Golden State has completely shut the door on Cleveland’s potent offense. A return to The Q is what the Cavaliers need to get back in this series. It won’t be easy, though. When the teams last played in Ohio, it was a 34-point Warriors victory.
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LOOK AHEAD
Down two games in the Finals after an embarrassing defeat on Sunday night, the Cavs could be without one of their top players as Kevin Love left early in the third quarter and entered the league’s concussion protocol after taking an elbow to the back of the head. But even with Love, the Cavs were unable to do anything in the two games at Oracle. Cleveland has been one of the best offensive teams in the NBA this season. But they have scored 89 and 77 points in the first two games, shooting 37 percent from the field.
“It’s been about our defense,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. And some of it is the Cavs’ offense. As in they don’t have any right now. Though they return home for Game 3, the Cavs looked lost and unsettled by Golden State’s movement on defense. Cleveland has lost seven straight to the Warriors dating back to the last three games of the 2015 Finals. It was never as bad as this last year. Golden State has completely slammed the door. The Cavs shot only 40 percent from the floor on Sunday, including 4 of 17 on three-point shots. They also missed 24 shots in the paint area after failing on 28 in the opener.
INJURIES
Cavs forward Kevin Love took an elbow to the back of the head in the first half that floored him, staying on the court with both hands gripping the back of his noggin before eventually getting up. He stayed in the game and played at the start of the second half but experienced dizziness and left for good early in the third quarter. He was placed in the concussion protocol and is questionable for Game 3 on Wednesday. No foul was called on Harrison Barnes, who clubbed Love while going for a rebound.
KEY MATCHUP
The Cavs were such a force offensively in the first three rounds of the NBA playoffs with crisp ball movement and deadly shooting. Suddenly, they forgot all about that, seemingly afraid to pass and shoot the basketball. Golden State is swarming around LeBron, making every play difficult for the Cavs’ best player. And with no help from his teammates, James is trying to carry the load. Unfortunately, he can’t do it by himself. There is some relief ahead with a return to their home floor, but the Cavs need to find some answers fast.
A key player for the Cavs moving ahead is J.R. Smith, who combined for eight points in the first two games and, like everybody wearing a Cleveland uniform, was a non-factor. Following the Game 1 loss when Smith scored three points and attempted just three shots, James said the team needed to do a better job of getting Smith involved in the offense. They did, but probably not what LeBron was thinking. Smith made two buckets and scored five points Sunday night. Cleveland needs Smith to get hot from behind the arc, knock down a few shots and open the middle for James. The Cavs know what they have to do. But doing it is another story.
QUICK PICK
The Warriors faced a similar situation during their series with Oklahoma City, getting blasted twice on the road and having the media tell us the series is over. Golden State bounced back and is playing in the Finals. The Cavaliers need to do the same after a pair of blowout losses in northern California. Sure they can do it. They have one of the best players on the planet, a track record of winning games and they dominated the Eastern Conference in the first three rounds. Will they do it? That’s another story.
The difference come Wednesday is that a play like the one Love was injured will be called a foul. It wasn’t on Sunday. The difference between the clubs isn’t as drastic as the scores have indicated. Better ball movement by Cleveland, instead of the silly isolation game that doesn’t work, will go a long towards getting the Cavs back in the series. Even if Love doesn’t play, the Cavs show that they still have some fight in them.
NBA Odds: Cleveland 103, Golden State 97
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