Cleveland challenge at home

FINALLY playing its role to the hilt as the heavy favorite, Golden State stroked a 122-103 rout of Cleveland yesterday for a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.

This time, it had nothing of “the thief in the night” stuff as had happened in Golden State’s 124-114 overtime win in Game 1, when the Warriors leaned on Cav J.R. Smith’s major blunder in regulation to win.

Stephen Curry starred anew with nine mostly magnificent threes.

The heart and soul of the Warriors finished with 33 points, 16 of those in the final quarter where the two-time MVP fired five triples in the frame’s first seven minutes.

Curry even completed a rare four-point play on a Kevin Love foul while burying his eighth triple, giving Golden State a 10993 lead 5:27 remaining in the game.

At the 5:15 mark, Curry even issued a jawdropping assist in a giveand-go play completed by Kevin Durant for a 111-93 Warriors bubble.

And with that, you think Curry was done for the day? Wrong. Curry would bang home another three— his ninth, giving GSW a 21-point, 114-93 margin.

That’s when Cleveland coach Ty Lue decided to throw in the towel, pulling out all his stars led by LeBron James (29 points, 9 rebounds, 13 assists) even as there were still about four minutes left in the game.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr sort of showed some class and a merciful heart, also recalling Curry and the rest of his starters.

But in the ensuing clash among benchwarmers, Golden State’s troopers would still prevail impressively, with giant Zach Pachulia leading the way in sustaining the Warriors’ run of 23-point margins relentlessly being built the rest of the way.

Proven once more was this: That Golden State, being the heavy favorite in its fourth straight championship showdown against Cleveland, can easily restore order after encountering wrinkles in its shaky Game 1 win—on home court at that.

Ah, the magic, mystery even, of winning battles, if not wars, at home.

Can the Cavs also do it at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday and Saturday the way the Warriors did at Oakland’s Oracle Arena on Friday and Monday?

Of course, they can. But only if LeBron James’ supporting cast would show up.

Sadly, they were absent on Monday.