Cavaliers vs. Warriors: Game 1 Stats and NBA Finals 2016 Game 2 Schedule, Odds

Unexpected heroes led the Golden State Warriors to open the 2016 NBA Finals with a decisive Game 1 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It turns out "Strength in Numbers" is more than a meaningless marketing campaign. Although Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson endured unusually uneventful outings, the Warriors earned a 104-89 win behind stout efforts from their supporting cast.

On the other hand, Cleveland's star trio received little help from guys who dazzled against Eastern Conference competition. For one night, the NBA was anything but a star-driven league.

Here's a look at the Finals' Game 2 viewing information along with the opening game's most noteworthy stats.

NBA Finals: Game 2 Schedule

Date: Sunday, June 5 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, California

TV: ABC

Odds: Golden State -6.5 (per Odds Shark)

Game 1 Stats

Strength in Numbers

LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love scored a combined 66 points, seven more than Golden State's starting lineup. Yet the bench, led by Shaun Livingston, scored 45 points to Cleveland's 10.

Livingston shredded the Cavaliers with mid-range jumpers, going 8-for-10 with a team-best 20 points in 27 minutes. The 30-year-old guard averaged 6.3 points per game during the season.

Per NBA TV's Twitter page, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr addressed Livingston's unlikely contributions in the postgame press conference: 

It wasn't all Livingston from the second unit. Leandro Barbosa scored 11 points in as many minutes, making all five shot attempts. Reigning Finals MVP Andre Iguodala once again haunted Cleveland, recording 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists and the game's highest plus-minus (+21).

As Kerr mentioned in the above clip, the Warriors only relinquished nine turnovers. The bench was responsible for one of those blunders, made by Ian Clark during garbage time. This is huge considering the team's rare missteps are often caused by sloppiness, such as when they coughed up 21 giveaways in their Game 4 Western Conference Finals loss.

Nobody expects role players to carry the load during an NBA Finals contest, but Golden State's bench won Game 1 despite the starting stars' struggles.

Splash Brothers Silenced

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

If someone who didn't watch Game 1 only saw the stat lines from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, they would likely assume the Warriors lost by 15. The duo combined to match Livingston's 20 points on 8-of-27 shooting:

Player	MIN	PTS	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A
Curry	36	11	4-15	3-8	0-0
Thompson	24	9	4-12	1-5	0-1

With the two-time MVP on the court, Golden State and Cleveland played evenly. At least Curry, unlike Thompson, was one of seven Warriors to produce double-digit points on Thursday evening.

As noted by Fox Sports' Nick Wright, Golden State broke the game open without any scoring from Curry or Thompson:

To be fair, they also made back-to-back threes to derail Cleveland's late comeback. Yet it remained an unlikely formula for a Finals victory, a notion ESPN Stats & Info illuminated:

This is a stark about-face from the Western Conference Finals, when lights-out shooting from the Splash Brothers saved their season. Facing a 3-1 deficit to the Oklahoma City Thunder, they registered a combined 62.4 points and 11.6 three-pointers per game over their final three wins. If they didn't make numerous contested threes, the Thunder would be facing the Cavs instead.

Everyone is susceptible to an off night, but it's rare for Curry and Thompson to simultaneously go quiet at home. Cleveland missed a golden opportunity to capitalize.

What Happened to J.R. Smith and Channing Frye?

Ben Margot/Associated Press

It'd be foolish of the Warriors to expect continued dominance from the likes of Livingston and Barbosa. Just ask the Cavaliers, who watched two of their hottest players disappear in Game 1.

In Cleveland's 14 Eastern Conference playoff bouts, J.R. Smith drained 49 three-pointers with a stellar 46.2 conversion rate. He nearly went scoreless on Thursday night, making his only bucket late in the fourth quarter.

MIN	PTS	FGM-A	3PM-A	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PF
36	3	1-3	1-3	1	1	1	0	5

The same aggressive shooter who attempted double-digit threes in four separate games this postseason took three in 36 minutes during Game 1. Instead, he exerted most of his energy chasing Thompson on defense.

Channing Frye, meanwhile, didn't get an opportunity to carry over his 62.1 postseason field-goal percentage into the Finals. Head coach Tyronn Lue limited the big man to seven minutes so Golden State's small-ball lineup couldn't exploit the limited defender.

Frye has nailed 26 of his 46 three-point attempts this postseason, but he missed his lone take against the Warriors. Cleveland coasted into the Finals due to its incredible shooting from behind the arc, but it went 7-of-21 with its two hottest hands largely unseen in Game 1.

Their shooting unlocked new heights of offensive efficiency for the Cavaliers. According to NBA.com, the Eastern Conference champions netted a 116.2 offensive rating en route to the Finals. They won't bring Cleveland its first title by relying entirely on James, Love and Irving to outscore Golden State's array of options.