“What we’ve done these last two games doesn’t put a damper or a cloud over how we got to this point”, James said.
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“We just tried to be as active as possible”, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. And it’s a very hard job because LeBron is so smart that he sees everything before it happens, and sometimes if you switch, he’ll read that and find somebody for a lay-up or he’ll attack at the exact right time to expose our defense. “We like it when he gets that shot in rhythm, and he knocked them down tonight”.
Kyrie Irving cut Golden State’s lead to 52-46 to open the third quarter but a 17-7 Warriors’ run followed as Curry, Green and Thompson each hit 3-pointers and a Green layup capped the spurt.
“What we’ve done the last few years, everybody, every night has an impact”, Curry said.
“You’d pay about 35 dollars or 20 dollars to come to a game it was easy, but now it’s a hundred or something, 200, 400 dollars”, Gray said.
“It has been three or four years he has been with us, so I want him to keep shooting”, Curry said.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) shoots against Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith, bottom left, and center Tristan Thompson (13) during the first half of Game 2 of basketball’s NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, June 5, 2016.
Taken to the team’s locker room at Oracle Arena, Love underwent tests under the NBA’s concussion protocol. He and the Cavs lost in seven games to Detroit in the 2006 second round, rallied to beat Detroit in six games in the 2007 East finals, got swept by San Antonio in that season’s NBA Finals, and lost in seven games to Boston in the 2008 second round.
But in National Basketball Association history, 90 percent of teams that win the first two Finals games at home go on to win the title; and with the Warriors dominating Cleveland in every way, 90 percent seems like a low estimate.
“The guys are not discouraged”, Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said. “We were struggling to score in the first quarter and thankfully we got stops”.
Reserve Shaun Livingston was Golden State’s top scorer in the series opener and in Game Two they once again flashed a balanced arsenal of play-makers with Klay Thompson adding 17 points.
“We’ve got to get back to the film and we all have to figure out ways we can help the team be successful….” They made five three-pointers in Game 2 and seven in Game 1 after entering the Finals with a playoff-best 14.4 made three-pointers per game and playoff-best 44.3% on three-pointers.
In the first half of Game 2 on Sunday, Love took an elbow to the back of the head from Harrison Barnes.
Green said the Warriors had learned to step up when Curry was injured earlier in the post-season. “They beat us pretty good tonight”.
Green credited the defense for holding down James and Co. “We just know we have to play better”.
For the first time in his career, James was kept scoreless in the first quarter of an NBA Finals game. Matthew Dellavedova got Iguodala in the same area in Game 1.
A moment of silence was held for late boxing great Muhammad Ali, who died Friday night at an Arizona hospital. A photo montage was played as well just before the national anthem.
Following a game in which James committed seven turnovers, it was fitting his handoff went to the other team.
The King played in his 194th postseason game, passing Karl Malone and Danny Ainge (193 each) for 10th place on the all-time list.
By contrast, Cleveland’s mark of 40.5% ranks fourth-worst ever through Game 2 of the Finals.
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And Leandro Barbosa shined for a second straight game in the Finals, following up a 5-for-5 Game 1 performance with a 5-for-7 effort in Game 2.
