LIGHTS OUT?
Cavs' 2-0 deficit seems more daunting this year
CLEVELAND — Same situation — sort of — one year later.
The Cavaliers trailed the Warriors, 2-0, in the NBA Finals last year and came home to Cleveland. The Cavs trail the Warriors, 2-0, in the NBA Finals this year and have come home to Cleveland.
But this time is different: Kevin Durant is a Warrior. What is the same is the utter desperation the Cavs feel for Game 3 Wednesday, essentially their last stand against an opponent that simply is better than last year’s version.
“I don’t remember how I felt last year being down 2-0. That’s last year and I don’t even know the feeling anymore,” said LeBron James, whose Cavs rallied last year in Game 3, lost Game 4 and then staged a historic comeback for the title after trailing 3-1 in the Finals.
While James professed fuzzy recall, some points about last year are indelibly etched in the Warriors’ brains.
“They just took it to us right from the beginning,” said Golden State coach Steve Kerr, who returned to the bench in Game 2 after missing 11 postseason games because of complications from back surgery. “I remember our offense was pushed back to half court the first few possessions. They set a great tone. They went up big right away so we’ve got to be ready for that initial force.”
Little, if anything, has gone right for the Cavs who have won one quarter in the two games.
“It takes a mental toll just when you lose. No matter if it’s a series or game. … In the postseason any loss always takes a mental toll,” James said. “But how can you refocus your mind, how can you refuel it to understand that at the end of the day it is a series?”
Draymond Green insisted he and the Warriors are ready for the Cavs to come at them with everything short of tire irons.
“Guys are locked in like I’ve never seen before, understand the task ahead and know that this is going to be the hardest game of the series,” Green said. “If we can come out on top, we put ourselves in a tremendous position.”
A 3-0 deficit would virtually end the series where the Cavs have tried to replicate their initial postseason success. They want to play fast, for example.
“It plays into their hands if we play slower because they’re able to set the defense,” J.R. Smith said.
“We have to play fast. That’s our game,” said Cavs coach Tyronn Lue, who shot down speculation Iman Shumpert would start for Smith in a lineup change.
One problem is the Warriors are better at a fast pace than cars at the Indianapolis 500. Another has seen Cavaliers such as Smith and Tristan Thompson become invisible. Kyrie Irving has scored but done little else. All that makes another comeback seem terribly tough.
“You know it’s definitely possible, but also the realization that you’re in a new moment, new journey, with some new guys in a new collective group, so you un- derstand that it has to be different things done to be successful,” Irving said.
Much of James’ supporting cast could be sued for lack of support. The Warriors get contributions from everywhere and overcome foul-ups. Consider, the Cavs had 20 turnovers in Game 1 and came apart like a hut in a hurricane. The Warriors committed 20 turnovers in Game 2 and scored 132 points. James had a Game 2 triple-double. Didn’t matter.
“I wouldn’t say [I’m] frustrated,” James said. “You never want to be down 2-0 in a series against anybody. So we had some things that we need to do better. … We know it’s a tall challenge.” The Warriors plan to get James’ best. “We expect him to play well, with a lot of force, aggressiveness,” said Stephen Curry.
While Durant makes a difference, he doesn’t alter Cleveland’s task.
“It doesn’t change anything. We got to protect home,” James said. Easier said than done. “With KD, you just see kind of the supernatural,” said teammate Andre Iguodala.
If the Cavs don’t respond at home, they’ll likely soon be seeing Durant hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy.