CLEVELAND — After the 11 makes and the 24 misses, after the 16 rebounds and the 11 assists and the 39 points, each of them hard won, LeBron James plopped down on a dais at Oracle Arena on Sunday night and reflected on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first step in the N.B.A. finals toward a championship.

“If you’re looking for us to play sexy, cute basketball, that’s not us,” he said. “That’s not us right now. Everything is tough.”

He was speaking after a halting, lung-searing victory in overtime at the home of the Golden State Warriors, who limited the Cavaliers to 32.2 percent shooting — and lost.

The grittiness of the game — the court might as well have been coated with mud — made the result even more remarkable. It was a blue-collar win born of sweat and determination, fitting for a group of guys who call Cleveland home, even if they are multimillionaires.