NBA Finals - Game 1

Welcome to another edition of WhoReps' look at the NBA Playoffs. Today we'll be recapping Game 1 of the NBA Finals! Enjoy. Click a bolded name to see their player page.
                                            

"Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, it might have been."
 

With just seconds remaining in Game 1 of the NBA Finals featuring the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, J.R. Smith secured a crucial offensive rebound off of a missed free throw by guard George Hill. He sprinted out to halfcourt from underneath the basket and dribbled the clock out, ready to secure the win and go up 1-0. Except... the game was actually tied. In one of the biggest blunders in NBA history if not in all of professional sports, J.R. was unaware of the score with just seconds remaining in a Finals game. After competing hard all game, his blunder completely sucked the energy out of the Cavs and they were run off the floor in the overtime period. 
 
The real tragedy in this outcome for Cleveland is the wasting of yet another virtuoso performance by basketball demigod LeBron James. The undisputed greatest player of his generation set a new playoff career high with 51 points, tying Jerry West's record with 8 games of at least 40 points in a single postseason, and becoming just the sixth person ever to score 50+ in a Finals game. He's the only player to do so in a loss. If Cleveland was going to shock the world and win this series, this was the kind of incredible road performance they were going to need. They got it, and still lost because one of LeBron's teammates DID NOT KNOW THE SCORE OF THE GAME WITH SECONDS REMAINING. 
 
J.R.'s mistake, sure to be replayed for eternity, let a number of people off the hook- starting with Hill for missing the biggest free throw he'll ever get. Midseason acquisition Jordan Clarkson was atrocious all night for the Cavaliers, taking a number of difficult shots and generally looking completely out of his depth on the game's largest stage. That they look to him for shot creation when LeBron needs to rest says it all about the difference in overall talent level between these two squads. Kevin Durant went just 8-22 for the Warriors and failed to box out the much smaller Smith on that fateful rebound. Had the Cavs pulled this one out he would've been the prime culprit for Golden State. Instead, it's all water under the bridge.
 
Looking ahead, you have to be worried about the Cavs emotionally after this. To be right at the doorstep and have it snatched away in a moment of idiocy clearly decimated them in the moment. When they already are facing such an uphill climb to beat this dynastic Golden State team it's almost impossible to imagine them coming back in Game 2 with the same level of energy. And LeBron can't possibly play any better than he did last night. And they may yet be without big man Tristan Thompson after he was ejected for throwing a punch with seconds left in overtime. Ultimately, the lesson of Game 1 is one that every athlete of all ages, playing at all levels, can take to heart: KNOW. THE SCORE. OF THE GAME.