There wasn’t a single minute in Game 2 that it felt that Cavaliers will win. Even when they the gap to just 2 points, it felt that it’s just a matter of time. Few good minutes, few stops, few 3-pointers from Steph and Klay, and it’s over.
But that’s not the main problem. What should really worry the Cavs is that neither Steph, Durant or Klay had a superb game (in their standards). You know who had? Lebron. He was everywhere. Spacing the floor, defending, setting his teammates for open shots (half of Love points can be written on Lebron). He drove to the basket again and again, getting fouled almost every time and not getting the whistles. And in the end, it was enough just to keep the Cavs in the game till the middle of the third quarter. Not more than that.
James got tired and Warriors got away. You could see the look on LeBron’s face. He was exhausted. But it’s not just that. He was frustrated. He felt cheated. He knew he was superb and yet it wasn’t enough. And at some part, he knows it won’t be enough tomorrow or on Friday.
Of course, LeBron will never admit it. To us or to himself. He will keep fighting and playing at the level we have never seen before. And it’s reasonable to believe that Kyrie will generate one of those nights when he just cannot miss. That might be enough to win a game, maybe two. But not more than that.
The Cavs did everything right. They have a superb team, with 3 superstars and solid role players. In 2012-13 Big Three was enough, but now it’s 2017 and GS have The Big Four.
3 pts, 1 – 6 from the field, 2 reb, 0 ast and 3 TO – That’s the combined stats of JR Smith in the first two games. Now replace that with 71 pts, 22 reb, 14 ast, 3 stl, 5 blocks and 3 TO – Kevin Durant’s contribution in the series so far. Do you really think GS could beat that?
But it doesn’t work that way, and LeBron has no one to blame. Maybe himself. He wasn’t the first superstar to gather a Super-team, but he was the first to do so in such a blunt fashion in the peak of his carrier. Apparently, it’s a double-edged sword and now LeBron and the Cavs are on the wrong end of it.
What will happen next? We are not sure. Golden State will win the title, but the main question is not 2017, but 2018, 2019 and maybe more. Will the Warriors manage to resign their star players and build a dynasty? Probably yes.
And if so, is there any player who can become #4 in Cavs Super-team? We’ll have to wait and see.
All the rest, they can prepare for 2019-20.