Steve Kerr returned to the Warriors’ bench in Game 2 of the 2017 NBA Finals but Kevin Durant was the hero of the night. With 33 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 blocks and 59% from the court, Durant became the fourth player in the history of The Finals to score at least 30 points and 5 blocks in a game. Before him, only Tim Duncan, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were able to accomplish this.
Durant did his traditional thing on the offensive side but he was even better on the defensive end, where Steve Kerr used him also as a center due to Draymond Green’s foul issues. And well, he did pretty good as the de-facto big man. During the stretch with Durant at the 5, the Warriors increased their lead to 14 points and had a positive plus/minus with +16, basically deciding the game in the third quarter. When your best scorer could also be your best rim protector, you have a huge advantage over your opponent. An example? Just look at this clip where Kevin Durant blocks Kevin Love in the post and then attacks the basketball on the offensive side, scoring over Lebron James.
Kevin Durant blocks Love in the post, then he comes down and gets a tough shot to fall over LeBron ???pic.twitter.com/6HAZmc7VmB
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 5, 2017
Cleveland, so far, has looked clueless against Kevin Durant. Love is doing a very good job offensively but defensively, he doesn’t stand a chance against Durant. Irving is dreading Durant on every single switch and is trying to force way too much. Even LeBron James had his own issues at finishing at the rim when he had Durant in front of him. Durant’s defense was simply amazing and damaged the Cavs even more than his shooting.
Despite a phenomenal performance from LeBron James, who finished the game with 29 points, 14 assists, 11 rebounds, 3 steals, and almost 67% from the court, Cleveland wasn’t able to limit Golden State. Cavs did a better job defensively in Game 2 than Game 1, forcing 20 turnovers and keeping the game on the line until the end of first half. But in the second half, the Warriors’ pace and incredible shooting were way too much for Cleveland, who allowed 132 points. For Cleveland, another huge problem has been protecting the paint effectively. In Game 2, the Cavs allowed an embarrassing 85% at the rim, while the Warriors only allowed 54%. Tristan Thompson isn’t making an impact in the series so far and with Kevin Love jogging back in transition, the 2017 NBA Finals may already be over for the Cavaliers..
LeBron James was arguing a call…Klay got the easy dunk pic.twitter.com/HVSQQKSWMr
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 5, 2017
Offensively speaking, LeBron is simply not getting enough help from his teammates. Jr Smith, Kyle Korver, and Deron Williams have been ghosts so far in the series. Kyrie Irving shot only 8-23 from the field in Game 2, limited by Kevin Durant’s outstanding defense. If Irving won’t be able to create more space for himself and his teammates, the Cavs’ road to the recovery would be even harder than expected.
Kevin Durant represents the biggest change from last year’s matchup between the Cavs and the Warriors but another huge difference is Curry’s condition. In last year’s Finals, Curry clearly wasn’t at 100% after his knee injury. He struggled, especially down the stretch, and settled for too many forced shots without attacking the rim. In this series, Curry looks completely different from last year. He’s attacking the rim like crazy (he shot 14 free throws in Game 2), his physical condition looks great, and he is penetrating Cavs’ defense like a knife does butter.
Stephen Curry waited a whole year to do something like this to LeBron James pic.twitter.com/XtRS8JYKLo
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) June 5, 2017
LeBron James is still playing basketball at the highest level possible but he can’t go on alone. In the middle of the third quarter in Game 2, LeBron was subbed out and was visibly exhausted. The effort required to beat these Warriors has been unsustainable so far. You can never bet against LeBron in the NBA Finals, especially in situations where he has his back against the wall, but he can’t overturn this series on his own. He needs more from Kyrie Irving, he needs more from J.R. Smith, he needs more from Tristan Thompson, and he needs more from his bench. In Game 2, LeBron tied Magic Johnson for the most triple doubles in NBA Finals history with 8, but as James himself said:
“Right now, individuality means absolutely nothing when it comes to this team sport. “
In Game 2, LeBron tied Magic Johnson for the most triple-doubles in #NBAFinals history pic.twitter.com/nSa1xkxaF9
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 5, 2017
With this Kevin Durant, the Cavs look clueless so far. Kevin Durant is not a simple upgrade over Harrison Barnes, that’s what makes these Finals so different from last year. You got a top-5 player added to a roster that last year finished the regular season with 73 wins. Maybe this is simply too much to handle for Cleveland. You cannot leave Durant open like Barnes was last season. Cleveland came back from a 3-1 deficit last season but this time it’s impossible to imagine the Warriors not winning the 2017 NBA Finals. And the main reason for this change from last season is Kevin Durant, a weapon that Cleveland can’t neutralize.
