06 June, 2017
The Cavaliers put up a strong fight but still fell 132-113 in Game 2 of the National Basketball Association finals to the Golden State Warriors, a superteam who are starting to look - and this postseason literally are - unbeatable.
Golden State had won a record 73 regular-season games a year ago and led 2-0 only for Cleveland to make the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history and swipe the title.
Lebron James made good on his promise to attack the Warriors by finishing with a triple double -- 29 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists -- but he alone couldn't carry Cleveland to victory as the Warriors shot a high 51.7 percent from the field, including 18 of 43 from 3-point range. But the Warriors caught fire shooting the ball in the third quarter, stretching the lead to double digits.
The Cavaliers got off to a better start in Game 2 of the NBA Finals tonight, but still trail the Golden State Warriors 40-34 after one quarter. While James has thrived so far and had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists to tie Magic Johnson's record with his eighth career Finals triple-double Sunday, he hasn't gotten almost enough help. Kevin Love scored 27 points and Kyrie Irving added 19 points for Cleveland but Golden State's star players were better. "We love his voice", said Curry, who had a triple-double of his own with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for the Warriors. And Golden State guard Klay Thompson, lately in an uncharacteristic shooting slump, finished with 22 points and seven rebounds. If they win the next two Finals games in Cleveland and complete a 16-0 record in the playoffs, they'll be the first team to ever go flawless through a playoff run.
"We play that same game in Cleveland, there's no way we win", said Kerr. "We're a full group when he's out here".
The Cavaliers are led by forward LeBron James, who averaged 26.4 points per game during the regular season.
Steve Kerr got a front-row seat again for the show, delighted to be back on the bench witnessing those signature moments he has seen so many times before. Golden State won a record 14th straight in the same postseason.
"We forced them to 20 turnovers and they still beat us pretty good, so we got to be much better too", James said.
But that Golden State team didn't have Kevin Durant so there may be not much the Cavaliers can do. Durant shot 13-of-22 and nailed four three-pointers, while also registering just three turnovers.
"That's why he prepared the staff the way he did in his absence, and he came back and we just wanted to keep the ball rolling".
The Cavaliers, who have gotten nothing from the quintet of JR Smith, Brampton native Tristan Thompson, Kyle Korver, Deron Williams and Iman Shumpert, can perhaps take solace in the fact they are back home for games Wednesday and Friday night. If they can cap off the ideal playoffs, Thompson said, they'll have to be viewed as the best team of all-time.
"I'm going to pull out the "Win one for the Gipper" speech", said Kerr, whose humor runs dry as a seasonal creek in October.
Meanwhile, the Warriors' win drew them level with the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins (1992-93) for the longest post-season winning streak in the four major U.S. sports.
James and Love combined to make 24 of 41 shots, while the rest of the team shot just 36 percent with only Irving even reaching double-figures. Last year, the Cavaliers were able to draw space for Irving, and he capitalized.
Cleveland led early, but Golden State recovered and led by as many as 10 halfway through the opening period.
