By: Kylan Watson
The Golden State Warriors are riding high after beating the Cavaliers in two straight games in the 2018 NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors have been an offensive juggernaut through the early part of the Finals. They have been hitting their shots, playing superb defense, and look like the best team in the NBA. The Cavaliers are in a 2-0 hole, and they need somebody other than LeBron James and Kevin Love to step up to the plate. In these two early games nobody has answered the call. Their teammates offensive inconsistency has left a lot of viewers, media personalities, and sports experts wondering if the Cavaliers will even win one game in the 2018 NBA Finals?
The Cavaliers had a chance to steal a game in Game 1, however some late-game incompetence by JR Smith and a missed free-throw cost them the game. This was the Cavaliers best chance to win so far in the Finals. Cavaliers Forward, LeBron James scored 51 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and had eight assists in the game. Most people would expect the Cavaliers to win this game, however the Cavs suffered a power outage in overtime. They could not buy a shot in overtime, and James went 0-4 during the game. That ultimately doomed the Cavs, as they lost by a score of 124-114.
James is very much in desperate need of assistance and support from his teammates. They have been a step late on defensive assignments, have turned the ball over, and have not continued to move the ball against the Warriors. The Cavs have fallen into the same trap the Rockets did by playing isolation ball against the Warriors defense, and that will not beat the Warriors.
The Warriors have been playing their best basketball of the 2018 postseason. They have been moving the ball, getting open shots for their teammates, and Steph Curry and Kevin Durant have awakened from their slumber.
Curry especially has been killing the Cavaliers defense. He has been attacking them off defensive switches and has been hitting his three-point shots. In Game 2, Curry hit nine three-pointers that is a Finals record. Curry has really come into his own during these Finals and has been playing like his old-self and that is a dangerous situation for the Cavs.
The good news for the Cavaliers is the series now shifts to Cleveland tonight at 9 pm EST. Their role players should play better at home, and maybe someone will step-up and help James and Love. The Cavs will need to play better defense and get three to five more players to perform well, to even have a chance at beating the Warriors. The Cavaliers are clearly over-matched in these Finals, but they will need to play their best game of the season to win one game in these Finals.
