Warriors Hammer Cavs in Game 2 Behind Draymond Green's 28 Points

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.

2016 NBA Finals: Game 2: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Golden State Warriors Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

CLE 77 GSW 110

In summary of this game as a whole, a dominating performance by the Warriors, a demoralizing performance by the Cavaliers. Like I said before, you don't know which of players on the Warriors' roster is going to step up. They are playing at a different level and the first two games put the stamp on how much of a mismatch the Warriors are for the Cavs, despite Cleveland having all their players healthy. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

CLE 62 GSW 82

It was a sloppy quarter to start for both teams, but the Warriors start to keep churning away from the Cavaliers. Draymond Green continues stay hot, accounting for 28 of the Warriors' points and Klay Thompson started heating up this quarter. The Cavs are just having a tough time matching up with this deep Warriors squad, despite all the adjustments defensively and now, they are starting to turn the ball over as the Warriors' defense put the pressure on them.

Q2:

CLE 44 GSW 52

You just never know who's going to come up huge for the Warriors. Draymond Green, despite going cold late in this quarter went off and helped the Warriors' lead balloon to as many as 15. Despite the notion that the Warriors were going to run away, the Cavs came storming back to cut the lead to a more manageable deficit and it started with LeBron James getting to the hoop more often and attacking. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

CLE 21 GSW 19

A great, defensive quarter for both teams. The Cavs made the necessary adjustments to tighten up their defense and it's working out for them, generating 5 turnovers from the Warriors' bench this quarter. On the Warriors' side, Andrew Bogut got the block party going on early, recording 4 blocks on the Cavs. It's a good struggle so far, but both teams know, they have to do more and execute better offensively.

Game 2 Halftime Post

CLE 44 GSW 52

Welcome in to the halftime post of game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors where the Warriors have a 44-52 lead at the half.

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GSW: Draymond Green, 17 points, 7-13 shooting. The last few minutes in the 2nd quarter wasn't a good finish for Green as he went cold, but he's the biggest reason why the Warriors ignited in the 2nd quarter. The Cavs left him wide open beyond the arc and dared him to beat them and Green made their defense pay by hitting those shots.

GSW: Andrew Bogut, 2 points, 4 blocks. The first quarter was good exhibition defensively for Andrew Bogut. He's just being there as the help defense at the right time and timing the blocks for the Warriors to play their game of run and shoot.

CLE: Richard Jefferson, 7 points. Jefferson is my under-the-radar positive for the Cavs. He took advantage of the early minutes Tyronn Lue is giving him and he has made timely shots for the Cavs to start a run or quiet the Oracle crowd. Not to mention, he's doing his job defensively, helping at the right time to create turnovers on this Warriors squad.

CLE: LeBron James, 14 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists. James' late surge in the 2nd quarter grants a positive. The Cavs are going to need LeBron to be more aggressive in attacking the basket.

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GSW: Turnovers. Give credit to the Cavs' defense. They made the necessary adjustments by doubling at the right time and they've created 9 turnovers for the Warriors. The Warriors have to make the right adjustments to take better care of the ball.

CLE: The rest of the Big 3. Kevin Love, 5 points, Kyrie Irving, 4 points. The Cavs got Irving the ball early on to start the game, but they've abandoned that completely. Kyrie has been the 2nd anchor for LeBron and the Cavs have to find a way to get him involved like they did early on in the first quarter.

Bottom Line

CLE: The Cavs have to continue to match the Warriors intensity defensively. They've done a nice job with the turnovers generated. Offensively, they just need to get LeBron to keep attacking and find ways to get Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, and the rest of the team more involved.

GSW: The Warriors need to stay the course with their gameplan, but turnovers are once again haunting them from running away this game. They have to take better care of the ball and keep the intensity on offense and defense.

Warriors' Depth Shows in Decisive Game 1 Victory Over Cavs

Welcome in to the full recap post of game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals where the defending champion, Golden State Warriors, started to defend their title on the right foot, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 89-104 behind a stellar performance from the Golden State bench.

When the Warriors won the championship last year, the whole narrative was that they beat a depleted Cavs team. Everybody wanted to see what they can do against a healthy Cavaliers team this time around in this rematch. It didn't matter. The Splash Bros of Curry and Thompson did not beat the Cavs, even though they made timely buckets to seal the deal. The bench play of the Warriors was the difference maker and it made the team a whole different cat against a full-strength Cavs team.

CLE

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Kyrie Irving, 26 points, 7-22 shooting. The shooting percentage will say otherwise for Kyrie Irving's performance. But out of all the Cavs players, he got to the free throw line the most. He did a great job dropping contact from an aggressive Warriors' defense and slowing the game down a little by going to the free throw line to help the Cavs narrow the deficit down. The 3rd quarter was evident that he started to take over scoring-wise.

LeBron James, 23 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, 9-21 shooting. LeBron is going to always have these stats as long as he's on the floor. It's no surprise that he was just one assist shy of a triple-double. When LeBron is scoring on the inside, chances are he's going to win using his "freight train" size and power. LeBron put up typical LeBron stats, nothing much to be said.

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Supporting Cast. It was a problem in last year's finals and it has become a problem this game for the Cavaliers. With the exception of Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith was a non-factor this game. Frye, Shumpert, Jefferson, Dellavedova, they were all nowhere to be found this game. The Cavs may have finally gotten their Big 3 healthy and intact, but the rest of the team has to find a way to get involved and help out because they got outscored big time by the Warriors' supporting cast.

GSW

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Shaun Livingston, 20 points, 8-10 shooting. First off, I'll give a lot of credit to the Warriors' bench as a whole. As I said in my preview, they're going to be one of the keys for the Dubs' chances at a repeat. Leandro Barbosa was in double figures, Andre Iguodala, last year's Finals MVP was in double figures and doing it on both sides of the ball. Obviously, big kudos to Livingston for going off this game. The size and versatility he brings will give the Cavs all kinds of fits if he continues to have games like tonight. He's played well throughout the playoffs and you can't help but commend Livingston for coming this far since his devastating knee injury a few years back.

Defense. "Intense" is probably the most overused word to describe a defense that executed to perfection in a game. The Warriors' defense was in hibernation throughout the playoffs. But this game, they raised the intensity, generating 15 turnovers from the Cavaliers and holding them to under 100 points. Keep in mind the Cavs, were the hottest offense in the playoffs coming into these finals and the Warriors' stoned them with double teams, hustle plays, and throwing their bodies out there to draw charges or alter the Cavs' shot.

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Splash Bros. This is probably the first time in a long time that Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were held to under 20 points. It was a complete off game for both, but how the rest of the team played erased some of those deficiencies and eased the pressure of them doing too much. They should get going next game since a performance like this from the whole team comes "once in a blue moon."

Conclusion

Game 1 reminded us of how deep the Warriors team is. Curry and Thompson having underwhelming performances and the team still getting a double-digit victory speaks volumes about the depth for the defending champions. The Cavs managed to keep this game competitive, but they just had to execute better and it was obvious their offense was stagnant early on. It's going to be a long series for Cleveland if the rest of the team fails to show up like in this game. Next game should give them plenty of time to make adjustments and they've been very good at responding to a loss in the postseason. We'll see what kind of adjustments both teams make as Game 2 is usually a 180 degree turnaround for both teams. I'll see you guys on Sunday for the next game.

2016 NBA Finals: Game 1: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Golden State Warriors Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

CLE 89 GSW 104

What a complete team effort from the Warriors to take game 1 of finals. The Warriors' bench came alive in the 4th quarter and closed the book on the Cavs. The Cavs fought hard, made the necessary adjustments in the 2nd half to cut the deficit, but the Dubs were just too good offensively and defensively to draw first blood. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

CLE 68 GSW 74

Whew, what a quarter! Both teams exchanged buckets during the final stretch of the third quarter. It looks like the Cavs did their due diligence in making adjustments during the half. They started to tighten up on defense and the execution was a lot better on offense. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were aggressive during to bring the Cavs back from an early 14 point deficit. It's been a good game 1 of this rematch so far with the Warriors having a six point advantage.

Q2:

CLE 43 GSW 52

The bench play of Golden State is stepping up big time this game. Leandro Barbosa is hitting shots, Shaun Livingston is hitting shots and the Warriors are looking unstoppable right now. The Cavs, aside from LeBron James, are having a tough time to figure out the Warriors as the defensive of the Dubs is putting the pressure on Cleveland, despite a small nine point advantage. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

CLE 24 GSW 28

Good pace on both sides of the ball for both teams. to start at the first quarter. The Cavs drew first blood with a 3-point bucket by Kevin Love and the Warriors have responded. It's a game of runs as every time the Warriors seem they have the upper hand, the Cavs manage to respond to keep within striking distance. Early on the Warriors implemented some intimidation on the Cavs defensively, forcing two 24 shot clock violations, but the Cavs recovered well to trim the deficit at four points. We are seeing a good chess match between the coaches, Steve Kerr and Tyronn Lue in terms of adjustments to each team's personnel on the floor.

Game 1 Halftime Post

CLE 43 GSW 52

Welcome in to the halftime post of game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors where the Warriors have a 43-52 at the half.

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CLE: LeBron James, 11 points, 9 rebounds, 4-9 shooting. It will be a given that LeBron will be a positive for the Cavs given his all-around ability. LeBron will have his way inside the paint and the Cavs were able to feed LeBron early. That, and he's on pace for a double-double.

GSW: Harrison Barnes, 9 points, 4-6 shooting. This has gotta be confidence booster for Harrison Barnes so far. He has been an inconsistent player all season long, but he's finding his shot and stepping up when the Cavs are assigning their defense to guard the Splash Bros.

GSW: Bench. This is the sole reason why the Warriors' roster is so deep. When their bench plays well, everything opens up for the team. Leandro Barbosa, the Brazilian Blur chipped in with 7 points, Shaun Livingston with 6 points, Iggy and Ezeli each with 2 points. They make Golden State a really different team when players step up and get their game going.

GSW: Defense. Despite a small advantage, it was a defensive clinic for the Dubs. As mentioned, the Warriors have generated two 24 shot clock violations on the Cavs in the 1st quarter and Andre Iguodala is swiping the ball from the Cavs' hands left and right. They're doing a great job on when to double and they're adjusting the Cavs' shot.

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CLE: J.R. Smith, 0 points, 0-1 shooting. It's a bad sign for the Cavs when J.R. Smith is a non-factor for the first half. The Cavs need to find a way to get him going and give him high percentage looks in the three point game.

Bottom Line

CLE: It's no surprise that the Big 3 of the Cavs are in double figures. That means the supporting cast of the group has to step up and be the unsung hero for the team to steal Game 1.

GSW: Everything is clicking right now on all phases from the Warriors. They have to keep up the defensive intensity in the 2nd half and Steve Kerr has to keep outsmarting Tyronn Lue in terms of in-game adjustments.

2016 NBA Finals Preview: Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers II

Welcome in to the 2016 NBA Finals preview on the blog provided by yours truly. This year's finals is the most anticipated rematch between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Dubs beat the Cavs in last year's finals to capture their first title in 40 years. They meet again and while the Warriors retained their championship core from last year, the Cavs have a new coach in place and all their players are at full strength.

Golden State Warriors

By all means, the 2015-16 campaign of the Golden State Warriors is one for the ages in the franchise's history. The team set a new mark for the most regular season wins in NBA history, finishing with an impressive record of 73-9 and supplanting the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls who set the previous mark at 72 wins. Steve Kerr is one lucky man because he got to be a part of history as a player for the Bulls and now as a coach for the Warriors. The impressive thing about the Warriors in breaking the record was that they kept most of their championship players intact. Having won a championship last year, most would think that the competition was going to get tough for them, but they got through the regular season with ease. You can say that the Warriors were a record-breaking machine. They had the longest winning streak at home stemming from last season with 54 home wins before falling to the Boston Celtics late in this season. They're the first team in history to shoot over 1,000 three pointers in the regular season. Steph Curry set an individual record for 400 three pointers made in one season and became the NBA's first unanimous Most Valuable Player. The postseason was another story for the Warriors as Curry went down with ankle and knee injuries in the Warriors' first round matchup with the Houston Rockets before returning in Game 4 in their matchup vs. the Portland Trailblazers in the semifinals. They were battle tested in the conference finals against an aggressive Oklahoma City Thunder who upset the San Antonio Spurs, the 2nd best team in the west, in the semifinals. The Warriors were down 3-1 and were on the brink of having their magical season end in disappointment. But, as former Rockets' head coach Rudy Tomjanovich used to say: "don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion." The Warriors stormed back against the Thunder and eventually took the series in 7 games en route to their 2nd consecutive NBA Finals appearance.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The year 1964 was the last time that the city of Cleveland has ever won a professional sports championship and the Cavaliers are Cleveland's only hope to end that drought. Even though the Cavs had to wait for a majority of the season for Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving to get healthy, they still got off to a good start. When you have LeBron James on the roster, chances are you'll still be a competitive team. However, it was a "funky" season for the Cavs. The team made a controversial decision to relieve former head coach, David Blatt of his head coaching duties despite coaching the team to a 30-11 start at the midway point of the season. LeBron, at one point, called out the rest of the team for showing a lack of toughness. Tyronn Lue steps in as interim head coach and changed offensive and defensive philosophies for the Cavs. The Cavs' offense has more emphasis on an up-tempo pace and their defense has more emphais on tough, disciplined defense in order to finish off opponents in the 4th quarter in games. They pulled off another trade before the trade deadline in February by acquiring Channing Frye from the Orlando Magic in order for the Cavs to space the floor more on the court. Despite an underwhelming regular season finish, the Cavs flipped the switch in the postseason, easily disposing the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks in a 4 game sweep in the first two rounds and eliminating the Raptors in 6 games in the conference finals. LeBron James makes history individually and becomes the first NBA player in a while to make the NBA Finals in 6 consecutive years.

Keys for the Dubs

The Warriors have patented "small ball" basketball and it has worked throughout the majority of the season. Add in to the fact, that they are still a deep team behind the Splash Bros. There isn't a new formula that the Warriors have to follow in facing against the same Cavaliers team with a few differences. The main achilles heel that has derailed the Warriors is the turnovers. Even though the Warriors' ball movement is a sight to see, they've committed some silly turnovers. It was evident in all nine of their regular season losses and in the conference finals matchup vs. OKC. They have to take better care of the ball. The next keys for the Dubs I'm going to rehash on last year's preview. Let Curry do his magic and Klay Thompson has to step up his game. Last year, Thompson disappointed overall in the playoffs, but he has stepped up this year in Curry's absence and when the Warriors were playing with their season on the line when down 3-1 vs. the Thunder. The rest of the team has to step up as well. They were almost a non-factor in the conference finals after playing so well in the first two rounds. If they can find their form, they can remind the league how deep of a team they are.

Keys for the Cavs

They're healthy and adding Channing Frye to the mix, they can play the Warriors' own game of "small ball" themselves. In the semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks, they've set a record for most threes in the postseason. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving are the primary ball handlers and they can draw double-teams to give a player some opportunity for an open shot, making the Cavs a dangerous team. They need to play the Warriors like they did in the Christmas Day game where the game was close. If you remember the MLK Day game in Cleveland, they got blown out by the Warriors, suffering their worst home defeat in recent history. With Tyronn Lue as head coach, they can match up well with the Warriors in terms of pace and defense. The Big 3 of James, Irving, and Love each need to have big games to carry this team towards a championship and they need more unsung performers like how Matthew Dellavedova stepped up in the finals last year. Look for J.R. Smith, Channing Frye, Tristan Thompson, Richard Jefferson, and Dellavedova to provide some timely relief for the Big 3.

Prediction

Unlike last year, this could be a very good matchup between the two teams. The Cavs were undermanned when the Warriors captured the NBA title from them and it looks like they can run lapses and catch up behind this Golden State team. Despite the Cavs fully healthy, I think the Warriors are still the better team in terms of depth. LeBron, Kyrie, and K-Love could give Steph, Klay, and Draymond some fits and Channing Frye can provide mismatches at the "5" position if Bogut and Ezeli are on the floor for the Warriors. This could be a down-to-the-wire series, but I think the Warriors have the depth to cap off their historical season with back-to-back NBA titles.

Warriors in 7

Game 1: Q-by-Q Reaction, Halftime, and Full Recap Posts tomorrow 6:00 PDT