Game 2 debacle shows there is little reason to believe in this Cavs team

The Cleveland Cavaliers were embarrassed by the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, losing by 33-points, in a match that proved there is little reason to believe in this Cavs team.  

Where to now for the Cavaliers?

That is the pressing question after the Warriors demolished them in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, a 110-77 final score line. It was an annihilation, with the gap between the two number one seeds seeming larger than the distance between Oracle Arena and the Quicken Loans Arena.

It’s hard to pinpoint one major issue that the Cavs dealt with in Game 2, because there were simply too many. From the offensive struggles, the minimal defensive communication and the lacking intangibles, such as heart and effort, the Cavaliers looked like a shell of the team that started the post-season a perfect 10-0.

“We didn’t win anything,” LeBron James said, via Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. “No points of the game did we beat them in anything. They beat us to 50/50 balls, they got extra possessions, they got extra tip-ins. They beat us pretty good tonight.”

That they did.

A quick glance over the stat sheet shows how badly beaten the Cavs were. Cleveland shot an abysmal 35.4 percent, compared to the red-hot Warriors, who went at 54.3 percent. The Cavaliers were out-rebounded 46-34, a facet of the game where many thought they had an advantage coming into the series. A few more numbers for you- 17 Cleveland turnovers, 5-of-23 from the three-point line and just 15 assists on 28 made field goals.

Oh, by the way, Kevin Love received a nasty elbow to the back of the head by Harrison Barnes, and is now in the leagues concussion protocol, so his status moving forward is unknown.

“The guys are not discouraged,” Tyronn Lue said, via Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated. “More pissed than anything. We’ve got to be tougher, more physical, and live with the results.”

Despite the confident statements from Lue, James and the rest of the Cavaliers, it is all just white noise until we start seeing some actions on the court.

Cleveland was calm heading into Sunday night, even though the problems that doomed them in Game 2 were also present in Game 1. The Cavs were confident that they had a sound defensive plan, centered on stopping Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, forcing other Warriors to beat them. They believed their offensive woes were easily fixable, as the Cavaliers missed 28 shots at the rim in Game 1, and Lue liked the mismatches created from Golden State switching everything.

After their seventh straight loss to the Warriors however, it’s becoming painfully obvious that the Cavs are in need for desperate changes. It will most likely be too little too late though, as the Cavaliers are now faced with the mighty task of beating the greatest team in regular season history four times in five tries.

It’s ironic in a way. The things that made Cleveland look so dominate throughout the first three rounds are the same things that make them look second-class against Golden State.

The bench unit of James, Matthew Dellavedova, Iman Shumpert, Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye has barley had a chance to see the court, as Frye has played seven and three minutes in Games 1 and 2 respectively. Meanwhile, the Warriors bench has scored 85 points in two games, with Shaun Livingston, Leandro Barbosa and Andre Iguodala making major impacts.

Cleveland’s offense was chugging along at a historic pace throughout the first three rounds of the playoffs. In the first round against the Detroit Pistons, the Cavs had an offensive rating of 120.4. Against the Atlanta Hawks in the second round, they had an even better 122.9 offensive rating, while the Cavaliers scored 118.5 points per 100 possession in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Toronto Raptors.

What made the Cavs offense so devastating was their willingness to move the ball, which eliminated the isolation basketball that has plagued them over the past couple of season, and Cleveland’s historic three-point shooting helped.

None of those elements have been working in Cleveland’s favor in the finals though. The Cavaliers offensive attack is confusing. The Warriors are one of the most versatile and best defensive teams in the NBA, especially when it’s set in the half court. However, Lue and the Cavs seem content to fall back into isolation ball over and over again, due to the Warriors switching everything.

In theory, this makes sense. The Cavs possess two of the NBA’s best isolation players in James and Kyrie Irving. The duo usually punishes the opponent when they switch, which causes a mismatch.

Against Golden State though, this strategy is a death wish. The Warriors length and versatility on the defensive end allows them to contain James and Irving on a switch. Draymond Green, Thompson and Iguodala all can effectively switch on the pick and roll, and it has often led to Cavalier turnovers and missed shots.

More from King James Gospel

• 3 possible starting lineups for Cleveland Cavaliers in 2023-24
• The Cavaliers may have snagged a hidden gem in Craig Porter Jr.
• 4 players the Cavaliers should pursue in 2024 free agency
• 6 players Cavaliers might replace Jarrett Allen with by the trade deadline
• This stat is one to keep an eye on for Cavaliers’ Max Strus in years ahead

The logical solution would be to move the basketball, which would create open looks for Cleveland. They haven’t done this though, which has led to an offensive rating of just 85.9 in the finals, a shocking number. Too often, the ball ends up in James’ hands on the post, with the other four Cavs standing around the perimeter watching. This allows the Warriors defenders to cheat off their man to help stop James. With no ball or player movement, there is no risk in doubling or in some cases, triple-teaming James.

Additionally, the quality three-point attempts have dried up thanks to the lack of movement. Cleveland is connecting on just 27.3 percent of their three-pointers in the playoffs, a reflection of how poorly they have been shooting the ball.

On the defensive end, the Cavs have been so focused on stopping Curry and Thompson that they have forgotten about basic defensive principles. The amount of times Cleveland has been caught sleeping off the ball, leading to countless Warriors back door cuts for open dunks and lay-ups, is worrisome.

Cleveland isn’t getting out to shooters and their on-ball pressure has been minimal. When you’re giving a guy like Green space to shot and make plays, it isn’t going to end well. Green was a 38.3 percent three-point shooter in the regular season and he is one of the best decision-makers in the league. Attempting to shut down Curry and Thompson makes sense, but when it is the only aspect of your defense, the Warriors are going to exploit that and they have, leaving the Cavs defensive stumped.

Finally, where is the effort, the heart, the desperation and the hustle from the Cavs? It’s the damn NBA Finals, not the pre-season. Cleveland has lacked the necessary energy for a finals game and simply don’t seem to be playing hard enough to be considered champions.

FiveThirtyEight is giving Cleveland an 11 percent chance to win the title, which is probably being generous. With the way Cleveland has looked through the first two games, they might not need to book more flights to Oakland.