National Basketball Association

The Latest: Harrison Barnes off to a hot start in Game 1

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) The Latest on Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers (all times local):

6:20 p.m.

Golden State's Harrison Barnes is quickly becoming a problem for Cleveland in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Barnes got the start over Andre Iguodala for the Warriors and it paid immediate dividends. Barnes made his first three shots and the Warriors jumped out to an early lead over the Cavaliers.

Something else to watch: Cleveland's J.R. Smith was just shaking his right hand in a bit of pain, after he went on the floor for a loose ball.

---

5:55 p.m.

The lineups for Game 1 of the NBA Finals are out, and Golden State is putting Harrison Barnes back in the starting five over 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala.

The other starters for Golden State are no surprise: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut.

There is no mystery to Cleveland's starting five, as the Cavs will go with Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith, LeBron James, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson to open the game.

---

5:50 p.m.

Cleveland and Golden State are back in the NBA Finals, and so are 11 of the 12 referees who worked their title series from a year ago.

The only ref who wasn't out there in 2015 is part of the crew for Game 1.

Ed Malloy - who last did a Finals game since 2013 - will be on the court Thursday night with Ken Mauer and Marc Davis, both of whom were part of the rotation last year.

The other nine refs for this series also all officiating at least one game in last year's Cavaliers-Warriors series: Tony Brothers, Mike Callahan, James Capers, Danny Crawford, Scott Foster, Monty McCutchen, Jason Phillips, Derrick Stafford and Zach Zarba.

The ref who worked last year's Finals and isn't back this year is Joey Crawford, who retired this season after an injury.

---

5:35 p.m.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says discussions are ongoing about changing a hotly debated North Carolina law that could jeopardize plans for the league to hold next season's All-Star Game in Charlotte.

Speaking before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Silver says the league is insisting that the issue of ensuring "basic protections" for the lesbian, gay and transgender community can be worked out in time for the weekend to be hosted by Charlotte as scheduled.

Silver has continually maintained that the law is problematic, and recently told a meeting of Associated Press Sports Editors that a change in the law is "necessary.

The law excludes lesbian, gay and transgender people from state anti-discrimination protections, blocks local governments from expanding LGBT protections, and bars all types of workplace discrimination lawsuits from state courts. The law also directs transgender people to use public toilets corresponding to the sex listed on their birth certificate.

---

5:25 p.m.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says the league's Last Two-Minute Reports, designed to be transparent on calls down the stretch of close games, are a good thing.

There were some highly notable missed - or wrong - calls in the early rounds of the playoffs, including one where Oklahoma City's Dion Waiters elbowed San Antonio's Manu Ginobili back to create space on an inbounds pass late in a Thunder win. The referee closest to that play was Marc Davis, one of the three who will work Game 1 of the Finals.

Other key missed call came in the Houston-Golden State series, when the Rockets' James Harden pushed off a defender to create room for what became his winning shot in Game 3 of that matchup.

Some players, including Cleveland's LeBron James and Miami's Dwyane Wade, have said during these playoffs that they don't see the point of issuing such reports.

---

5:15 p.m.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says flailing of arms and legs in an effort to "sell calls" to referees is becoming a bigger problem.

Silver, speaking less than an hour before Game 1 of the Finals, says it's not something the league wants to see, and that he's hoping to find ways to discourage players from doing it as often.

The issue took center stage in the Western Conference finals when Golden State's Draymond Green kicked Oklahoma City's Steven Adams in the groin area. Silver says such plays will be discussed by the competition committee when it meets this summer.

---

4:30 p.m.

The NBA Finals will reach fans in 215 countries and 49 different languages, meaning it gets streamed and shown live just about everywhere.

It makes for some sleepless nights in other parts of the world.

Game 1 starts at 9 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. local time in Oakland, California - and much to the chagrin of University of Miami guard Laura Cornelius, 3 a.m. in her homeland, the Netherlands.

"Really looking forward to tonights Warriors-Cavs game. Unfortunately it starts at 3am," she tweeted Thursday afternoon.

Basketball is more international than ever, and The Finals reflect that.

There are nine players in this Cleveland-Golden State series who were born outside the United States: Cavs teammates Matthew Dellavedova and Kyrie Irving were born in Australia, as was Warriors center Andrew Bogut. Cavs centers Sasha Kaun and Timofey Mozgov hail from Russia, Cavs center Tristan Thompson is Canadian, Golden State teammates Leandro Barbosa and Anderson Varejao are Brazilian and Warriors reserve Festus Ezeli is from Nigeria.

---

3:50 p.m.

Oracle Arena is cloaked in gold and ready to rock. The Golden State Warriors have draped each seat with a golden yellow T-shirt that reads "Strength In Numbers" in blue across the chest.

Long considered one of the loudest arenas in the NBA, Oracle's crowd has always taken pride in supporting the Warriors with full-throated vigor. That figures to turn up even another notch with the rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Fans also get a glowing wristband to wear during pregame festivities, and the rest of the Bay Area is following suit in support of the Warriors.

The Raiders took out a newspaper ad with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and late owner Al Davis's famous slogan "Just Win Baby."

Lines have formed outside of sporting goods stores as fans try to get their hands on Warriors gear and cheer their team on to a second straight championship.

---

3:30 p.m.

The highly anticipated NBA Finals rematch between Golden State and Cleveland will get off to a legendary start.

Oscar-winning musician John Legend will kick off Game 1 on Thursday by singing the national anthem. Legend is a frequent attendee of NBA games, often watching courtside with wife Chrissy Teigen.

He won an Oscar and a Golden Globe partnering with Common on the song "Glory" for the film "Selma."

Stephen Curry and the Warriors host LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Game 1 on Thursday night. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers to win the title last season.

Legend also sang "America the Beautiful" before the Super Bowl in 2015.

---

2:55 p.m.

Cleveland Browns first-year coach Hue Jackson has Southern California roots and Northern California ties.

But he's backing the Cavaliers in their second straight visit to the NBA Finals.

"I'm 'All In'," said Jackson, using the Cavs' postseason motto. "I hope that for our city that the Cavs can go and get this done. They're well deserving. They play extremely hard, they're well coached. They obviously have some tremendous players led by LeBron and Kyrie and the rest of those guys."

Jackson has become a fixture at Cavs playoff games. And although he will forever be loyal to his hometown Los Angeles Lakers, he's encouraged his players to get behind Cleveland's NBA franchise.

Of course, Cleveland has not had a major pro sports championship since 1964, but Jackson says the Cavs will end that drought.

"They'll get it done," he said. "It's going to be a tough series but they'll get it done."

- Tom Withers in Cleveland

---

2:25 p.m.

Draymond Green has no time to talk technicals or consider changing his approach just because he is on the brink of being forced to sit out a game; one flagrant foul away from an automatic suspension and two technicals from being forced to sit.

No, thanks, Green doesn't want to discuss it. Tipoff for Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday night is drawing close now.

In mid-May, Green insisted he would do everything he could to keep his mouth shut and cut down on his arguing and technical fouls for the rest of the postseason.

That's a tough task for Golden State's emotional and outspoken swingman.

"I'm aware," Green said of his total, then walked off at the end of Thursday's shootaround.

The Warriors want him to be careful, don't want him changing his muscle-flexing, high-energy style.

"I don't think he's out there thinking about it too much, which we want, because you want him to play freely and play like himself," MVP Stephen Curry said. "There is a fine line to it, but we'll roll with that."