Live Thread: Cavs @ Warriors, NBA Finals Game 2
2016-06-05Flash poll: Is the big NBA game tonight bigger than the game you considered the biggest game prior to this big game?
— Cavs Win Title Now (@IGOHARDNOW) June 5, 2016
That’s right, True Believers. The biggest Cavs game of the season is here, and it’s even bigger than the last biggest game. Many consider tonight’s win a “must” if the Cavs have a shot at winning the whole shebang. According to Oddshark, NBA teams are 16-257 all-time after trailing 0-2 in a best-of-seven series. Only two of 56 squads have prevailed since 2009. So unless the Cavs want to climb out of a really big hole , they need to play much better tonight (though I’m wearing my “Rise Up!” 2007 Playoffs T-Shirt to prove it is possible). There has been a mountain of content dedicated to what the Cavs did wrong, and what Warriors did right in Game 1, but to me, Game 1 was all about the Cavs’ playing poorly, more than it was about the Warriors playing fantastically.
Here are things Cleveland must do better.
-    The Cavs need to roll! Someone must consistently put LeBron as the roll man, and he must roll, and not just pivot into a high post. Below, LeBron ignores the wide open space by the basket in order to settle for a mismatch. He must slip the pick! He or TT has a layup or JR has a three if he does. This is a part of an overall trend of moving on offense. Or as Ben Werth said to me in an email, “Why can’t LeBron just roll? For the love of my departing sanity. What a frickin waste of talent. Always settling for some dumb mismatch. This team has the talent but is stupid. Someone has to go to the rim on every play. Please..”
2. Channing Frye must play and the Cavs must shoot open shots. Here, Delly passes up a wide open triple to repost LeBron. If Delly doesn’t have confidence in his shot, I don’t know if I want to see him playing. The Cavs best playoff lineup has been:LeBron, Frye, JR, Shump, and Delly. That lineup barely played Thursday. It must play tonight, and the boys must let fly. LeBron gets doubled, pitches to Delly, who instead of being a ready shooter, reposts to LeBron despite there being at least 10 feet between he and Iguodala. Result? 14-foot clanker.
3. Consider staying big (and I don’t mean LeBron at the four).
https://twitter.com/Jon_Roser/status/738855153260847104
4. Play Channing Frye!
5. Everone must close out shooters, and must get to Livingston’s body more quickly.
If they do these they’ll be just fine.
Shump and Lebron giving the game away. Totally stupid decisions offensively and defensively. We should be up by now. Instead, the game is out of reach almost.
I don’t know it may be just me but Delly we know has been missing since the ECF.
Ya I’d put him in yesterday.
Is it just me, or do we keep losing on all the plays that are “effort” plays. Like letting people get crazy putback dunks. Or completely losing people under the basket. Or losing 50/50 balls.
Seems like we don’t want it tonight. Well, at least RJ wants it.
Really LeBron? A 3 point attempt against Barbosa when it’s obvious Barbosa will foul him as soon as he trie to drive.
That turnover by Shump was an enormous swing. Four points at least.
Warriors move without ball….Cavs don’t unless its screen..easiest offense to defend
Exactly.
Yet another layup off warriors cutting to the bucket. Play like the Warriors cavs.
LeBron so weak on closing out. Then chucks up a bad shot. This is frustrating to watch
Why da hell is Lebron settling for 3’s ? come on man, and another easy layup given up on da fastbreak, just frustrating……seems like its been so long that Ive enjoyed a Cavs game
Lue is getting fired after this game….two in a row doesn’t have team ready Cavs playing OFF GS shooters…like wtf?!
hire Blatt back! lolz
LeBron’s playing so stupidly. It’s maddening.
Bad 3 for Leb…that might lead to a blowout….
I dont get why he even takes those….
Have we made 2+ passes on any play this entire game?
Lotta iso and dribbling…Cols must be in ecstasy
JR puts the ball on the floor…
https://vine.co/v/iYVBbbnzwhU
http://www.pleasestopdribblingshump.com
Yessssss
Jefferson should get starter minutes
If Barbisa is going to get trash like that, we have no chance…
Why da hell Shump aint pass da damn ball to Lebron on da fastbreak, and turns the damn ball over
Lebron leaving Green again
GD IT LEBRON CLOSE THE EFF OUT!!!
Jeez. Jefferson again. Forces a turnover by Green.
Seriously….F Green
Is like the Warriors don’t mind using their fouls and the Cavs are a bit too cute
Nice RJ. Fourth foul on Curry. Where would the Cavs be without RJ?
RJ playing big…but lawd man, somebody box out someone
TT just thrown down on that screen. Messed up the whole timing of the play.
Another put back for Warriors after forcing a tough jumpshot..cant win like that
JR looks totally lost on offense
Are you serious with that foul on jefferson? Cavs can’t win this game with that officiating disparity.
Was that a freaking foul on Jefferson?
What is the dunk count now?
This is the offense…
https://vine.co/v/iY936Dw13Dw
‘The beautiful game’
Everything you need to know about our offensive gameplan, this is it
that wasnt a foul on KLOVE, love shoulda passed it back to Irving for a open 3 instead of forcing the shot looking to get fouled (which he did). He should know they aint calling shit
is coaching in NBA incredibly difficult….can Lue see that JR sucks and that Shump or RJ would be better options…i mean he does NOT see that?!?!
Ty Lue bringing in Jefferson for TT?! PUNISH BOGUT WITH FRYE. Cripes. Lue trying to fired.
Terrible closeout by KI on Curry
I just don’t understand how they can justify calling the fouls they do on the Cavs but nothing on the warriors.
Dumb 4th foul, TT….
To David Blatt’s credit, he slowed it down and took the Warriors to 6 without 80% of our starting lineup. Is it bad that I wish he was back, at least for this series?
It’s bad….he was an ‘arrogant’ eurogenius…./s
Lue is being outcoached and has shown a lack of leadership IMHO. Would Blatt be better? Hmmmmm
He has signed now for Darussafaka of the Turkish Basketball League with a very big contract by European standards and virtually unlimited budget, again by European standards. Yeah, I wish we still had him too. But if the guys couldn’t tolerate him, what can u do?
First of all, I haven’t seen officiating this one sided in a long time. We get hacked and hammered and never get a call. It’s just mind blowing to me. Secondly, we have to be better. We’re doing nothing to generate open shots. We’re shooting just over 30% again, while GS is shooting over 50%. This is just abysmal. If you can’t shoot, you can’t win. We better come out with a freakin’ vengeance in the second half or we might as well go home and game plan for the next 2 games. Win or lose, we have to be… Read more »
First, Tony Brothers
Second, I completely agree. I’d at least be more ok with a loss if we actually play our hearts out as a team, rather than a series of dribble-into-nothings, wide-open-threes, and failing to box out.
GS defense is so much better than what we’ve faced. We just can’t get virtually any open threes like against the teams we crushed to get to the finals
Exactly, they switch every screen perfectly and take the challenge individually at the other hand the Cavs are having too many defensive breakdowns.
Please give JR minutes to RJ.
Lue needs to realize RJ is the only one who seems to care.
Shump too
They almost need JR to score to win…but he has to prove he can deliver…
if cavs run an offense and rebound the hell outta the ball and every shot they have a chance here….i would drive against curry and force that 4th foul on him….make him irrelevant….dont think bench is doing much…just draymond killing cavs tonite…cavs also need to stay with their man at all times
Question for the group: It seems like every time the Warriors run the Pick and Roll against the Cavs and the Cavs switch, specifically when it’s a KI/Love switch, they score. My guess is that it’s 100% against the KI/Love pair, or at least very close.
Ky/Love are the worst PnR defenders in the playoffs. Its been statistically proven.
Untrue. They’re two of the worst in the league. It extends beyond the playoffs.
Buahahahahhahaaa yup…
Then my eyes don’t deceive me. Seems like the Warriors had it bolded, underlined, and highlighted on their scouting report.
how about cavs not switch and just stay with their man…felt the trapping early on helped as well that did include KI/Love
The Warriors are going to do it every time possible. It’s the easiet way to score on the court…
I love Richard Jefferson but when he’s your most consistently good player, you’re not going to beat the Warriors in the Finals. Stars have to step it up.
He could be our answer to Livingston’s Game 1 Performance
We r over matched. GS so much better period. I can bash Love Irving or even Lebron but GS is just so much better and we r not playing as if this is the last game on earth
I can’t wait for the Cavs to blow the Warriors out at home and everyone will write about how it’s going to be an easy series from that point on.
No man. We lose game 2 zero chance we win series. We r not winning last four of five.
Totally disagree. Cavs are just playing with their heads up their butts.
It’s nice to see some good play from the bench, like Shump and (esp) RJ. Even Frye had a nice block.
Is Lue afraid of running his bench for long periods of time? At the end of game 1, seemed like a lot of the starters were gassed. I hope he manages the minutes a little better in the 2nd half
I can’t believe that he is 5/12 on shooting . Expected he was more like 3/18
K Love and Kyrie are invisible tonight. I can live with that. We don’t have to forcefeed Love in the post and Kyrie is playing respectable D on Curry. Kyrie needs to be better on O. Only play, I think, the Warriors have no answer for, is someone beating his man off the dribble and finding the open man. Lebron doesn’t beat his man that often and Kyrie doesn’t pass. We are making it easy for them.
Let’s get shit straight. LeBron has struggled mightily for most of the first half. His stats look good, but those don’t tell the story!
Ya. Sloppy with the ball and sloppy on defense.
I’m worried he’ll play for 42+ minutes or something crazy. Then devolve into LeISO.
For every steal he makes he falls asleep on cuts and gives up dunks
And Box outs. Dubs have at least half a dozen points off LeBron not boxing out.
Would have hoped he would have learned by now that dribbling into double teams in the paint against this team just ends in tears. He should have learned that after the MLK day massacre.
Don’t agree. Without James we are down 20. Only other player on the floor was RJ.
But imagine if he would let the team run an offense that frees open shooters rather than him just going one on five. The team would be better off
Nice run to end the half. If we dont play smarter basketball, though, none of this will matter.
Wow my stream is way behind.
So frustrating to see barely any ball movement for open looks (even if we miss) and just defending like crazy and boxing out. Been frustrating to watch this team play these two games knowing the talent and potential. Can you imagine, we was up 6 and was down 15 in the same damn quarter
LeBron seems to think that it’s all on him to single-handedly win this thing tonight. At least in the last part of the 2nd Quarter.
Can it be a repeat of the “NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE” night?
He doesn’t understand he needs his teammates. The best version of this team is not LeBron vs everyone. Especially not at this age
After a slow start, James is 14/7/6 with 4 sreals. But he is just a big one tonight with no KI or Love help
Cavs finally abandoned that horrendous post-offense and started running some pick-and-roll. More please.
Agreed
Thank god
Cavs are lucky to be down only 8
Great way to end the HALF!!!
RJ looking good and tough tonight
Way to go RJ and JR!
Let’s just give the ball to RJ. He’s the only one trying out there.
Jefferson is everywhere tonight. Best player on the floor for the Cavs.
https://vine.co/v/iY9PY9eI60V
Livingston chirping at RJ about something…
Just sucks. I hate this.
It’s like we don’t even care
LeBron staring at shooters tonight.
Welp
No defense again for an easy 2 for Iggy..tskkk
Dan Gilbert’s head is currently undergoing nuclear fusion. It’s running out of fuel and will soon go supernova. The resulting black hole will swallow Ty Lue and Griffin.
I’m sure he’ll be delighted next year paying yet another coach to not work, after they hire Mark Jackson….
Somebody knows their physics! Nice!
Who gives a shit about Curry’s 3rd foul. They don’t even need him. Plus, he won’t foul out anybody.
I believe the Warriors foul too much and the Cavs need to take advantage of that.
Cavs need to close this to 7-8