OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The latest from Game 1 of the NBA Finals:
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6:43 p.m. PDT
LeBron James had his highest-scoring opening quarter ever in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
James scored 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting as he came out aggressively against Harrison Barnes and the Warriors defense. That surpassed the eight he scored in the first quarter of the 2011 finals against Dallas and marked his most shots ever in the first quarter of Game 1 in six trips to the finals.
James hasn’t traditionally gotten off to fast starts in the finals. He didn’t make a single field goal the first quarter of his first finals appearance in 2007 against San Antonio and has shot just 34.6 percent in the first quarter of Game 1 in his previous five trips.
The Cavaliers lead 29-19 after the first quarter.
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6:30 p.m. PDT
Harrison Barnes got the first crack at defending LeBron James, and it may not be long before the Warriors have to try someone else.
James has started 3 of 5 from the field, making a couple of long jumpers before adding another basket inside.
The Warriors have plenty of options to try on James, from Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Draymond Green to reserve guard Andre Iguodala, or even guard Klay Thompson.
Maybe one of them will have more success than Barnes as the Cavaliers ripped off a 10-2 run and lead 19-13.
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6:10 p.m. PDT
The NBA Finals are underway.
After an eight-day break from basketball, the Warriors and Cavaliers tipped off Game 1 in front of a raucous sellout crowd at Oracle Arena. Fans turned the arena into a sea of golden-yellow shirts again as they watched the Warriors play in the finals for the first time since winning the title in 1975.
Cleveland’s Timofey Mozgov won the opening tip from Andrew Bogut, and Tristan Thompson made a turnaround jumper on the first possession. Not long after, LeBron James picked up the first foul of the finals.
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5:55 p.m. PDT
There was a calm in the Warriors’ locker room as the players were getting ready for Game 1. It was relatively quiet. Players were getting dressed or getting taped up in the trainer’s room.
About 50 reporters standing in the middle of the room, and Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Cavaliers and Hawks was playing on the big TV in the center.
Power forward David Lee, whose locker is in the far corner, says the team is eager to play after a weeklong layoff.
“Just trying to get our minds right,” he says.
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5:40 p.m. PDT
The Cavaliers weren’t exactly on a health kick in the minutes leading up to Game 1 of the finals.
Cleveland guard Iman Shumpert’s pregame meal of choice was a plate of chicken fingers and fries from a concession stand. As he ate his meal, assistant coach Tyronn Lue walked into the coaches office with a large tray of nachos.
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5:30 p.m. PDT
Things got off to a good start for Stephen Curry and the Warriors.
Curry connected on his pregame “tunnel shot” on the third try. Fans surrounding the tunnel behind the Warriors’ bench erupted in cheers, and Curry signed a few autographs before heading to the locker room.
Curry attempts the shot after his extensive warmup routine, which includes dribbling two basketballs and a series of shooting drills. Curtis Jones, the security guard assigned to the area next the Warriors’ bench, throws the ball to Curry. If Curry misses, somebody fetches the ball and tosses it back to Jones.
Curry usually repeats the routine until he makes it — or stops after five or six attempts. If the visiting team decides to warm up in front of the Warriors’ bench, Curry launches balls to the other basket — about 120 feet away — but those aren’t usually close.
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5:20 p.m. PDT
There’s been a little confusion over the color of those T-shirts fans wear at every Warriors home game during the playoffs.
Well, they’re not quite gold, and not quite yellow. Officially, the shirts are “California golden yellow.”
And the Warriors have given out quite a lot already, placing one on each of the 19,596 seats at Oracle Arena before each playoff game.
Including Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Warriors have handed out more than 175,000 shirts during these playoffs.
The slogan on the front, “STRENGTH IN NUMBERS,” is the same each time. But the slogan on the back has changed each round. Those awaiting fans before Game 1 on Thursday had “The Finals” on the back.
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