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Top 5 takeaways from Game 2 of the NBA Finals

Draymond Green

The Golden State Warriors took a 2-0 series lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals on Sunday night. They did so in dominating fashion, winning by the score of 110-77.

What did Golden State do right in this juggernaut of a performance? How did the Cavaliers let themselves get embarrassed on the game’s grandest stage?

Here are our top-five takeaways from Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

1. Cavalier embarrassment

LeBron James

Cleveland really didn’t compete much at all in Game 2. It was over about eight minutes into the third quarter with Tyronn Lue bringing in the garbage-time unit earlier than we’ve seen in a Finals game in some time.

The numbers are not only worrisome for Cleveland, they are downright embarrassing. Golden State went on a 20-2 run in the second quarter, only to follow that up with a 29-7 run spanning both the third and fourth quarters.

This isn’t how you compete on the grandest stage the NBA has to offer. James looked dejected, the scheme wasn’t flowing on offense and the team looked absolutely overwhelmed.

Put it this way. Cleveland led 28-22 after a James dunk with 10:11 remaining in the second quarter. It was then outscored 88-49 in the final 34-plus minutes of the game. That’s trying your hardest not to compete when it matters most.

Some will conclude that Cleveland simply lost the first two games of the series. It can get right back into the mix with consecutive home wins, starting on Wednesday.

While that’s definitely something Lue will want to preach to his team, the way Cleveland lost these two games cannot inspire confidence in an ability to compete moving forward in the series.

You can’t get embarrassed in the Finals like we saw Sunday night and take anything positive away from it. From now on, it’s all about regrouping and putting in a better effort moving forward.

2. Just a juggernaut in Oakland

On the other end of the spectrum, the defending champions have looked like the best team in Association history over the past two games. It’s really stunning what the team has done.

Let’s place an emphasis on “team” here, because neither Klay Thompson nor Stephen Curry played huge roles in these wins.

We do need to preface this by indicating that the Splash Brothers played well. After all, they were a combined plus-48 when on the court in Game 2.

Dealing with foul trouble in the third quarter and sitting most of the final stanza with the game out of hand, Curry played a total of 25 minutes, tallying 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Meanwhile, Thompson added 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting.

Instead, it was fellow All-Star Draymond Green that stepped up in Game 2. He nailed a team-high five from distance, finishing with 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Leandro Barbosa put up 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting and has now hit 10-of-12 shots in two games.

From that point on, it was a combination of second-tier options who completely outplayed the Cavaliers. Game 1 hero Shaun Livingston added seven points and five assists while Andre Iguodala finished with a game high plus-28 when on the court.

It’s this type of team philosophy that has defined Steve Kerr’s Warriors since he took over as the team’s head coach last season. His confidence in others to step up is one of the stories that gets lost in Golden State’s utter domination over the past two years.

3. LeBron James’ major struggles

Statistically speaking, James has been absolutely horrendous thus far in the series. The two-time champion is shooting 42 percent from the field with 11 turnovers.

But it’s a lot more than stats when it comes to analyzing what James has failed to do through two games.

James simply didn’t look comfortable on the offensive end of the court throughout the game. He hesitated on drives consistently, which led to a whopping three traveling calls. And in reality, James could have been called for more walks.

Some of it had to do with the elite-level switches Golden State showed in the game. James saw multiple defenders sent his way. And when James was doubled, he was late to recognize it.

More than that, James just looked lost from a mental standpoint. Whether it was the raucous atmopshere in Oakland that got to him or Iggy’s defense, the star wasn’t anywhere near his best.

It’s understandable that James would have the mentality that he needs to get others involved, but not another member of the Cavaliers roster has stepped up in the first two games.

It’s now all about him deciding to go hero ball, at least to extend the series beyond the next two games in Cleveland.

4. Cavaliers have to be dejected 

Including Sunday’s 33-point win, and dating back to the final three games of the championship round last year, Golden State has won seven consecutive against Cleveland by a combined 130 points. Yes, that’s an average of 19 points per game.

Through the first two games of the series, the Cavaliers have hit a record of futility in an NBA Finals series.

They now likely need to sweep Golden State at home in order to even make this a series. Unfortunately for Cleveland, the Warriors boasted the best road record in the history of the Association during the regular season.

They have also now won three consecutive games in Cleveland by a combined 63 points.

We have absolutely no idea what Lue or James might say to the team between now and Game 3 on Wednesday. What we do know is that the status quo isn’t working.

It’s not just a lack of execution on the court. Cleveland is clearly outmatched here, and the team’s body language seems to suggest that it knows this. Can the Cavaliers dig deep and make a series of this? That’s the biggest question heading into Game 3.

5. The statistics tell us something here

LeBron James

The most-telling statistic thus far in the series? Kyrie Irving and James have combined for a negative 64 when on the court. Meanwhile, two of Golden State’s top two reserves — Leandro Barbosa and Andre Iguodala — have combined for a plus-84 mark when on the court.

After blazing their way through the Eastern Conference Playoffs from beyond the arc, the Cavaliers are hitting on 27 percent from distance in the first two games.

This isn’t on accident. Cleveland boasts multiple players that are primarily effective when shooting from a spot-up position. On the other hand, Golden State has multiple elite perimeter defenders ready to take that game from the Cavaliers.

J.R. Smith is averaging four points on 1-of-8 shooting from distance. Prior to suffering a head injury in Game 2, Kevin Love was shooting at a 3-of-9 clip from three. And Kyrie Irving is 1-of-7 from outside the arc in two games.

That’s simply not going to get it done against a Warriors squad that’s the best in the history of the NBA in hitting the three.

Even when we take Thompson and Curry out of the equation, the Warriors are hitting at a 39 percent clip from three-point range. That’s a much higher percentage than Cleveland’s best perimeter shooters.

After finishing Game 1 with a 13 rebound advantage, Cleveland saw the Warriors win the battle of the glass by 12 in Game 2. This included 12 offensive boards and 16 second-chance points. You can’t give a lethal Warriors offense these types of opportunities to score.

More than anything, Cleveland’s inability to actually put the ball in the basket was its downfall on Sunday. the Eastern Conference champs shot just 35 percent from the field. That helped mitigate the 20 turnovers committed by Golden State in the game. When given those extra opportunities, you need to make the other team pay.

While all the indicators here suggest Golden State will win this series going away, we can’t discount what the Cavaliers did to get to this point. They surely have the talent to compete.

It’s now all about changing up everything that has failed the team in the first two games, and focusing on the positives. Unfortunately, there just aren’t too many positives to focus on right now.

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