If you’re sensing a trend that the Warriors are able to turn a tight game into a runaway through the first two contests of the 2017 Finals – you’re not alone.
The Cavaliers put together a much better effort in Game 2 of their title trilogy against the Warriors. But the affair still boiled down to a third-quarter burst and added up to another double-digit loss – with Cleveland falling, 132-113, on Sunday night at Oracle Arena.
If nothing else, the Wine & Gold find themselves in familiar territory – down two games in the series heading back to Cleveland for Game 3. Last season, they were blown out by 33 points in the second game of the Finals before rallying to win it in seven.
But the Cavaliers will need to figure things out quickly at The Q, especially how to slow down the one element that they didn’t have to face last June – Kevin Durant – who’s tallied 71 points through the first two games of the series.
After committing 20 turnovers in Thursday’s Game 1 defeat, the Cavaliers forced 20 miscues by Golden State on Sunday. But the Warriors offset that issue by shooting 51 percent from the floor, canning 18 three-pointers and piling up another 30 fastbreak points in the win.
Once again, the Cavaliers got solid performances by their Big Three. And once again, the rest of the squad was largely ineffective.
LeBron James posted his second triple-double of the 2017 Playoffs – leading Cleveland with 29 points on 12-for-18 shooting to go with 11 boards and game-high 14 assists. James, who attempted just a single shot in the fourth quarter, led the Cavaliers with three steals and tallied the Cavaliers only blocked shot.
”We made runs – we cut it to four at one point and then they went on quick 9-0 run or 12-0 run – that’s what they do,” lamented LeBron after the loss. “That’s what Golden State does. If you make a mistake – like I said, we had a turnover, it came from me, and then we had a miscue and the floods opened again.”
Kevin Love followed up with 27 points – going 12-for-23 from the floor, adding seven boards and a pair of steals.
Kyrie Irving rounded out the Cavaliers in double-figures, finishing with 19 points and seven helpers. But Irving struggled from the floor for most of the night – shooting just 8-of-23 on the night.
The Cavaliers’ two other starters – J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson – were stymied for the second straight game.
One game after going scoreless with four rebounds, Thompson finished with eight points, four boards and a pair of steals.
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