Welcome in to the full recap of game 2 of the 2018 NBA Finals where the Warriors soundly beat the Cavs in a wire-to-wire 103-122 victory to take a 2-0 series lead.
There's not much the Cavaliers can do when two former MVPs go off for a combined 59 points. Golden State was firing from all cylinders tonight. Not just that, but they were swarming on defense. Credit to the Cavs for hanging in there after a slow start in the first quarter and outscoring the Warriors in the third quarter, the quarter where the Dubs do most of their damage. But, they were way overmatched against the Warriors' superstar roster.
Cleveland Cavaliers
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LeBron James, 29 points, 9 rebounds, 13 assists. Luckily for the Warriors, LeBron didn't go beast mode like in the last game. They made a couple of nice adjustments to make sure he didn't have it easy, attacking the rim. He still put up numbers though and got more of his teammates involved. Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love benefited from LeBron's ball facilitation.
Kevin Love, 22 points, 10 rebounds. Slow start for Kevin Love in the 2nd game. But, he came up big in the third quarter to try to will the Cavaliers back.
George Hill, 15 points, 5-12 shooting. This is the type of unsung performances that the Cavs need to have in order to get LeBron more help. Game 1, Hill was pedestrian and of course, he missed the game-tying free throw. Game 2, he was in attack mode. Hill is a seasoned vet that can put up solid numbers. This is good for him to build off of as the series shifts to Cleveland.
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Overall effort. The Cavaliers went from competitive in Game 1 to outclassed in Game 2. I thought they didn't come in with the same confidence they had in Game 1, believing they could steal a game at Oracle. Defensively, they racked up some steals, but in transition, they were nonchalant. After physically out-rebounding the Warriors in Game 1, the Warriors were more physical and out-rebounded the Cavs.
J.R. Smith, 5 points, 2-9 shooting. The legacy of J.R. Smith continues to take a tumble in the last 48 hours. First the blunder with 4.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter in Game 1. Then, this performance where Smith couldn't find a bucket. You know J.R. Smith has it bad when Warriors fans are sarcastically cheering him in starter introductions and chanting "MVP" when he's on the free throw line.
Golden State Warriors
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Stephen Curry, 33 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists. Curry set a new mark in the NBA Finals record books for most three-pointers in a game with nine. There's not much you can say other than the guy is true marksman and magician with the ball in his hands. The Cavs at times, played good defense on him, but nothing they can do when Steph Curry has better offense. He was also solid at the defensive end, providing help defense at the right time and boxing out to ensure the Cavs don't have extra possessions. So far, Curry is the early Finals MVP favorite if the Warriors win the championship.
Kevin Durant, 26 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 10-14 shooting. Game 1, Kevin Durant had an okay performance. He struggled, but adjusted by taking more shots inside. Good, but not great. Tonight was more of the KD Warriors fans are accustomed to seeing. Volume scoring, efficient shooting. KD was lights out and the Cavs were severely mismatched on defense. It doesn't help when J.R. Smith and George Hill are guarding. Durant was able to shoot over them with ease. That turnaround J was unguardable.
Klay Thompson, 20 points, 8-13 shooting. There were a lot of doubts whether or not Klay Thompson was gonna play tonight. Luckily for Warriors, he was able to play. Quite frankly, he didn't look like the high ankle sprain affected him. He looked fluid moving around the court, running in transition, and getting enough lift to drain some three point shots.
JaVale McGee, 12 points, 6-6 shooting. Terrific adjustment by coach Steve Kerr to insert JaVale McGee into the lineup over Kevon Looney. McGee had more activity in getting off of screens and rolling into the basket. Warriors fed him early with four quick points to start. He helped create all kinds of miscommunication on the Cavs' defense.
Shaun Livingston, 10 points, 5-5 shooting. Livingston continues to carry the 2nd unit with Iguodala out. The is the 2nd time this series where he provided a decent amount of scoring off the bench.
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Not a lot of negatives to pull out of this game from the Warriors.
Conclusion
A nightmarish two games in Oakland for the Cleveland Cavaliers to forget about. First, they blow a golden opportunity to steal a game in Game 1. Then, they get destroyed here in Game 2. The Cavs do have a knack to respond in a big way when a playoff series shifts to Cleveland. However, the Warriors are not the Celtics and Kyrie Irving is no longer with the team to provide more firepower. As the series shifts to Cleveland, Cavs fans better hope that George Hill builds off his Game 2 performance and J.R. Smith finally wakes up. We also had a Rodney Hood sighting this game. Regardless of the issue with Hood, they gotta play him. Albeit streaky, he can score in bunches off the bench better than Jordan Clarkson can (sorry JC, you're not in LA anymore). On the Warriors' front, the stakes are going to be higher on them on the road than at home. They did a nice job last year in Game 3 to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Now, they have to do it again and this time, they gotta ensure that the series doesn't go back to Oracle. I'll see you guys on Wednesday for Game 3!
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