'Warriors played a hell of a game' - LeBron James gracious in defeat
The Golden State Warriors were outclassed by the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James admitted as much.
Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James had no choice but to offer up praise to the Golden State Warriors after the NBA champions were thrashed 126-91.
The result afforded the Warriors a small dose of revenge after they lost in the NBA Finals to the Cavaliers last year, with Stephen Curry posting 20 points and 11 assists in a double-double at Oracle Arena on Monday.
James, who committed six turnovers in an uncharacteristically poor display, said afterwards: "They put it on us, they put it on us real good.
"They played a hell of a game and they were clicking in all facets of the game."
The 12-time NBA All-Star was floored in the second quarter by Draymond Green, but James - who in the build-up to the game insisted the two sides were not rivals - played down the incident, which halted a Cavs break.
"His shoulder hit me in the face," said the 32-year-old. "It happened so fast I didn't even know who it was. But I'm all right. I'm a football player."
Curry was pleased to see his side thrive under pressure, citing a fast start as key to their success.
"You can feel the atmosphere when you get out there," he said. "Every time you play a team like Cleveland or other top teams in the league, you know it's going to take an A-plus game to get a win, and a lot of energy, physicality and focus.
"We sensed that early in the game and we grabbed the momentum and never really let it go."