• Game 2: Full analysis, reactions
• Complete coverage of The Finals
OAKLAND, Calif. — Twenty-four thoughts from Game 2 of the Finals in which the Golden State Warriors pulled away from the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-113 and take a 2-0 series lead.
24 — We didn’t have to wait for the opening tip for the first real game changer (potentially) for Game 2 of The 2017 Finals. Steve Kerr is back on the sideline for this one. We’ll find out in a couple of hours if this had a huge impact on this game … or not.
After missing most of the #NBAPlayoffs, @warriors' Steve Kerr will resume his HC duties tonight in Game 2.
His talk with @daldridgetnt. pic.twitter.com/mpNyv4XlDH
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 4, 2017
"It's great for the team and I think it's great for him, and these fans and the organization." #GameTime reacts to Steve Kerr's return. pic.twitter.com/KyxkzbGrd7
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 4, 2017
23 — What’s a Bay Area Finals without at least one visit from the great Santana on the anthem?
Tonight's National Anthem performer, @SantanaCarlos!#NBAFinals Game 2: 8pm/et ABC. pic.twitter.com/8UmXbx6EmP
— NBA (@NBA) June 4, 2017
22 — We’re going there tonight, huh? #TheNewBigFour
https://twitter.com/at_paras/status/871494978043650048
That other Big Four is here, too.
The @warriors All-Stars Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Steph Curry & Kevin Durant arrive for #NBAFinals Game 2 on ABC! #DubNation pic.twitter.com/lvJXFSHOni
— NBA (@NBA) June 4, 2017
21 — Cleveland’s wild card player for Game 2 should be J.R. Smith and coach Tyronn Lue has already made clear that he needs his “assassin” ready to go tonight. But what if someone else is the key to unlocking this Cleveland offense?
View this post on InstagramKyle Korver, getting ready for Game 2. #nbafinals
A post shared by John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) on Jun 4, 2017 at 4:16pm PDT
You can’t get more superstitious than me, so I’m all in on the all-black unis Cleveland pulled out for Game 2. But is it a little early to play this card?
Back in black for Game 2.#NBAFinals || #DefendTheLand pic.twitter.com/fkcHirCYFg
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 4, 2017
20 — When you’ve got two starting forwards like Draymond and KD … SMH!
Draymond Green's fingerprints all over this run for the Warriors. From down six early on to up seven just like that. #dontblink #NBAFinals
— Sekou Smith (@SekouSmithNBA) June 5, 2017
Now it's KD's turn. The block on Kyrie on one end, the pull-up 3 on the other. Wicked. #NBAFinals
— Sekou Smith (@SekouSmithNBA) June 5, 2017
Durant rejection on one end.
Durant 3-pointer on the other.#NBAFinals #DubNation pic.twitter.com/4Ti4PqfuD7— NBA.com (@NBAcom) June 5, 2017
19 — Cleveland is lucky they have “Freight Train” James on their side, or this game would be sideways already.
LEBRON OH MY GOODNESS #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/wx75ElclRn
— Hedging Screens Podcast (@hedgingscreens) June 5, 2017
18 — The Warriors’ penchant for the home-run pass or play is costing them a nice cushion late in the first half. The Cavaliers are locked in and playing at a much higher level right now. LeBron is always at his best like this.
Turnover game has flipped in the Cavaliers' favor tonight and they are taking full advantage. Crazy pace working for them, too. #NBAFinals
— Sekou Smith (@SekouSmithNBA) June 5, 2017
LeBron is in must-win mode- hasn't even bothered with a 3.
Cavs, meanwhile, are in must-have-LeBron-on-the-floor mode.#NBAFinals— Matt Winer (@MattWinerTV) June 5, 2017
17 — Baby steps!
The Cavaliers scored 64 points in the 1st half of Game 2 Sunday night. They scored 77 total points in Game 2 of last year's #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/jAxgGJBCwM
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 5, 2017
16 — Getting what we asked for at the half. Warriors up 67-64. Stars shining. No complaints …
At half of Game 2 in #NBAFinals@warriors – 67@cavs – 64
Steph & KD with 15 points. LeBron game-high 18https://t.co/bg1RguzW3X pic.twitter.com/Lkom7HHpGo
— NBA.com (@NBAcom) June 5, 2017
That's a good first half of basketball. #NBAFinals
— Mike Miller (@MikeMiller_13) June 5, 2017
KYRIE AT THE BUZZER#NBAFinals #nbanaespnpic.twitter.com/QB9Pv6wM9B
— NBA do Povo #NBAPlayoffs (@NBAdoPovo) June 5, 2017
15 — This might help explain that 18-10-6 first half masterpiece from LeBron, who became the first player in the last 20 years to record 10 assists in the firs half of a Finals game.
https://twitter.com/HPbasketball/status/871536004343013376
… They’re not going head-to-head as much, but KD’s first half line is equally ridiculous with 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals. #watchemwork
14 — MVP on MVP!
Curry dances his way for two to extend the @warriors lead!#NBAFinals on #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/HsLU8Wmvcl
— NBA (@NBA) June 5, 2017
Steph just put LeBron in the blender. #Smoothie #NBA finals
— Sekou Smith (@SekouSmithNBA) June 5, 2017
Riley Curry watching her dad do work like…#NBAFinals #NBAonABC #DubNation pic.twitter.com/Ij6btTxj4L
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) June 5, 2017
Steph just shook LeBron so bad my cable went out. #NBAFinals
— nbabeau (@NBABeau) June 5, 2017
13 — I know the feeling, OBJ. Both teams playing lights out. Every time the Warriors push the lead, the Cavaliers come back. Big Boy basketball at it’s finest!
.@OBJ_3 is an accurate representation of everyone watching the #NBAFinals right now pic.twitter.com/zvMXPeplKc
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) June 5, 2017
This NBA finals is so totally worth the wait. This is incredible. #NBAFinals #nba
— Andrew. (@Andrewiggys) June 5, 2017
12 — Warriors finish the third on a 16-6 run, a stretch that saw Draymond pick up his fifth foul. They finish with 102 points after three quarters and still aren’t out of harm’s way. Don’t blame the defense. The pace is just crazy.
And this guy is enjoying every second!
Cutest baby on Earth alert. pic.twitter.com/D0xLftDsZF
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) June 5, 2017
11 — Make it rain!
The @warriors were raining threes at Oracle in the 3Q. ☔️☔️☔️#NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/y1hhCcwmZv
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 5, 2017
10 — This fourth quarter is going to get interesting down the stretch if Kyrie keeps doing this …
Kyrie shake and inside out but then the finish. With the left! pic.twitter.com/OxmRtyWc5u
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) June 5, 2017
9 — Careful Kevin Love. Five blocks and counting for KD, btw.
https://twitter.com/16WinsARing/status/871552512326873088
Guessing Kevin Durant didn't appreciate the mouse-in-the-house act from Love. Block. Buckets on the other end. Chest pound! #NBAFinals
— Sekou Smith (@SekouSmithNBA) June 5, 2017
Oh wait: Durant has 5 blocked shots.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) June 5, 2017
8 — You know Russ is watching …
Someone might wanna call Russell and tell him to stop watching that movie. KD is destroying folks out there. #NBAFinals
— exhoopsprguy (@exhoopsPRguy) June 5, 2017
7 — Steph with a triple-double of his own. Just clowning out here on the long ball all of a sudden. Klay is awake, too. Warriors up 121-104 with 5:36 to play and Draymond on the bench.
Game recap… pic.twitter.com/OJlGM7xDrg
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 5, 2017
6 — Golden State is totally unstoppable when they’ve got it all going.
KD has 31 points, 12 rebounds & 6 assists. Oh, and Steph has a triple-double with 30 points, 10 rebounds & 10 assists. Simply unstoppable.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) June 5, 2017
5 — I know better than to assume we know what will happen in the coming days. But there is an air of inevitability creeping into this series.. AGAIN, no one is suggesting this thing is over. But …
Lebron is at minimum, one of the best four or five players ever, and even he knows there's nothing he can do to beat this team 4 times.
— Casey Stern (@CaseyStern) June 5, 2017
4 — What happens when all four of the Warriors’ stars are in a flow? Yikes!
Stars done for the night
Kevin Durant: 33 pts, 13 rebs, 6 asts, 3 stls, 5 blks
Steph Curry: 32 pts, 11 asts, 10 rebs, 14/14 on FTs— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 5, 2017
3 — We’re going to have to give Steph his due at some point. Might not be tonight. Might not be this series. But sooner or later, we’re all going to have to give it up to him.
Rare to see Curry grind through a game. But he got to FT line, grabbed rebounds, kept plays alive while shot wasn’t falling
— J.A. Adande (@jadande) June 5, 2017
2 — Sometimes it’s the pairings you don’t see coming that wind up resonating the most. Former rivals and now teammates two games away from taking down a common foe. We can’t make this stuff up, not even on our best days. #NotFakeNews
2-0 lead
KD (33 pts), Steph (32 pts) power Warriors past Cavaliers 132-113 in Game 2: https://t.co/opLhw8HNmb #NBAFinals #DubNation pic.twitter.com/tDXlB5JGNA
— NBA.com (@NBAcom) June 5, 2017
1 — Still not ready to call this a series yet. Cavs have too much pride, too much LeBron and two games at home to stretch this thing out. I feel like we’ll be in Oakland for a Game 5, no matter how much confetti they drop after wins here at Oracle Arena. That said, there is a ton of work for the Cavs to do between now and Wednesday night.
Cavs will play better at home, but Durant puzzle is…well, I don't know what Cleveland does there.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) June 5, 2017
Hell of a line right there. pic.twitter.com/K4ZJfdetu5
— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) June 5, 2017
Back to The Land to defend our home court. We've been here before.#CavsWarriors BOX: https://t.co/Ri6T5u0Qj3 #DefendTheLand pic.twitter.com/MdKt5HWRVf
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 5, 2017
Sekou Smith is a veteran NBA reporter and NBA TV analyst. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.
