Cleveland's Comeback: LeBron is not alone
Wow! This finals series looks like a ‘finals series’. We already knew these amazing teams had some sensational players; but when the first two games of a finals series go to Over Time(OT), you know you’ve reached another level. It was a game where you didn’t want to eat, drink, text, move or even blink. You were too busy biting your nails hoping your team wins.
The Cavaliers overcame whatever was thrown their way and won Game 2 with a score of 95-93 in OT. Matthew Dellavedova played well on paper; recording 9 points, 3 steals, and 5 rebounds. However, saying just that doesn’t do justice to him. He guarded the “Un-guardable” Steph Curry and exceeded everyone’s expectations at doing that.
LeBron James got his 5th NBA finals career triple-double by recording 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. He became the second player in NBA finals history behind James Worthy (Lakers 1988) to have at least 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Elite company indeed.
Klay Thompson had an amazing game with 34 points, 2 assists and 2 steals. He was dueling against the chosen one for points on a night where his splash brother was struggling. In spite of some initial foul trouble, he dominated the Cavs to bring his team to a position where they had an opportunity to get the 2-0 lead.
Stephen Curry didn’t exactly have a “bad game”, but if you can limit the MVP to 19 points and force him to commit 6 turnovers; that’s an achievement in itself. Throughout the first half, both teams had runs where they came back from a deficit and got the lead. The first quarter ended with both teams tied at 20, whereas the first half ended with Klay and LeBron at 20.
The reason why this game can be termed great is because of the defense. Both teams gave an amazing effort on their backcourt and an OT score of 95-93 is a testament to that. Both sides got 11 steals and made spectacular adjustments to try and stop the stars on the opposite team.
Cleveland did an exceptional job, limiting one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA to only 8-35 from beyond the arc. They also had the upper hand in rebounds and turnovers, rising above the Warriors by 10 and 5 respectively.
LeBron finally gets help
LeBron, who was in dire need for help on the offensive end, finally got some. He still had to score almost 40 points for his team, but the other 55 came from an amazing assortment of players. Mozgov and Smith gave an efficient 17 and 13 along with an unexpected but much needed 8 points from James Jones.
The Cavs bench outscored the Warrior’s 21-17 which is a very big deal compared to Game 1 when the Cav’s got nothing from the bench apart from JR’s 9. Lebron also got another triple-double with a whopping 16 assists; which just goes to prove that the King was taking chances at his struggling teammates (and that’s a tough thing to do).
The rise and rise of Matthew Dellavedova
Second season in the NBA; Playing to win your first championship in franchise history; Going against the team with the best record in regular season; Filling the shoes of the former All-Star MVP; Task- to guard the ‘un-guardable’ reigning MVP ?
-Challenge Accepted
LeBron did get a remarkable 39 points, but there is no doubt that Dellavedova saved the day. James himself publicly stated that he thought Stephen Curry can’t be guarded. I bet he’s glad this Australian proved him wrong.
Matthew started at PG filling Kyrie Irving’s shoes with determination on his face. Curry, while defended by Dellavedova, could not get a single field goal (0-8). This was highly unusual for the MVP and this will be a feat that the Aussie can brag about for years to come. He played with a lot of heart while diving for loose balls and grabbing rebounds. People are going to be talking about this for days to come.
Cleveland and their King needed a hero.
Matthew Dellavedova answered the call.
Overtime!
With 3:14 left in the fourth quarter, LeBron’s Cavs led by 11 points. It almost felt like the Warriors were not going to come back from double digits with just a few minutes left. The Warriors made a couple of threes and used the hacking strategy to get the poor free throw shooter (Tristan Thompson) on the line.
Before you knew it, you were back in Game 1. The shot clock turned off, tied game, Cleveland ball, LeBron draining the final seconds of regulation. Exactly like Game 1, James got a shot up, it didn’t fall, Cleveland sort of recovered to get a second attempt, and that got off the rim too. Talk about nail biting.
It must have been a nightmare for Cleveland to face the exact same situation again. There were a lot of controversial calls made by the referees and the visitors seemed frustrated after a while.
Sheer determination and will to win got them through. Matthew’s amazing defense on Curry prevented the Golden State from getting a lead in the end and LeBron shot free throws to seal the game. The Cavaliers faced the toughest place to play on the road in the NBA and got a win.
Coming up at Quicken Loans Arena
After an eight-point defeat in Game 1, the Cavaliers needed to get back into the series as quickly as they can. Things took a turn for the worse before Game 2, as Kyrie Irving was ruled out for close to 4 months.
But when the chips were down, the Cavaliers showed a great fight to bring the contest back to level terms. Heading into Game 3 at their home base, they will certainly be more confident.
As for Golden State, they must have a look at their opponents and understand that they cannot get comfortable against a battered Cleveland team. Even great players like Stephan Curry will sometimes have bad nights. Every player has to do better to ensure that they get the trophy home.
All-in-all, in the light of Game 1 and 2, one thing is for certain. It’s going to be a battle to be remembered and one can only hope that more players step up to assume the champion’s role during their greatest test.