Tapp-ing into the Numbers: Some stats from Game 1 of NBA Finals

By JERRY TAPP
The Golden State Warriors took Game One of the 2017 NBA Finals, a 113-91 win over Cleveland. There were several storylines that punctuated this victory, but here’s a few stats you might find interesting.

• Golden State’s 22-point win in Game One was the eighth time in NBA Finals history that a team won the first game of the finals by a margin of 20 points or more. In the previous seven times, the team that won Game One by 20 points or more won the series five times. The two series losses: The Knicks defeated the Lakers 114-92 in Game One of the 1972 NBA Finals, but the Lakers won the series, four games to one; in 1985, the Celtics defeated the Lakers 148-114 (the largest margin of victory in a NBA Finals Game One, 34 points), but the Lakers won the series, four games to two.
• The Warriors had 31 assists and only four turnovers in Game One. Since 1984, it was the first time in an NBA Finals that a team had more than 30 assists and less than five turnovers in the same contest. It was only the fourth playoff game since 1984 that a team had 30 or more assists and less than five turnovers in the same game.
• It was the 17^th time since 1984 that a team had four or fewer turnovers in an NBA playoff game. Teams are 11-6 in those games.
• Golden State is now 28-3 in playoff games since 2013 when they score 110 or more points in a post-season game. They are also now 8-1 in the NBA Finals since 2013 when they score 100 or more points and 7-3 in the NBA Finals since 2013 when they hold their opponents (the Cavs) under 100 points.
• LeBron James had eight turnovers in the game. It was the fourth time since 1984 that a player had eight or more turnovers in an NBA Finals game. The last player to accomplish this feat was Manu Ginobli in 2013 when he had eight turnovers in a finals game versus the Miami Heat.
• Kevin Durant had 38 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in the game. The last player to have 30 or more points and eight or more rebounds and assists in an NBA Finals game was last year when Draymond Green has 32 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in a finals series game.
• Durant had zero turnovers to go with his 38 points. It was the 13^th time since 1984 that a player had 30 or more points in an NBA Finals game with no turnovers. The last player to do this was Golden State’s Klay Thompson on June 7, 2015 when he had 34 points and no turnovers in the finals series versus the Cavs.