Cleveland Cavaliers 113-132 Golden State Warriors
The NBA Finals Game 2 appeared to be heading for a tight affair. But that was until the second half happened when the Warriors pummeled the Cavaliers and left them in the dust.
Betting websites still had the Cavs as “underdogs” in this finals series, but betting odds gave them little handicap with the belief that they can push the Dubs to their limits.
However, although Cleveland showed some resistance in the beginning, it became clear as the battle wore on why Golden State were the online betting favourites.
Sure enough, the Warriors’ performance was far from perfect even with the return of Steve Kerr. They had 20 turnovers in the match while the Cavs only had nine – a big turnaround from their Game 1 displays to say the least.
Nonetheless, Golden State’s offensive talent and depth proved to be far superior to that of the defending champions.
Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry once again led the Warriors’ wild run, with the latter even recording his first-ever postseason triple-double of 32 points, 11 dimes and 10 boards. Durant, meanwhile, also filled the stat sheet with his brilliant all-around showing, recording 33 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, five blocks and three steals.
On the other hand, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green made up for their woeful performance on the offence the last time out, combining for 34 points while also consistently providing an impact on the defensive end.
Cleveland didn’t go down without a fight, at least not in the first half. LeBron James scored 18 in that stretch, but his influence waned after the break as he noticeably lost the aggressiveness he showed early.
The same goes for Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving who both struggled to make their shots against the Golden State defence.
It also didn’t help the Wine and Gold that they weren’t able to click from beyond the arc, making only eight out of their 29 attempts – a measly figure compared to the Dubs’ 18 made threes.
Another key area that the Warriors dominated was the rebounding department where they grabbed 53 (43 of which are defensive boards), which helped lessen the damage caused by their unusually high turnover rate.
Indeed, Game 2 showed how big the difference is between these two teams, and it might be time for the Cavs to hit the panic button as they now trail 0-2. They might be hoping that they can make another comeback like last year, but with what the Warriors are showing, they might not even have a chance!
Game 3 is at Quicken Loans Arena this Thursday.
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