A historic performance by LeBron James was not enough for the Cleveland Cavaliers to claim a victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.They suffered a dramatic 124-114 loss at Oracle Arena but the manner of the defeat will be tough for them to deal with as the contest ended in wild fashion.The Cavs threw away a golden opportunity to steal home-court advantage and cause a huge upset to begin the series as a late error by J.R. Smith proved costly.After grabbing a rebound from a missed George Hill free-throw with 4.5 seconds remaining and the score tied at 104, the veteran decided to dribble the ball out instead of attempting a shot to win the game as he thought Cleveland had the lead.The play drew a stunned reaction from LeBron in particular as he immediately questioned Smith for his decision in an animated fashion.Golden State took full advantage of the huge slice of luck they received and came out with more energy in the overtime period, outscoring the Cavaliers 17-7.This eventually overshadowed what was another classic playoff performance by James as he almost willed his team to an outstanding win.He poured in an astonishing 51 points on 19-of-32 shooting, along with eight rebounds and eight assists.

This saw the three-time champion set multiple milestones on the night. With his eighth 40-point game, he now ties Hall of Famer Jerry West for the most in a single postseason, per ESPN Stats and Info. 'The Logo' achieved the mark with his remarkable run in 1965.

He also tied the legendary Michael Jordan for the most 30-plus-point games in NBA playoff history with his 109th.

The King matched MJ with another remarkable feat as he became just the second player since 1970 to score more than 50 points in an NBA Finals game.

It was the 33-year-old's first ever 50-point game in the postseason but he became the first player to score half a century of points and lose a Finals game.

The exploits of the four-time MVP will quickly be forgotten, however, as the headlines belong to J.R. for his bizarre moment at the end of the encounter.

It's likely to be a decisive moment in the series as the Cavaliers now face a difficult task to win Game 2 and avoid going down 2-0.

They'll view it as a huge chance missed but will have no choice but to dust themselves off and look to put it right on Sunday night.

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