away at home.

Prediction: Warriors 123, Cavaliers 104

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified. Odds via OddsShark.