Game 2 Preview: Warriors vs Cavaliers

#1 – Golden State Warriors

Yet again the Warriors were challenged, and yet again they were equal to the task Thursday night. Despite Cleveland taking a double-digit lead in the first quarter behind a bullying LeBron James and a defensive level the Cavaliers were perhaps slightly unprepared for, they kept their composure and did just enough to gut out an overtime win.

And once again, they showed just how valuable their depth and versatility is in the postseason. Stephen Curry was good, if not great. He certainly has another gear, which should be somewhat frightening for Cavs fans. Klay Thompson was worse, with several strange shots littered throughout the game and a 5-14 showing overall from the field and a limited two-way impact. Draymond Green was also off his game to a degree, was forced off the floor at various points after a few silly fouls and shooting just 4-13 himself.

Others stepped up in their place, most notably Andre Iguodala, who had one of his best games in recent memory. He went 6-8 from the field for 15 points, but more importantly seized control of de facto duties guarding LeBron James anytime both were on the floor with a fantastic display defensively against Cleveland’s star. The Warriors mostly left Iggy (or Harrison Barnes) on an island with only minimal help on repeated post-ups and isolations, and while James got his to a degree as always, it took him 38 shots to notch his 44 points and he was unable to facilitate to quite the degree he’d become accustomed to recently.

If Iguodala, along with guys like Barnes and Marreese Speights, can contribute like this all series long, it’ll be a quick Finals. Steph is sure to go supernova at least once or twice, and expecting Thompson, Green and even Andrew Bogut (just 28 minutes and a couple curious substitutions late) to play so poorly again is a fool’s errand. For a team that looked to perhaps be in trouble early on in Game 1, the Warriors now appear to have the series in full control.

#2 – Cleveland Cavaliers

This seems to be the standard reaction for Warriors foes in this postseason, but this was a devastating loss to take for Cleveland. They outplayed and outworked the Warriors in the first half, with excellent hustle and work defensively that had some of us wondering if we’d miscalculated just how effective they’d become on this end over the last month.

They lost the game in part because they ran out of gas, and in part because they seemed to tighten up as the second half wore on while making a few dubious decisions. The load on LeBron was incredible and should continue to be all series if the Warriors keep allowing him to operate while closing down his playmaking options, and he clearly tired down the stretch. The Cavs finally began running 1-3 and 3-1 pick-and-rolls with him and Kyrie Irving near the end of the game, something they should do far more often to get him a bit less painstaking offense. Unfortunately for the Cavs, Kyrie went down late with yet another injury that may keep him out or limited for the rest of the series.

David Blatt coached a generally excellent game for the first three quarters, particularly a flawless first half as far as rotations and play calls, but like his team he seemed to tighten up a bit in the fourth. His decision to go back to a two-big lineup for parts of the fourth was contrary to his usual patterns, and while it’s defensible given their success earlier in the game, what’s perhaps not is the way Iman Shumpert sat nearly all of crunch time and overtime in favor of J.R. Smith.

Smith was absolutely murdering Cleveland’s chances while on the court. His ludicrous shot-making from earlier rounds finally caught up with him in this one. His 3-13 showing from the field (3-10 from deep) hardly even covers how destructive he was at times with his awful shot selection and decision-making. It’s strange enough in a vacuum that a defensive stopper like Shumpert sat in favor of Smith with the Cavs clinging to a small lead, but is especially so given the way Smith was sabotaging them.

This was almost certainly the best chance the Cavs had for a win at Oracle, and perhaps in the entire series if Irving is sidelined. They have no choice but to go with the same formula moving forward – LeBron isolation overkill with strong work on the offensive glass, and an attempt to eke out enough defense to keep the Warriors machine at bay. But they gave their best shot in Game 1 and came up short, and now may have to move forward minus the only guy even moderately capable of removing some of LeBron’s burden. This has all the makings of a short series at this point.

Who Wins Game 2?

The Warriors get better contributions from their stars and roll over the Cavs in a landslide to go up 2-0.