OAKLAND, Calif. — The fadeaways and low post shots kept coming out of LeBron James, a brilliant performance blending the score and pass, and yet privately these Golden State Warriors couldn’t fathom the end to this Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the bulky swelling of Kyrie Irving’s knee.

For LeBron, this core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green was conceived upon as those old Oklahoma City Thunder were in 2012, and he went coast-to-coast with the same mindset. These Finals are mine, not for these first-timers. His Cleveland Cavaliers had double-digit leads, had a superstar game from Kyrie Irving through regulation and, most of all, a close heave at the fourth quarter buzzer by Iman Shumpert. “I don’t understand how that didn’t go in,” David Lee repeated inside an Oracle Arena hallway late Thursday.

Behind 67 wins and the Western Conference championship, no one has needed reason to doubt the Warriors’ resolve and ability to triumph on the court. This was an imperfect 108-100 win over Cleveland in an imperfect Warriors’ season, giving the franchise a 1-0 lead in The Finals. Everyone has boasted on and on about the closeness of the Golden State players, and yes, winning brings a locker room together. Nevertheless, the season hasn’t been without turbulence. Curry made a subtly public, yet privately-known push for the Most Valuable Player award, and Green has ingratiated himself as the face of the team, a one-man voice in a room where Andre Iguodala, Leandro Barbosa, Andrew Bogut and Shaun Livingston command the widest of eyes and clearest of ears. Between his dog, social-media famous girlfriend and a concussion late in the playoffs, Thompson has been scattered at times, but always committed to the cause.

On more than one occasion this season, Green has confronted teammates over an issue on the court, only to be rebuffed and concede a misunderstanding. He's recognized his growth as a player and made it known. Around the team, people understand it’s all part of Green’s fierceness, his well intentions to become the leader he viewed himself at Michigan State. Steve Kerr has allowed Green to play freely, utilizing his ball handling and outside shooting, and the forward has in turn rewarded the coach.

Ask the Warriors about who helps lead the locker room and manages the young core, and it’ll be one of four veterans. Curry and Thompson had pushed for the signing of Barbosa last offseason after playing against him in a Team USA exhibition, and his leadership reinforces confidence within the stars. Iguodala and Livingston are the proven blue-chip talents with a story. And when Bogut, a seldom deliverer of diatribe, has a scheduled message, they listen.

It took 38 shots for James to score 44 points, and he needed to delve into each gear to sustain his grip.

“I like it,” Green said. “We didn’t play our best by any means, and yet we found a way to win."

The different bodies will continue coming toward James, and he’ll keep pumping the same message into these Cavaliers. They’ll follow him in his most magnificent of games, with or without Irving, but the loss of Irving appeared to loom over the Cavaliers’ locker room. Several Warriors players had witnessed Irving’s knee swell up on the court, and James braced the world for an absence, for the next man up in Matthew Dellavedova.

Irving walked out of Oracle Arena on crutches, able to put little weight on his left leg, and he’ll undergo an MRI on Friday. His family had waited for over an hour post-game for Irving to emerge outside of the locker room, and he did smiling, laughing.

“Nothing yet, but we all saw the same fall,” Irving’s dad, Drederick, said on his walk out of the arena.

Around Kyrie, the family’s concerned, tired of the constant pain and recovery, fall and rise. Could Irving’s camp and the Cavaliers decide to preserve his health and prevent him from any return?

LeBron James shattered the Warriors’ defensive principles at times, forced switches on all sides of the floor, and a remarkable Finals opener was nearly decided on a push shot out of Iman Shumpert, fading out of bounds. It has not been all perfect for these Golden State Warriors, a young core relying upon a cast of veterans to coddle egos, maintain focuses and ensure every last one is in his place. Those with knowledge of that tug and pull wonder. Maybe the Golden State run to this point is as improbable as these depleted Cavaliers.