He started the second half but experienced dizziness early in the third quarter and pulled himself from the game at the 9:54 mark. It’s a sound strategy as it keeps the Warriors out of transition, which does limit a lot of its open 3-point shots. But Andrew Bogut has.
Advertisement
This is actually the first 2-0 Finals lead since the Lakers in 2009 and there has not been a Finals sweep since James and the Cavs were easily dispatched by San Antonio in 2007.
Bogut blocked four shots in seven minutes, owning the paint in the early going for Golden State. “It’s a trap to think that we’ve figured things out, that we have the ideal formula to beat Cleveland and they have no chance in the series”.
LeBron James has rarely lost a playoff Game 2.
The NBA held a moment of silence before Game 2 to pay homage to Muhammad Ali, who died on Friday.
The two-day gap between games is a scheduling change made to better ensure players are at their peak and not too worn out from almost two months of playoff efforts. Photos of Ali showed on the main scoreboard ahead of the national anthem.
“From a mental standpoint it’s a little too long but from a physical standpoint it’s great getting so much recovery”, Irving said.
Shaquille O’Neal and Grant Hill, analysts for NBATV during the series, wore black t-shirts over their dress shirts with “GOAT” – Greatest Of All Time – written across the chest during the pregame broadcast.
That connection, the sense of what buttons to push and what whiteboards to smash, was all over Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
The issue for the Cavs is that Golden State has little interest in letting them be their preferred selves. It was an absolute ass-kicking, and it’s becoming abundantly clear that the Cavaliers just do not have the personnel to hang with this team.
“So we’ve got to do a better job with that, which coach Lue and the coaching staff will make sure we do in Game 2”. He didn’t shoot well in that game, but the Warriors got the victory. Way out West, Golden State developed arguably the league’s deepest and best bench with a group of hard-nosed guys like Livingston eager to take the pressure off starters Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green whenever their names are called. Frye has averaged 58 percent from three-point range throughout the playoffs and he played about three minutes before the game was out of reach.
“You can only praise them, it’s like “That guy understands his role” and he embraces it so I can respect that”. He spent his entire career with the Cleveland Cavaliers until they traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers at the trade deadline. They have the players and formula for beating these Cavs. The insane thing is I think they’ve only just scratched the surface. Here are five things to look for on Sunday night.
Iguodala was the Finals MVP a year ago for his all-around performance against the Cavaliers, but Kerr stayed with the same starting lineup that had worked during a record-setting 73-win regular season. Folks will feel a lot differently if the Cavaliers win Game 3.
With a two-time NBA MVP and hot-shooting guard teaming up in the backcourt and an athletic small forward who creates mismatches against many defenders, the Golden State Warriors have not had to rely much on the bench scoring.
Advertisement
It’s only one game, but it’s already feeling like Cleveland might run out of chances soon to prove that this healthier, supposedly improved version of the team can indeed compete with a team that continues to dominate them.
