Game 2 review: Warriors again up 2-0, but this time it’s different

It is fascinating indeed to watch as other teams get caught up in the Golden State Warriors’ vortex.

Immortals, like LeBron James, are humbled. Others (like, say, J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson) are Washington Generalized.

And that was the tale of Game Two of the NBA Finals. The Warriors imposed their will, and while the Cavaliers hung around for a while, things like this began happening in the third quarter:

(The folks at SB Nation and CBSSports.com argued that Stephen Curry should have been called for a violation. And they are probably correct: It was a double-dribble, in every league but the NBA.)

The final was 132-113. Steve Kerr was back. Klay Thompson’s jumper was back, too; he finished with 22 points, on 8-for-12 marksmanship.

The series is now 2-0 in Golden State’s favor, with the next two games in Cleveland. You will recall that the Warriors were also up 2-0 last spring, and later 3-1, only to see Cleveland storm back and win the title.

But now Golden State has Kevin Durant. He followed up his 38-point performance in Game One with 33 on Sunday night, and added 13 rebounds, six assists, five blocks and three steals. As ESPN Stats and Info pointed out, he has scored more points in the first two games of this year’s finals (71) than Harrison Barnes did in all seven last spring (65).

And the Warriors now have a healthy Curry. That clearly wasn’t the case last spring. Last year, you will recall, even Kevin Love could stay in front of him. Now, no one can; Sunday’s triple-double (32 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds) was the first of his career in the postseason.

Finally, the Dubs have the motivation born of last year’s disappointment, a very powerful force indeed. It is reminiscent of the mindset the Spurs exhibited in the 2014 final, when they took James’ Miami Heat apart, one year after the Heat had prevailed in no small part because of Ray Allen’s Game Six dagger.

Rest assured that Golden State wants to end this series, quickly and decisively. Rest assured that the Warriors would welcome the opportunity to celebrate a title on the Cavs’ court, just as the Cavs did on theirs.

Yet it seems hasty to write Cleveland off. LeBron is still LeBron, even if he did look gassed in Sunday’s second half. Kyrie Irving is bound to go off at some point, and role players tend to play better at home; so far the Cavs have gotten next to nothing from Deron Williams, Kyle Korver, Smith and Thompson.

And at some point, you would think, the Cavs’ braintrust would realize how wrong-headed it is to play at the Warriors’ brisk pace. When Cleveland rallied in last year’s Finals, it was at least partially due to the fact that the Cavs turned games into halfcourt alley fights, as opposed to the fullcourt track meets the Dubs nearly always win.

(Golden State squeezed off just 83 shots in their 93-89 Game Seven loss in ’16. They are averaging over 97 in the first two games of this year’s Finals.)

It’s also possible that the Cavs will look to goon it up. Check out this SB Nation tweet:

But right now, it appears, there is only so much Cleveland can do. This feels nothing like last year. This feels like a crusade, with a coronation soon to follow.