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After a 25-point blowout Game 1 loss, LeBron James came out red-hot, focused and determined at the start of Game 2 but at the end of the day, it didn't matter. For the second time in three days, the "better team" (Boston Celtics) won.
Unlike Game 1, the Celtics had to wrestle the lead back from Cleveland and they did so with a big third quarter where they outscored the Cavaliers 36-22. For the Cavaliers, things just went from bad to worse. Losing Game 1 by 25 when LeBron is having a bad game is one thing but losing Game 2 by 13 when the 4-time league MVP registers a 40-point triple-double is another thing altogether.
At the end of the day, the Celtics did what they were supposed to - take care of their home court and the Cavs would look forward to doing the same but the 0-2 is not a small one to overcome. It's a hole, LeBron James has not been (in the East) since facing Boston in the 2008 Conference Finals where he lost.
Before discussing the series further over the 3-day break, we take a look back at Game 2 and review each Cavaliers' players contribution.
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LeBron James - 9/10
Stat line: 42 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds, 1 block, 6 turnovers, 16-of-29 shooting (5-11 3s)
LeBron James gave it his all in this game but it was just not enough. He started off the first quarter scoring 21 of the team's 27 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 4-of-7 on long-distance 3s. The Celtics were staying within reach but everybody knew what was coming - a huge LeBron James' game.
However, midway through the second quarter, he inadvertently got hit in the face by Jayson Tatum's shoulder. He was forced to head back to the locker room after he knocked down two free-throws. When he returned, energy wise, he just didn't look the same and he didn't seem to have the same bounce in his step for the rest of the game like he did to begin the game.
He did end up scoring 21 more points but going up against a potent well-balanced Celtics' offense with a disappointing supporting cast, it just wasn't enough.
It wasn't a perfect game though. The fatigue, towards the end, caught up to him and he ended the game with 6 turnovers after committing 7 in Game 1.
Kevin Love - 7.5/10
Stat line: 22 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 9-of-18 shooting (2-6 3s), 1 turnover
The Kevin Love we saw in Game 1 of this series was the one we saw through most of the first-round series against the Indiana Pacers. Game 2, however, he showed up. He put his hand up and was the team's second-leading scorer and best rebounder.
On another night, when his team was better, his stat line would have been praised to be one perfect for the team but not on Tuesday night. It's not just offensively, Love looked much better on defense. That might be because of a better matchup, with Tyronn Lue starting Tristan Thompson alongside him instead of having him play center.
Cleveland as a team was just outplayed and that is no fault of Love's. He put up a far better, a more encouraging performance but it was simply not enough.
Kyle Korver - 7/10
Stat line: 11 points, 1 rebound on 4-of-8 shooting and 2-of-5 on 3s
All through these Playoffs, Kyle Korver's been the only consistent scoring punch LeBron can depend on. Whether Kevin Love shows up or not, in his limited role, Korver has contributed in a majority of the Cavaliers' 13 games so far.
This game too, where he was pushed down to the bench with Tristan Thompson starting, he put up 11 points in 21 minutes. He was on fire in the second quarter, where he scored all of his 11 points in 9 minutes on 4-of-5 shooting including 2-of-2 on 3s.
In the second half, the Celtics clamped down on his open space by putting Marcus Smart on him and he failed to register a single point the rest of the way, going 0-of-3 on 3s.
Despite just 11 points, to a certain extent, Korver, in his limited role, did his job. Unfortunately, the rest of the guys on the Cavaliers roster did not.
George Hill - 3/10
Stat line: 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal on 1-of-4 shooting (0-of-2 on 3s)
Now, we slowly start getting to the guys who really disappointed in Game 2 for the Cavaliers. We begin with their starting PG - George Hill.
Despite the blowout loss in Game 1, there was an optimism that Hill will hit more shots in Game 2 and if he continues to contain the Celtics' PG Terry Rozier then Cleveland could be competitive. Well, in Game 2, he did neither.
He only had 3 points for the game and worse, in the third quarter, he allowed Rozier to explode for 14 of his 18 points which basically won Celtics the game.
Tristan Thompson - 5.5/10
Stat line: 8 points, 7 rebounds, 2 turnovers on 4-of-6 shooting
Head coach Tyronn Lue seems to always fall back on the line-up with Tristan Thompson at center rather than punching first with it. Anyways, Thompson and new line-up (more like a red-hot LeBron) made the necessary impact early in the game and the Cavs were leading through almost all of the first half.
However, once Boston figured out the in-game adjustments required, they made Thompson ineffective. I think the line-up with him at the center is still the best scenario available for the Cavaliers but the line-up got to be able to sustain it's success longer.
JR Smith - 1/10
Game 1: 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal on 2-of-9 shooting in 29 minutes
Game 2 stat line: 0 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist on 0-of-7 shooting in 27 minutes
Calling JR Smith's performance in the Conference Finals sub-par is a huge understatement. He's been trash (to put it lightly) and has literally contributed nothing substantial to the team. His body language is not one you want any player to have and it impacts the rest of the squad as well.
In the closing minutes of Game 2, in what was clearly unwanted and an unnecessarily shove, he pushed Al Horford while the Dominican was in the air to complete an alley-oop. The referees were generous enough to give him a Flagrant 1 and not have him tossed from the game.
Historically, over the last couple of seasons, Smith has always had a long leash and the ultimate green light but that has got to be reconsidered if he is going to consistently have such embarrassing games like he's been having in these Playoffs.
Jeff Green - 2/10
Stat line: 6 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist, 5 turnovers on 2-of-5 shooting in 28 minutes.
How do you manage to turn the ball over 5 times in a game where you hardly ever are the ball handler? Only Jeff Green can explain that.
He played just 28 minutes but finished with a +/- of -17, the only other Cleveland players who have a negative +/- in double figures is LeBron James. If the Cavaliers ever want to match the Celtics for pace and size, Green would play a huge role but clearly, he hasn't done anything so far to prove he can be effective.
The rest of the bench
Rodney Hood & Larry Nance Jr. - Unrated
These young players were acquired during the mid-season trade deadline so as to get some energy into the Cavaliers locker room. Well, currently, they are struggling to break into the rotation. Cleveland could actually use a player like Hood as an extra shot taker and playmaker but he just hasn't shown up. Sometimes even refusing to enter games during garbage time, according to reports.
In his 11 minutes, Hood had 2 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist. Meanwhile, Larry Nance Jr. had 3 rebounds and 2 steals in his 11 minutes.
CedI Osman and Jose Calderon - Unrated
Both these foreign nationals entered the game in the final waining moments of the game when coach Lue had thrown the white flag and pulled the starters off the bench. Both played 2 minutes and literally had zero's all across their box score.
