NBA Finals Game 2 Recap: Oakland Parade Planners Meet at 8 Tomorrow
In game 2 of the NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors again showed their dominance as they topped the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-113 to take a 2-0 series lead as they head to The Land for game 3. The Warrior’s 132 points was the most points scored by a team in a Finals game since 1987, per The Ringer. Both teams were going all out, as the Cav’s brought back the all black uni’s that single-handedly won them Game 5 and 7 in last year’s Finals, which still to this day makes Igoudala shudder when he sees LeBron in his. The Warriors brought Steve Kerr after his spine was leaking fluid two weeks ago and couldn’t see, but everyone knows you don’t need to see to coach, and he was probably making the Kendrick Lamar DAMN face to Klay and Steph off of his painkillers. The Carlos Santana bass National Anthem was badass and definitely worth-mentioning, cool variation from the norm while still respecting the tradition.
LeBron finished with 29-14-11 to tie Magic Johnson for most triple-doubles in the Finals with 8, despite letting his foot off the gas pedal in the fourth. Even this brilliant performance couldn’t overcome the scoring-duo juggernaut of Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, who combined for 65 points, 23 rebounds, 17 assists, and 4 steals. Durant especially showed how well rounded he has become and displayed phenomenal court vision and defense, adding 5 blocks to the stat line as well. Steph was 14 for 14 from the line, shooting 10 of them in the first (including the cheap half court shooting foul with 8:20 left in the 1st), as the team finished an exceptional 92% from the stripe. He did commit 8 turnovers (6 in the first), but he always seems to negate them by getting better and more accurate as the game goes along, hitting deeeep 3’s that makes Oracle go absolutely nuts. Klay Thompson has finally remembered that he is good at basketball, scoring 22 points, grabbing 7 boards, and playing at an elite level of defense that makes Dray “Chubbs” Green nod in approval. Speaking of the Nutcracker, he finished with 12-6-6 and played limited minutes due to foul trouble. During the press conference after the game, he said that "Going over the edge isn't going to win me a championship” and "You act like I'm just this troubled guy who's been in a bunch of trouble and can't control myself". I find this new oblivious victim role Draymond hilarious, after supposedly embracing the role of the tough, dirty enforcer he now doesn’t understand why people think he may lose his temper on the court, after screaming profanities and committing a frustration foul on LeBron minutes earlier. Love finished 12-of-23 with 27 points and seven rebounds, and would have scored even more if he hadn’t missed a couple of chip-in putbacks on offensive rebounds. Kyrie was 8-23 from the field and finished with 19 points, although he was quiet in the first half and was getting called out all night on TV and social media. JR Smith was held scoreless, and one reporter might have been onto just why he is struggling…
Cavs locker room has a strong reefer aroma to it tonight. Hey, it's Cali. You're down 2-0 and it's all about pain control. #NBAFinals
— Mike Wise (@MikeWiseguy) June 5, 2017
To be clear, I don't know who was imbibing marijuana in the Cavs locker room -- media that entered, player, etc. But it wasn't a dead skunk
— Mike Wise (@MikeWiseguy) June 5, 2017
Interesting, who could have called that in a blog after game 1? Anyways, we learned that Kevin Durant might be a top 5 offensive player of all time last night, because we all weren’t sure before this game. If (when) the Warriors win he will win a Finals MVP, which will give him the last piece he needs to argue his ‘top 20 player of all time’ case. He was described as a perfect mix of Dominique and Dirk, and few before him have made the game of basketball look so easy. Even though his offseason choice made a lot of people question the integrity of the entire sport, it’s hard to hate him when you watch him play. Was Kevin Durant supposed to stay and get beat by the Warriors every year? You can’t being mad at the man who was promised multiple championships and control of the league. It doesn’t sully KD’s legacy one bit for me, his actions improve LeBron’s legacy by showing how much it took to beat him. They were both two of the greatest before, and they still are after. KD said in the postgame interview that Kyrie was a “top 5 skill player in the league”, which not making an All-NBA team this year kind of contradicts that… sorry Uncle Drew. Jeff Van Gundy was a prisoner of the moment after the game, calling Steph and KD the best duo ever. That got shot down quick as people brought up Shaq and Kobe, LeBron and Wade, and Kareem and Magic, but that gap is a lot closer than the naysayers would like to think, especially if they can keep this current core together.
Overall, the Cav’s need to find a lineup that can at least slow down the Warriors lineup, as Durant and Curry are looking defense-proof. Cleveland can’t try to match Golden State’s small and fast pace of play, because the Warriors have showed that they are much better at it and it plays right into their hand. Look for Cleveland to steal one game at home in these next two, which would in fact give us, the fans, free tacos, and doesn’t that make us the real winners?