The Golden State Warriors have held home court, taking down the Cavaliers 122-103. Golden State took control early in the first and never relinquished it. The Warriors shot very well and played excellent defense early, limiting Cleveland’s attack. In the second their lead ballooned all the way up to 15. For the second straight game, Cleveland held off the Warriors’ third-quarter run once again, outscoring them 34-31 in the period. In the fourth, the Warriors were just too much. Cleveland did not lead once in this contest. This inhuman Steph Curry three is a perfect symbol of how this series has gone so far.
😱 STEPH GONNA STEPH… 😱#DubNation #NBAFinals
📺: #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/jraCjn8bih
— NBA (@NBA) June 4, 2018
Curry was dominant tonight, scoring 33 points, dishing eight assists, and grabbing seven rebounds. He put on a shooting clinic, shooting 9-17 from the three-point line, breaking Ray Allen’s NBA Finals record for most triples in a game. Nobody on the Cavaliers could touch Curry.
Kevin Durant was a dominant offensive force as well, adding 26 points with nine rebounds and seven assists. Klay Thompson added a quiet 20 points. This team is dominant offensively and showed it tonight. Golden State shot a scorching 57.3% from the field and 41.7% from three.
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For the Cavaliers, they had a lid on the rim all night. Cleveland emptied their bench with 4:09 remaining; they were no match for the juggernaut Warriors. The Cavs’ defense was atrocious all night but they generated good shots all night. Cleveland shot a miserable 41.6% from the field and a poor 33.3% from downtown. The Cavaliers had more wide-open looks than I can count in the second half but just couldn’t knock them down. Kyle Korver, Jeff Green, and J.R. Smith combined to shoot 1-7 from deep. Simply put, LeBron James needs more out of his supporting cast if Cleveland wants any semblance of a chance.
George Hill had a good night, adding 15 points and some tough defense. Kevin Love had his best game in a while, recording a double-double. He scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. LeBron James added 29 points, nine rebounds, and 13 assists. That assists number should have been considerably higher, though, given all of the wide-open misses.
The Cavaliers are a much better home team and their role players should shoot better at Quicken Loans. They went down 2-0 to Boston and recovered with two straight. That being said, the Warriors are the whole different animal. The Warriors are going to do everything they can to extinguish the Cavaliers in game three. This game was horribly officiated but it had little to do with the outcome in the end. The NBA has to clean up their officiating going forward. If Cleveland had come away with a victory in game one, their momentum would be considerably higher heading into game three. As it stands, it seems like another ring for the Warriors is inevitable. Tune into game three of the NBA finals in Cleveland on Wednesday at 6:00 PST.
Ben Pfeifer is the Managing Editor of the Colts for Full Press Coverage, the AFC South Division Editor, and head NBA editor. Want to continue the discussion? Contact Ben Pfeifer on Twitter @Ben_Pfeifer_, @FPC_NBA and @FPC_Colts.
