In Game 2 of the NBA Finals, the series’ three MVPs all showed out in what was an exciting, tight game up until the Warriors’ all-stars exploded from deep to finish the job. The Warriors’ 132-113 win isn’t representative of the greatness we witnessed throughout. LeBron James and Stephen Curry triple-doubled, and Kevin Durant double-doubled in a shootout in which all three had their signature moments.
When both Durant and Curry are this on, there’s only so much James and company can do. Even Kevin Love’s 27 points weren’t enough to supplement The King’s workload. But though Game 2 didn’t deliver a buzzer-beating finish, it did live up to the hype of three likely future Hall of Famers competing for a championship.
LeBron was a wrecking ball.
Nobody was stopping LeBron en route to the rim. Just ask Andre Iguodala.
It was clear that if his team was going down, it was going down with LeBron doing absolutely everything he could. That feel was missing in Game 1. He had 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting, mostly because he willed his way to the rim every which way he pleased, and added 14 assists and 11 rebounds.
It’s typical LeBron stuff, but he did it against a relentless layer of top-tier defenders who make up one of the best teams of all time. They didn’t affect him much no matter how hard he was fouled.
Kevin Durant sunk every shot Cavs defenders physically tried to make impossible.
He’s slim, but don’t call him the slim reaper. Mostly because he hates that name, but also because his body is deceptive. He took a number of and-one blows through serious contact. Nothing touched the fiery flame that was never put out in Game 1.
He finished with 33 points on 13-of-22 shooting, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished six assists. He was everywhere with and without the ball, cutting where needed to be, pulling up with space and seeing the floor like a guard.
His presence has made all the difference in this series so far. His addition has been no fluke.
Stephen Curry drained a moonshot late in the second half. That’s when you knew it was over.
Curry drew blanks from deep in the opening half, then found his rhythm later on. That’s how he finished with 32 points on 7-of-17 shooting and added 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
He was a mastermind off the dribble, toying with the King himself on the way to the rack.
But he was also fantastic without the ball, losing his defender to somehow find open shots in his third Finals series against a team whose defense is designed specifically to make sure that doesn’t happen.
We saw it all in Game 2
The second game of the series gave us the best of the best at their best, even if the end fell flat. We nearly witnessed three triple-doubles, and what the numbers didn’t add to will be remembered in moments.
LeBron destroying the rim; Steph winning a game of cat-and-mouse; and Kevin Durant nailing shots off balance.
And if last season is any reminder, this series isn’t over yet.