OAKLAND — Game 2 of the NBA Finals was the Draymond Green show.
Behind a game-high 28 points from the do-it-all forward, the Warriors clobbered the Cavaliers 110-77, taking a 2-0 series lead back to Cleveland and clutching every ounce of momentum.
Green scored 12 points in a dominant second quarter, hitting three triples and using his trapping defense to create transition opportunities. The Warriors went on a 19-2 run in the quarter, forcing matchup problems and defensive breakdowns for the second straight game. The Warriors went 15-for-33 from three-point territory in the game (Green was 5-for-8); the Cavs struggled to the tune of a 21.7 percent clip.
Steph Curry and Klay Thompson returned to form, somewhat. The MVP tallied 18 points (on 7-of-11 shooting), while Thompson scored 17. The Warriors are still blowing out the Cavaliers without all-world performances from the Splash Brothers, telling you everything you need to know: Cleveland simply does not have the pieces to match the Warriors.
The story on the opposite side of the court is that LeBron James is getting no help from his teammates. Kevin Love pulled himself from the game after a second quarter head injury and finished with 5 points and 3 rebounds in 21 minutes. He is now going through the NBA’s concussion protocol. While he’s flashy and athletic, Kyrie Irving has severely disappointed for Cleveland. The Warriors have exposed him as a ball-hogging defensive liability. Irving ended up with 10 points on 5-for-14 shooting.
Richard Jefferson, of all people, was James’ most reliable teammate, scoring 12 points in 26 minutes. King James himself finished with 19 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds and 4 steals. It makes you wonder whether James will be able to stomach another season with Love and Irving. Cleveland seemed to wave the white surrender flag midway through the third quarter. The garbage-time lineups appeared with 7:08 left in the game.
To go along with Cleveland’s lack of help, an abundance of hustle plays went in Golden State’s favor. Andre Iguodala tip-slammed home two dunks, Andrew Bogut had 4 blocks in the first quarter and finished with 6, and Curry even added 9 rebounds. The Warriors never let their foot off the gas pedal and ran all over the Cavaliers in Game 2.
Steve Kerr has tightened the rotations in the NBA Finals and the Cavs are bleeding to death because of it. Iguodala was +28 in 22 minutes a year after killing the Cavs in the 2015 NBA Finals.
Game 3 of the Finals isn’t until Wednesday in Cleveland, but we’ll have live reports from Cleveland all week on KNBR 680 and KNBR.com. Tune in for coverage of the game on KNBR 1050 or KGO 810 at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
