CAVS’ GAME 2 MISSION: PROTECT RIM
The first-half list of baskets for Golden State’s Kevin Durant in Game 1 of the NBA Finals went like this: Layup, dunk, jumper, dunk, dunk, dunk, dunk, layup, dunk, layup. Most were easy. And easy isn’t supposed to happen, especially not at the rim in the NBA Finals.
Forget all the things that Cleveland did wrong offensively in Game 1, the poor shooting and the 20 turnovers and how the bench basically contributed nothing.
The Cavs can score. They’ll likely be better on Sunday night in Game 2. That isn’t the issue.
The issue is this: If the reigning NBA champions don’t show some toughness—especially at the rim—soon, they won’t be reigning NBA champions much longer.
“I think that’s how Cleveland is going to approach it, make it a physical game,” Michael Cooper, now the coach of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream who went through some epic Lakers-Celtics battles as a player in the 1980s, said before the series began. “Golden State wants a finesse game.” Finesse won Game 1. And after a team has been blown out in the playoffs, history shows that team typically tries to make a statement in Game 2 that things will be different.
Funny thing is for Cleveland, the Cavs had a way to do just that three months ago in former Golden State center Andrew Bogut. Problem is, they only had him for 58 seconds.
The Australian started the year in Dallas, got traded to and ultimately waived by Philadelphia, and signed with Cleveland because the Cavs knew they needed—and wanted—another tough guy who could clog the lane and had playoff experience.
But Bogut checked into a game against Miami for his Cavs debut, collided with Heat rookie Okaro White, and broke his left leg. Season over. So while he was tweeting Thursday about Santa Claus and Australian Rules Football, Durant was dunking on the sort of nonexistent defense typically seen at an All-Star Game and not the NBA Finals. Durant had six dunks, all in the first half.
“Wemade a lot of mistakes. They capitalized,” James said. “And we get an opportunity to get a couple days to see what they did and see what we did wrong and how we can be better in Game 2.”