The Warriors’ bench is their biggest advantage in the NBA Finals

Stephen Curry is the Warriors' best player. Draymond Green is the emotional leader and Klay Thompson is the quiet complementary star. Those three are undoubtedly the core of this historically good team, but they aren't the only reason Golden State is this good.

The Warriors' motto is "Strength in Numbers" and Game 1 of the NBA Finals proved once again that Steve Kerr truly believes in it. Golden State's bench was given plenty of minutes at a time of the year in which most coaches decide to shorten the rotation. The subs responded and they were the biggest reason why the defending champions are up 1-0 in the series, not the stars.

The numbers paint a good picture of the superiority of the Warriors' depth. Before garbage time, Warriors subs had been on the court for just over 84 minutes and combined to score 45 points. The Cavaliers' played for only 44 minutes and scored just eight points. There are no two ways about it: the difference in contributions from the non-starters was the biggest reason the Warriors won a game in which Curry and Thompson were largely ineffective, combining for just 20 points in 27 shots.

Coming into the series, it was widely speculated that Andre Iguodala was going to start, like he did in Game 7 of the conference finals. Instead, Harrison Barnes got the nod and proceeded to put together an impressive first quarter, helping Golden State get off to a good start with seven points in the frame. He also played decent defense on James, which allowed Iguodala the opportunity to save some energy initially that came in handy later on.

The reigning finals MVP came off the bench and had arguably his best all-around game of the playoffs, finishing the night with 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a fantastic defensive performance. Iguodala, along with Shaun Livingston, who scored a career playoffs-high of 20 points, and Leandro Barbosa, who scored 11 points in 11 minutes, carried the offense while Curry and Thompson struggled.

Last season, Andrew Bogut was on the bench for the better part of the back end of the finals series, as the team went smaller. This season he played big minutes in Game 5 against the Thunder, then had his playing time reduced going forward, including the start of the series against the Cavaliers. He had no issue with it. Thompson played just under 25 minutes on Thursday but you won't hear him complain because he knows next time around, when the bench wings don't have great games, his playing time will increase. There is a level of trust between the core players and their coach that can't be faked or forced.

Then there's the energy guys. Kerr will not give them many minutes but will let some players on the fringe of the rotation get at least a stint to see if they can contribute. It's often perplexing to see Anderson Varejao, Marreese Speights or Barbosa check in, considering they are a serious downgrade over the top seven players in the roster, but they typically get a handful of minutes. When it works, it can change the game.

In Game 5 against the Thunder, Speights caught fire and scored 14 points in eight minutes. On Thursday, Barbosa got hot in the first half to help the Warriors get a sizable lead. Varejao and Festus Ezeli, without getting gaudy stat lines or playing particularly well, bought Green some time to rest, and wore down the Cavaliers' bigs. All those players would get exposed in bigger roles but in a short burst all it takes is a couple positive plays for them to help the team.

The Warriors simply trust their bench. Only the Spurs played their subs more minutes among teams that got past the first round. It helps that they have a deep roster filled with capable players. Iguodala would start for most teams, Livingston is one of the best backup point guards in the league and the rest of the players are legitimate rotation pieces. The Warriors' bench leads everyone in the playoffs in points per game and are among the best in all other categories.

The Cavaliers are not as deep but had gotten great production from their bench in short stints so far. One of their most used lineups featured four subs and LeBron James and was destroying opponents, especially on offense. In Game 1 it only got one minute of run and one of its main cogs, Channing Frye, barely played after that. Tyronn Lue simply doesn't have the same confidence on his reserves, which will put more pressure on his starters to log heavy minutes and still produce at a high level.

The Cavaliers have LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, so they can match Golden State's star power. They might not be able to match their depth and ability to adjust. That could be a big factor in the series. It certainly was in Game 1.

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