The Cleveland Cavaliers are officially in a hole they might not be able to dig themselves out of. They've been blown out by a combined 48 points in two games in the NBA Finals by the Golden State Warriors, the biggest margin of victory for two games in the Finals in league history. Now, they've got to come home and win Game 3 if they want any chance to claw back into this series.
NBA Finals Odds at BookMaker.eu
Golden State Warriors +1
Cleveland Cavaliers -1
Over/Under 206.5
SERIES RECAP
Oy. We really figured the Cavaliers were going to put up a better fight than this, especially when you consider the fact that Stephen Curry is averaging 14.5 points per game in this series.
It really hasn't been the defense which has cost Cleveland, though. This offense has been pathetic for long stretches of time, and when the Dubs get rolling, they're unstoppable. A 30-24 Cleveland lead in the second quarter of Game 2 felt like an afterthought by halftime when the Warriors were up by eight. The whole second half was just an avalanche though, marking the second straight game in which the Golden State depth was enough to wreck the Cavaliers in the fourth quarter.
Now, Kevin Love is in the NBA's concussion protocol after taking an elbow to the back of the head from Harrison Barnes in the second quarter of Game 2. That's an injury which the Cavaliers just cannot withstand, and live bettors will need to know immediately whether Love or a replacement for him can hang in there with Draymond Green or not.
KEY MATCHUP
It's all about hero ball now for LeBron. There were some moments early on in Game 2 in which James had that look in his eye like he was going to take the game over. It's time for him to stop being selfless, get the ball in his hands, drive to the hoop and cause some pain to the Golden State defense for the first time in this series. Good things will happen at that point.
It's this cautious, pass-first LeBron that we don't like to see. James didn't score a single point in the first quarter on Sunday, the first time in his career in which he had a scoreless quarter in an NBA Finals game. James now has 42 points, 20 boards, 18 assists, six steals and two blocks in his two games in this series, but it's time for him to put up 40 points in this game.
If Andre Iguodala continues to shut James down, this is going to end up being quite the short series for the Cavaliers, and live bettors will once again see the avalanche for the defending champs which put them up in Game 3 once and for all.
KEY STAT
Had you told us that the Splash Brothers would combine to score 55 points in two games in the NBA Finals, we would've told you that the Warriors were in a lot of trouble. However, Steve Kerr's team has proven that it's more than just two players offensively.
Golden State's bench had 45 points in Game 1 and 40 in Game 2, and when you consider just how good the rest of this team is in its starting five, you just can't afford to give up that type of scoring to the bench if you're Cleveland.
The Cavaliers are shooting just 37 percent in this series, but in fairness, it's not like they've been getting a ton of terrible looks at the basket. Live bettors from Game 1 into Game 2 realized that in the first game and a half, Cleveland missed a whopping 21 shots in the paint. That just shouldn't happen under most circumstances, and at some point, if the Cavs are getting that many good looks, they're going to finish them and start to get things going.
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers will go down Wednesday, June 8, 2016 at 9:00 p.m. ET at Quicken Loans Arena. The matchup will be televised live on ABC.
