2016 NBA Finals: Game Two
Following a decisive Game One victory which was backed by limited production from the duo fondly known as the "Splash Brothers", the Golden State Warriors entered Oracle Arena on Sunday night in hopes of earning a second victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers, thus seizing a rather intimidating 2-0 series advantage.
As the first-quarter progressed, however, this evening's contest seemed designated to be yet another "grind it out" affair. In the early stages of the game, Warriors' center Andrew Bogut recorded 4 monumental blocked shots, whilst at the opposite end of the spectrum, point guard Stephen Curry collected a pair of early fouls.
Bogut's productivity would cease as the evening advanced, yet Curry's ongoing foul trouble continued to haunt Golden State. Steph was whistled for his third personal foul in the second-quarter, and picked up his fourth in the early stages of the second-half.
Thankfully for Golden State, Cleveland's overall productivity was completely stifled. Despite his early foul trouble, Stephen Curry collected six rebounds in the opening frame, while LeBron James was held scoreless for the first time in his NBA Finals career.
As the second-quarter rolled around, it became increasingly evident that Klay Thompson was once again struggling to find any remnant of offensive rhythm, with the Cavaliers now clinging desperately to their highly-coveted lead.
And then, as if destined to break out of a rage-inducing slump, Golden State exploded for a 20-2 second-quarter run. At the forefront of this offensive outbreak was forward Draymond Green, who took an impressive tally of 18 points to the locker room.
Courtesy of this well-timed swing of the pendulum, the Warriors would lead 52-44 at halftime.
At the forefront of first-half highlights, however, stood the injury to Cavaliers' forward Kevin Love, who had taken an unintentional elbow to the head by Warriors' forward Harrison Barnes in the second-quarter.
With Love now benched due to the NBA's ever-frustrating concussion protocol, Golden State would surge once more in the early stages of the third period of play.
By the opening inbound of the fourth-quarter, the Warriors had built a seemingly insurmountable 82-62 advantage, and Cleveland would prove to have an insufficient counter in the contest's final quarter, ultimately falling by the almost embarrassing score of 110-77.
At this point in the series, the Cavaliers have become a desperate team -- a team which certainly needs to muster all of their collective strength in an effort to win Game 3 and build off of the momentum which such a win would undoubtedly provide.
In Game Two, however, Cleveland seemed unable to muster any sort of rally. When Stephen Curry was benched in the early stages of the third (after being whistled for his fourth personal foul), Golden State still managed to finish the quarter on a 25-15 run.
Led by double-digit scoring from Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Leandro Barbosa, the Golden State Warriors now stand merely two victories away from capturing their second consecutive NBA Championship.
And with the health status of Cleveland All-Star Kevin Love now hanging in the balance, tonight's victory just may have served as the knockout punch that Golden State had so desperately craved.
The series will now shift to Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland for Games 3 and 4, which will be held on Wednesday and Friday evening respectively.
As the first-quarter progressed, however, this evening's contest seemed designated to be yet another "grind it out" affair. In the early stages of the game, Warriors' center Andrew Bogut recorded 4 monumental blocked shots, whilst at the opposite end of the spectrum, point guard Stephen Curry collected a pair of early fouls.
Bogut's productivity would cease as the evening advanced, yet Curry's ongoing foul trouble continued to haunt Golden State. Steph was whistled for his third personal foul in the second-quarter, and picked up his fourth in the early stages of the second-half.
Thankfully for Golden State, Cleveland's overall productivity was completely stifled. Despite his early foul trouble, Stephen Curry collected six rebounds in the opening frame, while LeBron James was held scoreless for the first time in his NBA Finals career.
As the second-quarter rolled around, it became increasingly evident that Klay Thompson was once again struggling to find any remnant of offensive rhythm, with the Cavaliers now clinging desperately to their highly-coveted lead.
And then, as if destined to break out of a rage-inducing slump, Golden State exploded for a 20-2 second-quarter run. At the forefront of this offensive outbreak was forward Draymond Green, who took an impressive tally of 18 points to the locker room.
Courtesy of this well-timed swing of the pendulum, the Warriors would lead 52-44 at halftime.
At the forefront of first-half highlights, however, stood the injury to Cavaliers' forward Kevin Love, who had taken an unintentional elbow to the head by Warriors' forward Harrison Barnes in the second-quarter.
With Love now benched due to the NBA's ever-frustrating concussion protocol, Golden State would surge once more in the early stages of the third period of play.
By the opening inbound of the fourth-quarter, the Warriors had built a seemingly insurmountable 82-62 advantage, and Cleveland would prove to have an insufficient counter in the contest's final quarter, ultimately falling by the almost embarrassing score of 110-77.
At this point in the series, the Cavaliers have become a desperate team -- a team which certainly needs to muster all of their collective strength in an effort to win Game 3 and build off of the momentum which such a win would undoubtedly provide.
In Game Two, however, Cleveland seemed unable to muster any sort of rally. When Stephen Curry was benched in the early stages of the third (after being whistled for his fourth personal foul), Golden State still managed to finish the quarter on a 25-15 run.
Led by double-digit scoring from Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Leandro Barbosa, the Golden State Warriors now stand merely two victories away from capturing their second consecutive NBA Championship.
And with the health status of Cleveland All-Star Kevin Love now hanging in the balance, tonight's victory just may have served as the knockout punch that Golden State had so desperately craved.
The series will now shift to Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland for Games 3 and 4, which will be held on Wednesday and Friday evening respectively.
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