Cavs Vs Warriors: 5 Standout Stats from Game 2

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June 7, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) plays for the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) during the overtime period in game two of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

2. CAVS: 55 Rebounds; WARRIORS: 45 Rebounds

I’ve said it previously and I’ll say it again: every time the Cavs won the battle of the boards in the postseason, they win the game and this was still true in this one.

James (16), Tristan Thompson (14), and Mozgov (11) worked their tails off by grabbing nearly the same number of rebounds as the entire Warriors team did.

Cleveland enjoyed a 10-rebound margin (55-45) on the strength of their size advantage whenever the Warriors went small. But this didn’t translate to a bigger final scoring margin due to the Cavs’ overall poor shooting. Still, the extra boards meant they kept the ball away from the Warriors which is crucial to winning against them. By limiting the Warriors’ touches, the Cavs also limited their runs. Rebounding is one of the three key stats the Cavs need to dominate along with free-throw attempts and makes, and three-pointers. James (16), Tristan Thompson (14), and Mozgov (11) worked their tails off by grabbing nearly the same number of rebounds as the entire Warriors team did.

3. CAVS: 28-40 (70%) Free Throws; WARRIORS: 19-25 (76%) Free Throws

The Cavs went to the line often tonight led by James (14-18) and Timofey Mozgov (7-12) on the way to a huge night at the line, attempting 15 more free throws than the Warriors.

Those 40 attempts accounted for a nine-point difference in makes, which were crucial to the Cavs especially since they shot so poorly from the field and average at the line. It was evident from the start that Mozgov was getting his way against Bogut who had four personal fouls mostly while guarding the big Russian center. LeBron was also aggressive by taking the ball to the hole often and making sure he got contact on his way to the hoop. Though he only had two free-throw attempts, Matthew Dellavedova made both of them in overtime to give the Cavs the lead for good.

Next: Shooting, Curry and Honorable Mention