Welcome in to the full recap post of game 2 of the 2016 NBA Finals where the Warriors dominate the Cavaliers emphatically, beating them 77-110 to take an early, commanding 2-0 lead.
Prior to the finals, this was the most talked about rematch on how the Warriors can match up against a healthy Cleveland Cavaliers team. The first two games are writing a new narrative, that this sequel is starting to transform into a no contest. The Warriors put their stamp early in this series and they're absolutely demoralizing this Cavs team so far in this series.
CLE
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Richard Jefferson, 12 points, 4-6 shooting. The Cavaliers needed somebody behind their supporting cast to step up. Like I said in the halftime post, Jefferson took full on advantage of his minutes and turned in a solid game both offensively and defensively. The rest of the Cavs' supporting cast could take a page in how to step their game up and get involved.
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Turnovers. Despite the Cavs tightening up the defense and creating 20 turnovers for the Warriors, the Cavs started to play a little more sloppy as early as the 2nd half. They committed three less turnovers than the Warriors, but their turnovers gave the Warriors' more opportunity to score. Leandro Barbosa scoring 4 quick points was an example. It was a combination of the Cavs doing too much to get LeBron the ball and LeBron doing too much, which is why he accounted for 7 of the Cavaliers' turnovers.
Offensive execution. I noticed there was a lot of inconsistencies for the Cavs' offense. They fed to Kyrie Irving the ball to get him going early on, then they abandoned that to give LeBron the ball to get this offense going. The offensive execution was just erratic overall like the Cavs had no idea on who to lean on to put shots up and score. Simply put, the offense was not aggressive enough this game and bad execution lead to a lot of poor turnovers.
GSW
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Draymond Green, 28 points, 11-20 shooting. May I repeat that Draymond Green went off this game? He did! He was having a field day out there against Cleveland's defense. Clearly the Cavs' attention is to try and double both Splash Bros so that either of them don't go off for 30 or more points. But they clearly forget that the Dubs' third wheel in Draymond Green can do it all. The Cavs left him open from beyond the arc and Green burned them big time. He is a big reason why the Dubs were able to pull off another decisive victory over the Cavs.
Andrew Bogut, 5 blocks. Like I said in the halftime post, Andrew Bogut was a defensive presence early on in the 1st quarter and he was helping on defense at the right time. He threw one big block party during that 1st quarter and it was a perfect answer for the Cavs' tightened up defense before the Warriors blew it open in the 2nd half.
Bench. Livingston didn't need to drop another 20, but the Warriors' bench continued to show up for the team, outscoring the Cavs' bench 40-30. Once Andre Iguodala got inserted into the lineup early on, the Warriors' intensity surged offensively and defensively and they never looked back. Barbosa had another solid game. The "Brazilian Blur" continues to turn back the clock in these first two games. The bench continues its fine performance in the finals.
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????? Aside from the 20 turnovers, I can't think of any other negatives for the Warriors right now. With a complete performance like this game, I don't think negatives matter here.
Conclusion
Just what exactly is wrong with the Cleveland Cavaliers in this series? A championship is at stake and they are just being outmatched by the Warriors despite having their entire roster intact. I'll stick to my prediction that Golden State will win in 7 games as I think Cleveland can pull of some wins now that the series is shifting to Cleveland. However, with the way these finals started, it's becoming a laughable rematch. They just have no answer for the Warriors right now. I think after the series with the Thunder, the Warriors started to realize they have to return to playing with a lot of intensity and energy. They are outplaying and outcoaching the Cavs right now in terms of hustle, energy, effort, and sense of urgency. Perhaps the scenery shift is what the Cavs need to get their game going and get back in this series. They'll be playing with a lot of desperation in front of their home crowd. However, there's something different about this Warriors team and they'll look to impose their "killer instinct" on this series even further on the road. We'll see what happens. I'll see you guys on Wednesday for game 3.
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