Australian Matthew Dellavedova left his opponent gobsmacked after a strike to the genitals but it was Golden State's bench who ultimately stunned the most, leading the Warriors to a handy win against Cleveland in the opening game of the NBA Finals.
The defending champion Warriors ran away with a 104-89 victory at Oracle Arena in Oakland, despite their most potent scorers Steph Curry and Klay Thompson having off nights.
But the win was almost overshadowed by the abrasive Dellavedova who again managed to court post-season controversy.
In the third quarter Dellavedova reached in to foul Warriors' veteran Andre Iguodala on a fast break and hit him in the genitals.
Iguodala exploded, confronted Dellavedova and had to be held back by teammates.
"You've got guys who have got to get a little dirty, got to be a little physical to make a life and to feed their family," Iguodala said.
The officials reviewed video of the incident, but deemed it only a personal foul against Dellavedova rather than a more serious flagrant foul.
"I don't really know why they reviewed it," Dellavedova said.
"I was just stopping the break."
In last year's playoff run with the Cavaliers Dellavedova had upset Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks and Warriors players with his aggressive play.
Andrew Bogut, who had a strong game for the Warriors with 10 points, refused to be drawn into his Boomer teammate's latest controversy.
"I'm not going to comment on that," Bogut said.
Bogut, who started the game despite speculation coach Steve Kerr might relegate him to the bench in favour of a smaller, faster line-up, said he was keen to make the most of the decision.
He was one of his side's best and had 10 points for the night.
He also was not surprised the Warriors' bench stepped up when Curry and Thompson were off target.
"That's been a big part of our team throughout the season," Bogut said.
"I got some easy looks, made some easy baskets, I was rolling and we had a strong first quarter," Bogut, who scored eight of his points in the first half, told reporters.
The series was billed as a battle between Curry and Thompson and the Cavaliers' big three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.
But Curry and Thompson combined for just 20 points.
The Cavaliers' All-Star trio had solid games but their bench, including guard Dellavedova, were outplayed by the Warriors' reserves.
"When you get outscored 45-10 on the bench and give up 25 points off 17 turnovers, no matter what someone does or doesn't do, it's going to be hard to win, especially on the road," James said.
Bogut, usually the Warriors' defensive specialist, scored his team's first basket with a reverse layup, followed it with a tip in and then an alley-oop dunk.
Curry had just 11 points, connecting with four of 15 shots and three of eight on three-pointers.
Thompson had nine points, hitting just four of 12 field goals and one of five behind the three point line.
The Warriors' bench was led by Livingston's 20 points, Iguodala's 12 and Leandro Barbosa's 11.
Game two of the best-of-seven series is Oakland on Sunday, with games three and four in Cleveland.
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