The Cleveland Cavs put together a Big Three for moments just like this one in the 2015 NBA Finals. However, now their down to their Big One.
With Kevin Love already sidelined and Kyrie Irving out for the duration of the Finals and then some with a fractured kneecap suffered in Game 1, it'll be up to LeBron James to shoulder a lion's share of the load against the NBA regular season-best Golden State Warriors.
If James is to pull off the (perhaps) implausible and lift these Cavs to their first-ever NBA championship, salvaging an early split in Oakland following a 108-100 overtime loss on Thursday would be a huge step in that direction.
Here's our Cavs vs. Warriors Game 2 Preview & Prediction
Projected Starting Lineups
(All stats based on playoff performance only)
PG: Matthew Dellavedova - 6.5 ppg, 2.7 apg
SG: Iman Shumpert - 9.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg
SF: LeBron James - 28.7 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 8.1 apg
PF: Tristan Thompson - 8.9 ppg, 10.2 rpg
C: Timofey Mozgov - 9.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg
PG: Stephen Curry - 29.0 ppg, 6.5 apg, 4.9 rpg
SG: Klay Thompson - 19.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg
SF: Harrison Barnes - 11.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg
PF: Draymond Green - 13.9 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 5.1 apg
C: Andrew Bogut - 5.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg
What To Watch For:
The LeBron Show
Kyrie Irving looked fantastic in his on-court return on Thursday, posting 23 points and six assists in just under 44 minutes of play. However, when Irving drove right late and crumpled to the floor in pain, the spotlight got that much brighted on the once and future King of Cleveland,
It's going to take a Herculean individual effort from LeBron James just to keep his team level with the Dubs for the rest of this series, let alone win it all. It helps that he's the best passing big man we've seen in decades, but the weaponry around him will need to play above their heads while James juggles the roles of scorer, facilitator and defender.
A Letdown For Golden State?
There have been few dips on the Warriors' 2014-15 roller coaster, but sixth man Andre Iguodala says the handful of rough stretches the team has encountered have come in similar situations to what they face in Game 2.
“We had some games where we didn’t play up to our level of talent because a guy was out,” Iguodala said. “It snuck up and almost bit us a few times. You know, Steph saved us."
Irving's injury pushes the needle far over into the Warriors' favor, but don't expect Golden State to take the Cavs like they have other teams in the past, regardless of the state of the supporting cast around LeBron.
Prediction: Warriors win 109-99
Everybody and their mother are picking the Dubs to roll over the Cavs now, but we're not so sure. Count on Golden State to pull away late in this one. However, they'll still be in for a major fight when the series shifts back to Northeast Ohio for Games 3 and 4.
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