LeBron James gave it everything he had, repeatedly willing the Cleveland Cavaliers back into the game and even putting them in position to win in regulation, but the Golden State Warriors found their offense in overtime and walked away with an unsettling 124-114 victory in Game 1 of the N.B.A. finals on Thursday.
All the talk coming into the game had been about this being one of the largest mismatches in finals history. The Warriors would be running out a lineup full of All-Stars against a Cavaliers team that relied far too heavily on James. But proving that the games are played for a reason, the Warriors barely survived at home despite getting 29 points from Stephen Curry, 26 points from Kevin Durant and 24 points from Klay Thompson.