LeBron James didn’t have all the answers after the Cavaliers’ 104-89 loss to the Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, but he remained steadfast.
“We will have a better game plan going into Game 2,” LeBron said.
False bravado? Maybe.
But at least LeBron could muster it.
Another all-time great wasn’t as convinced after his team was blown out in Game 1 of the Finals.
The Lakers dropped the first game of the 1985 Finals to the Celtics, 148-114.
“It was the first time – and the last time- I ever remember us with a look on our face that said, ‘We don’t know what to do,’” Magic Johnson said.
Yet, the Lakers found their way, winning the series in six games.
Here’s every Finals opener sorted by scoring margin – when the Game 1 winner won the Finals in blue, when the Game 1 loser one the Finals in red:
| Game 1 | Scoring margin | Game 1 winner win Finals? |
| 1961: BOS 129, STL 95 | 34 | Yes |
| 1985: BOS 148, LAL 114 | 34 | No |
| 1992: CHI 122, POR 89 | 33 | Yes |
| 1965: BOS 142, LAL 110 | 32 | Yes |
| 1951: ROC 92, NYK 65 | 27 | Yes |
| 2009: LAL 100, ORL 75 | 25 | Yes |
| 1972: NYK 114, LAL 92 | 22 | No |
| 1960: BOS 140, STL 122 | 18 | Yes |
| 1996: CHI 107, SEA 90 | 17 | Yes |
| 2000: LAL 104, IND 87 | 17 | Yes |
| 1974: BOS 98, MIL 83 | 15 | Yes |
| 2005: SAS 84, DET 69 | 15 | Yes |
| 2014: SAS 110, MIA 95 | 15 | Yes |
| 2016: GSW 104, CLE 89 | 15 | TBD |
| 1962: BOS 122, LAL 108 | 14 | Yes |
| 1947: PHW 84, CHS 71 | 13 | Yes |
| 1987: LAL 126, BOS 113 | 13 | Yes |
| 2010: LAL 102, BOS 89 | 13 | Yes |
| 1964: BOS 108, SFW 96 | 12 | Yes |
| 1970: NYK 124, LAL 112 | 12 | Yes |
| 1986: BOS 112, HOU 100 | 12 | Yes |
| 1988: DET 105, LAL 93 | 12 | No |
| 1989: DET 109, LAL 97 | 12 | Yes |
| 1999: SAS 89, NYK 77 | 12 | Yes |
| 2003: SAS 101, NJN 89 | 12 | Yes |
| 2004: DET 87, LAL 75 | 12 | Yes |
| 1948: PHW 71, BLB 60 | 11 | No |
| 1954: MNL 79, SYR 68 | 11 | Yes |
| 1976: BOS 98, PHO 87 | 11 | Yes |
| 2012: OKC 105, MIA 94 | 11 | No |
| 1971: MIL 98, BAL 88 | 10 | Yes |
| 2006: DAL 90, MIA 80 | 10 | No |
| 2008: BOS 98, LAL 88 | 10 | Yes |
| 2007: SAS 85, CLE 76 | 9 | Yes |
| 1953: NYK 96, MNL 88 | 8 | No |
| 1993: CHI 100, PHO 92 | 8 | Yes |
| 2011: MIA 92, DAL 84 | 8 | No |
| 2015: GSW 108, CLE 100 | 8 | Yes |
| 1980: LAL 109, PHI 102 | 7 | Yes |
| 1982: LAL 124, PHI 117 | 7 | Yes |
| 1994: HOU 85, NYK 78 | 7 | Yes |
| 1967: PHI 141, SFW 135 | 6 | Yes |
| 1968: BOS 107, LAL 101 | 6 | Yes |
| 1975: GSW 101, WSB 95 | 6 | Yes |
| 1977: PHI 107, POR 101 | 6 | No |
| 1983: PHI 113, LAL 107 | 6 | Yes |
| 1984: LAL 115, BOS 109 | 6 | No |
| 1990: DET 105, POR 99 | 6 | Yes |
| 2001: PHI 107, LAL 101 | 6 | No |
| 2002: LAL 99, NJN 94 | 5 | Yes |
| 1949: MNL 88, WSC 84 | 4 | Yes |
| 1952: MNL 83, NYK 79 | 4 | Yes |
| 1955: SYR 86, FTW 82 | 4 | Yes |
| 1956: PHW 98, FTW 94 | 4 | Yes |
| 1966: LAL 133, BOS 129 | 4 | No |
| 1978: SEA 106, WSB 102 | 4 | No |
| 2013: SAS 92, MIA 88 | 4 | No |
| 1959: BOS 118, MNL 115 | 3 | Yes |
| 1963: BOS 117, LAL 114 | 3 | Yes |
| 1973: LAL 115, NYK 112 | 3 | No |
| 1981: BOS 98, HOU 95 | 3 | Yes |
| 1998: UTA 88, CHI 85 | 3 | No |
| 1950: MNL 68, SYR 66 | 2 | Yes |
| 1957: STL 125, BOS 123 | 2 | No |
| 1958: STL 104, BOS 102 | 2 | Yes |
| 1969: LAL 120, BOS 118 | 2 | No |
| 1979: WSB 99, SEA 97 | 2 | No |
| 1991: LAL 93, CHI 91 | 2 | No |
| 1995: HOU 120, ORL 118 | 2 | Yes |
| 1997: CHI 84, UTA 82 | 2 | Yes |
There’s plenty of reason for the Cavs to be discouraged:
- They’re facing an all-time great opponent and have rarely looked elite themselves – a big-time mismatch by record.
- When teams without home-court advantage lose Game 1 of the Finals, they’ve won just 21% of the time.
- Teams that lost Game 1 by more than a dozen have won just 11% of the time.
But the 1985 Lakers – whose first Finals defeat was dubbed the “Memorial Day Massacre” – at least offer hope. If the Lakers could rally after losing by 34, why can’t Cleveland after losing by “just” 15?
Those Lakers needed soul-searching, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar apologizing to each of his teammates. The Cavaliers aren’t nearly as rattled.
“We’re not a team to lose our composure,” LeBron said.
More false bravado? Maybe.
But this was just one game. Even a shook team can come back from a 1-0 deficit.
The ’85 Lakers proved that, forever giving hope to slow-starting Finals teams.
It’s not much, and teams beaten this badly still usually lose. But for a Cleveland team that has lost six straight to Golden State, it’s at least something.