The Warriors Basically Have the NBA Finals Clinched After Two Games
Tristian Thompson can only do so much with his limited offensive ability and crashing the boards.
Love was inadvertently struck in the back of his head in the second quarter by Golden State forward Harrison Barnes while fighting for a rebound.
“They just beat us at every … we didn’t win anything”, said James after the game. Shortly into the third quarter Love returned to the locker room after experiencing dizziness. Portland didn’t lose again after dropping the opening games in Philadelphia, while Boston pushed the Los Angeles Lakers and became the first team in NBA Finals history to win a Game 7 on the road.
Meanwhile, Saturday’s Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final - an overtime victory for the Sharks - drew a paltry 1.9 overnight rating on NBCSN.
Regardless, Golden State won Game 1 by 15, then rolled in Game 2 on Sunday night by 33. “Game three is going to be totally different, and we need to play like that for sure”. “But right now he’s in a concussion protocol and he’s just day to day”. In two games, the Cavs played offense without movement to a large degree.
“I’m not disappointed in our guys or frustrated”, James said. The Warriors can not rest on their laurels, they have to go out and execute at the Quicken Loans Arena.
The Cavaliers would love to have the Warriors’ problems.
Even with a fully healthy roster this time, they were going to be underdogs in a series against the defending champions, who set the single-season record for wins with 73. There have only been eight sweeps since the league’s inception 70 years ago, and the most recent one came in 2007 when the San Antonio Spurs swept James and the Cavs in their first finals appearance.
Five minutes after Curry’s foul trouble, the Warriors would be up by 17, behind multiple three-pointers from Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
Cleveland, which won at Oakland in Game 2 of last year’s Finals to even the series, was held to 35.4 percent shooting from the field. I’ve got to be better with the ball. Golden State has downplayed that injury since Curry’s return, but this decision makes it clear that the injury is still bugging him. They haven’t cracked the 30-assist barrier, which is Kerr’s standard for sharing the ball. However, Curry’s will to miss the Olympic Games in order to attend to getting his knee back to full health is a testament to how incredible his work ethic is and his will to be the best at what he does.
Golden State has now beaten Cleveland seven straight times, dating back to last season’s Finals.
The Warriors insist that this is not as easy as they’re making it look.
If by that he meant his team would lose by more than double the amount of points than they got beat in the last game, he got his wish.