2018 NBA Finals Game 1: Cleveland Cavaliers 114-124 Golden State Warriors - 5 Talking Points

#3 Cleveland's advantage on the boards

Larry Nance was a big factor on the glass

The Cavaliers were able to hang with the Dubs through 48 minutes because of their dominance in the battle for control of the glass. They held the Warriors to just 4 offensive rebounds through the course of the game while getting 19 of their own, and they capitalized on their second-chance opportunities while restricting the Warriors' fast-paced transition play.

Larry Nance Jr came on as a substitute, and he had a commendable showing with 9 points on 6 shots while grabbing 11 rebounds (4 of them came on the offensive glass, this matches the Dubs' total for the entire rotation). Kevin Love was off from 3-point range, but his 13 rebounds were a game-high.

The rest of the Cavs chipped in as well, with LeBron getting 8 rebounds of his own, while JR Smith and Tristan Thompson had 5 & 6 respectively. The highest rebounding total for anyone on the Warriors were Draymond's 11, and other than Durant with 9, none of them were up to the task of keeping the Cavs off the glass.