The ending was weird.

The postgame was weird.

At least Game 1 of what was supposed to be a lopsided NBA Finals was anything but boring. It had a little of everything: A player stumbled and buckled Klay Thompson’s knee to send the Warriors’ sharp-shooter limping to the locker room in the opening minutes; let Stephen Curry get loose for a 30-footer at the halftime buzzer; grabbed a rebound in the final seconds of regulation with the score tied and inexplicably ran toward midcourt as if he thought the game was over.

And all that was just J.R. Smith.

The opener of this Cleveland-Golden State series should have been memorable for other reasons – LeBron James scoring a playoff career-high 51 points Reuben Foster Jersey Limited , the Warriors having three players score at least 24 and Draymond Green nearly getting a triple-double. Instead, this game’s legacy is an overturned charge call late in regulation, Smith’s gaffes, contradictory explanations from Cleveland and hot tempers in the final seconds.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s assessment? ”Lucky.”

Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue’s assessment? ”Robbed.”

Warriors 124, Cavaliers 114, overtime. That’s what the box score says and will forever say, and the defending champions are now one step closer to winning their third title in four years. Golden State left Oracle Arena relieved. Cleveland left angered. Those emotions will likely remain in place all the way until Game 2 tips off on Sunday night.

James wants the Cavs to put it behind them.

”We’ve got to move on,” James said. ”This game is over and done with.”

Easier said than done, particularly with two full off days to now deal with, two full off days to replay everything over and over and over and over and over again.

Let’s be clear: The Warriors aren’t here because of luck. They have a coach who has won 80 percent of his career games. They have four All-Stars in the same lineup. They have two NBA MVPs.

But they got every break in Game 1. Every break.

Start in the beginning, when Smith slipped and stumbled into Thompson’s knee. It had all the makings of some sort of knee structural disaster – the hit came from the side Dak Prescott Jersey Elite , Thompson twisted awkwardly, went down in a heap and was obviously in immediate, intense pain. Thompson limped away to the Warriors’ locker room for evaluation.

He was back in a few minutes. Big break No. 1.

”I’m happy it’s just a muscle that got strained,” Thompson said.

Then came the final seconds of the first half, when Smith went for a steal and wound up leaving Curry wide open. Curry turned, coolly buried a 35-footer as Smith slumped over with his hands on his knees and the teams went into intermission tied. Big break No. 2.

”The Finals, man, anything is liable to happen,” Curry said.

From his perspective, good things.

From Cleveland’s perspective, bad things.

Cleveland led by two in the final minute Tremaine Edmunds Jersey Youth , poised to steal Game 1, when James stepped up and tried to take a charge against Kevin Durant. Referee Ken Mauer called an offensive foul, but it was overturned after replay review.

”We had doubt as to whether or not James was in the restricted area,” Mauer said.

James was well outside the area, and the Cavs didn’t buy the explanation.

”I read that play just as well as I’ve read any play in my career, maybe in my life,” James said.

Durant tied the game with a couple of free throws awarded on the call reversal. Big break No. 3.

And with about 4 seconds left in the fourth, George Hill went to the line with Cleveland down by one for two shots. Made the first. Missed the second. Smith got the rebound, and ran away from the basket. Overtime. Big break No. 4.

”He thought we were up one,” Lue said.

”I knew it was tied,” Smith insisted.

The extra session was all Golden State. The home team left happy. The fans that packed Oracle Arena went home happy. James went back to his hotel to deal with blurred vision (courtesy of what appeared to be an unintentional first-half eye poke by Green) Jim Kelly Jersey Youth , and the Cavaliers were further angered by Shaun Livingston following Golden State policy by taking a shot in the final seconds of a decided game instead of just getting charged with a shot-clock turnover.

”Tonight we played as well as we’ve played all postseason, and we gave ourselves a chance possession after possession after possession,” James said. ”There were just some plays that were kind of taken away from us. Simple as that.”

Many onlookers thought this series would be a rout, a Golden State coronation.

If the Warriors keep getting every break, they’ll certainly be right.

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Tim Reynolds is a national basketball writer for The Associated Press. Write to him at treynolds(at)ap.org

No sooner did Jon Gray get into trouble in the first inning than he got out of it. It was a pattern he would emulate throughout the night.

Combining power pitching with sleight of hand, Gray struck out 12 in seven dominant innings, Nolan Arenado homered in Colorado’s six-run fourth, and the Rockies won their fourth in a row by beating the Miami Marlins 11-3 on Friday night.

After fanning the first batter he faced, Gray gave up a single to Brian Anderson and a double to J.T. Realmuto – but he came back to strand both.

”I think you saw in that first inning where two runners got on, Jon gets out of it with no problem,” Rockies catcher Tom Murphy said. ”That was huge for Jon. It kind of set the tone for him and made him realize nothing was going to stop him tonight.”

It was Gray’s 12th career 10-plus strikeout game and the fourth this season. He had at least two strikeouts in five of his innings Deion Sanders 49ers Jersey , including striking out the side in the sixth. Gray (7-7) walked none and withstood a solo homer in the third by Derek Dietrich, who drove a 2-0 pitch the opposite way into the left-field bleachers.

”We attacked early with fastballs,” Gray said. ”We threw strikes early in the count and kind of forced swings. I think that was key.”

Gray also mixed in a devastating slider to keep the Marlins’ hitters guessing, changing his grip on occasion to vary the ball’s movement.

”Obviously, we didn’t get a whole lot going,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. ”A couple of the guys swung the bat OK. I thought we really got away from what we wanted to do tonight. A lot of chases.”

Arenado had three hits, including his team-leading 17th homer, a two-run drive. Murphy had two doubles among his three hits and two RBIs.

The Rockies have scored at least 10 runs in three of their four wins. Even Gray pitched in with a run-scoring sacrifice in the fourth in which he reached when a sliding Carlos Gonzalez beat the throw home from first baseman Justin Bour.

Wei-Yin Chen (2-4) matched Gray through three innings, but then ran into trouble in the fourth – some of it not of his own doing. Second baseman Starlin Castro bobbled the ball after getting a relay throw, allowing Ian Desmond to score from third with the first of the Rockies’ six runs in the inning. A wild pitch by Chen helped set up Noel Cuevas‘ score on D.J. LeMahieu’s sacrifice fly. Blackmon singled ahead of Arenado’s home run, which he sent deep into the left-field bleachers.

Chen allowed seven runs and nine hits in four innings.

Pinch-hitter Gerardo Parra Joe Namath Jersey , batting for Gray in the bottom of the seventh, doubled off the right-field wall to drive in a pair of runs. Murphy’s RBI double in the second pushed across the Rockies’ first run.

IF THE SHOE FITS

Gray opted to wear white cleats on Friday, the same type he wore when he pitched his career-best 16-strikeout complete game against the San Diego Padres on Sept. 17, 2016. ”The last time I was in white shoes, I had the best game of my life. I don’t know why I ever stopped wearing them,” Gray said with a laugh.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: RHP Jose Urena was placed on the 10-day disabled list because of a right shoulder impingement. RHP Nick Wittgren filled the roster vacancy when he was reinstated from the 10-day DL. Wittgren had been sidelined by a right middle finger contusion.

Rockies: RHP Scott Oberg (back strain) and LHP Mike Dunn (upper back strain), who are both on the 10-day DL, are slated to begin their respective rehab assignments. The two are scheduled to pitch an inning apiece Saturday for Triple-A Albuquerque at Fresno and then each work another inning Monday for high Class A Lancaster at Modesto.

UP NEXT

Marlins: RHP Trevor Richards (1-4, 5.45 ERA) has gone 1-2 with a 6.28 ERA since his recall for his second stint with Miami this season.

Rockies: LHP Tyler Anderson (4-2) will be looking to bounce back from a loss in his last outing, when he gave up three runs in a 12-2 loss earlier this week to the New York Mets.

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