Warriors Roll Past Cavaliers 110-77 To Take 2-0 Finals Lead

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-77 in Game 2 at Oracle Arena on Sunday night, thus making the Cavaliers the 32nd team in NBA history to fall 2-0 in the Finals.

Warriors Roll Past Cavaliers 110-77 To Take 2-0 Finals Lead

Only three of the previous 31 teams to find themselves in that predicament came back to win the championship title.

The Cavs entered the NBA Finals as a confident team with a 12-2 postseason record.

“I think we’re surprised the way they won, yes, but that’s what the playoffs are about,” Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said. “They took care of home court. We know we’re going home. We have to play better. The guys are not discouraged. More pissed than anything.”

After promising to reduce turnovers and convert the inside looks they received in Game 1, the Cavs struggled just as much on Sunday, shooting just 35.4 percent from the field and committing 17 turnovers leading to 26 points for the Warriors.

To make matters worse for Cleveland, Kevin Love was placed on the league’s concussion protocol after receiving an elbow to the back of the head from Warriors small forward Harrison Barnes in the second quarter. Love played the first two minutes of the third quarter before leaving with dizziness, finishing his night with just five points on 2-for-7 shooting and three rebounds. His status for Game 3 is unknown.

“Well, losing one of our top three players is always going to be a big impact,” Lue said. “But right now he’s in a concussion protocol, and right now he’s just day-to-day.”

Draymond Green led Golden State with 28 points, including five three-pointers, on 11-for-20 shooting, and added seven rebounds and five assists. Stephen Curry scored 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting and had nine rebounds and four assists. Klay Thompson finished with 17 points and five assists.

With Curry sitting and celebrating on the Warriors bench for much of the third quarter, Green and a few others, including Leandro Barbosa, Andre Iguodala, Barnes and Thompson went on a 30-16 run without the MVP that put the defending champions up 82-62 entering the fourth.

“I think our focus has been there. We’ve really locked in on the game plan,” said Green. “The intensity level has been there, and most importantly we’ve gotten it done on the defensive side of the basketball. To hold this team to 77 points, that’s a very good ballclub, that’s not something that’s easy to do.

Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, the two other members besides Love of the vaunted Cavs ‘Big Three,’ seemed to struggle in Game 2. Irving hit his first two shots before missing nine of his next 12. He finished with 10 points on 5-for-14 shooting (0-for-3 from 3) and just one assist.

James, who took over the Finals in Game 2 a year ago with 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists in an overtime win, couldn’t match that level on Sunday. He finished with 19 points on 7-for-17 shooting, nine assists, eight rebounds and four steals. However, he also had a game-high seven turnovers.

Cleveland led 21-19 after the first quarter despite James missing all five of his shots and going scoreless in the first quarters of a Finals game for the first time in his career.

Game 3 is set for Wednesday in Cleveland. The Cavs are undefeated at Quicken Loans Arena this postseason at 7-0. They will seek to bring the first pro sports championship back to their city in 52 years.

PHOTO: OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 05: Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers goes up for a shot against Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the 2016 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 5, 2016 in Oakland, California.

Article by Pablo Mena