LeBron James elevates gritty Cavs to Game 2 OT victory to even NBA Finals

LeBron James recorded a triple double as Cleveland beat Golden State 95–93 in OT of Game 2 to even the NBA Finals.

Rob Mahoney | Jun 8, 2015

LeBron James elevates gritty Cavs to Game 2 OT victory to even NBA Finals /

The balance in these NBA Finals had seemed to fracture along with Kyrie Irving’s kneecap in the closing moments of Game 1. Irving had been crucial in smoothing out the deficiencies of a shallow Cleveland team. To win an NBA Finals series without him at the expense of Golden State seemed too outrageous an ask, even while the best basketball player in the world wore wine and gold.

LeBron James (39 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists) and his teammates still have miles to go before claiming the title as their own. Yet on Sunday came their first significant act of defiance: An inconceivable, overtime win just when the Cavaliers’ circumstances seemed their most dire. This game looked first to be a likely rout of a team undercut by injury, and later an ill-fated collapse as the Warriors started slow and rallied back. It instead revealed itself to be a tribute to Cleveland’s mettle: 53 minutes of valiant basketball by a team that had already taken a punch in the gut with Irving’s fall. The Cavaliers built leads and lost them, put themselves in winning position and then played foolishly. Still they worked their way to a cathartic 95–93 win as James matched the sound of the buzzer with his own blaring scream.

The execution in Game 2 was far from pristine. Then again, beautiful basketball is the luxury of a healthier, more talented team. The current, injured Cavs can only scrape. They’re at their best when turning idyllic basketball to pulp—gumming it up and grinding it down until its form is barely recognizable. It was that level of control that gave Cleveland any chance at all to win on Sunday. One of the best offenses in the league was deprived of its trademark pace and rhythm, and from that came a margin winnable for even these shorthanded Cavs.

• MORE NBA: LeBron misses layup at end of fourth | Speights botches dunk

"It's the grit squad that we have. It's not cute at all. If you're looking for us to play sexy, cute basketball, it's not us," James said after the game.

LeBron, Cavaliers face daunting Finals challenge without Kyrie Irving

Matthew Dellavedova, once a Cleveland benchwarmer, played himself to exhaustion in 43 minutes. His coverage of Stephen Curry (19 points, 5-of-23 shooting, 2-of-15 from deep, five assists, six turnovers) and stubborn physicality in defending the post were essential. Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson alternatingly anchored the paint for the Cavaliers to incredible success. Even Klay Thompson’s 34 points—many of which he had to create for himself—seemed strained at times. The Cavs to a man were wonderful on defense to the point that J.R. Smith’s late-game blunders on that end seemed uncharacteristic and fatal. Somehow, Cleveland survived those errors and more while shooting a painful 32.6% from the field.

• MORE NBA: Warriors fan hits half-court shot | Playoff coverage | Schedule

What the Cavs lacked for efficiency they compensated for in variety. Rather than club the Warriors from the left block for possessions on end, Cleveland unleashed James into a broader dynamism for Game 2. James is a perpetual mismatch in the post. Yet with the isolated manner in which Golden State had opted to defend him to start the series, he was forced to grind against quality defenders for difficult points. Iso LeBron may get buckets, but the version at work for long stretches of Game 2 gives life within the offense to players like Mozgov and James Jones. Cleveland doesn’t win if not for James wringing more value from what remains of this playing rotation.

Warriors' strategy for LeBron James pays off, barely, in Game 1 Finals win

There is no mathematical framework by which the sum of the Cavs’ parts spells out a Game 2 victory. Jones should not be a pivot point in the NBA season’s most important series. Dellavedova, while impressive and unflappable, shouldn’t be commanding this kind of an outsized role. Smith and Shumpert went a combined 3-of-10 from three-point range and Thompson was held to just two points from two free throws as a result of intentional fouling. James is so good that he smears the logical ceiling of what this team should be. On Sunday, that translated to an improbable victory. In the days to come it could result in even more intrigue and increasingly greater stakes.

GALLERY: Sports Illustrated's best photos from Game 2 of NBA Finals

SI's Best Photos From Game 2 of the NBA Finals

John W. McDonough for Sports Illustrated

LeBron James celebrates a hard-fought victory, one in which he had a triple double.

Matthew Dellavedova contests a shot by Stephen Curry in overtime.

After being fouled on a rebound and shot attempt in overtime, Matthew Dellavedova went to the free throw line and sank the go-ahead points for Cleveland in its 95-93 victory.

Steph Curry got J.R. Smith to foul out on this play, then put Golden State in front 93-92 on the two free throws with 29.5 seconds left in overtime.

Draymond Green had four blocks, including this one of LeBron James.

With the game tied and 2.4 seconds remaining in regulation, Golden State harrassed LeBron James into missing this shot.

Steph Curry's finger-roll with 7.2 seconds remaining tied the game and were the final points scored in regulation.

LeBron James got raked across the arm on this sequence but no foul was called.

LeBron James couldn't believe some of the non-calls in Sunday's game.

J.R. Smith was more aggressive at attacking the basket now that Kyrie Irving is lost to the Cavaliers for the remainder of the series.

Steve Kerr and the Warriors missed a golden chance to go ahead two games to none.

Timofey Mozgov drew a lot of fouls in the lane and made seven of 12 free throw attempts.

Steph Curry had a horrid shooting night, making only five of 23 attempts. He came up empty on 13 of his 15 three-point attempts.

Shaun Livingston scored three points in 14 minutes of action.

Cleveland's defenders close in on Steph Curry.

Andrew Bogus battles LeBron James for a rebound. Bogut finished with 10 on the night while James pulled down 16.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 34 points.

Steph Curry tries to defend against LeBron James.

Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson do their best to try to slow down LeBron James.

Klay Thompson played a team-high 46 minutes and sank 14 of his 28 shots.

LeBron James finished with 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists in 50 minutes.

''It's the grit squad right now,'' LeBron James said of the undermanned Cavaliers. ''If you expect us to play sexy cute basketball, that's not us right now. Everything is tough and it has to be that for rest of series.''

LeBron James took longer than usual to compose himself after getting hit across the nose by Draymond Green on a hard foul in the fourth quarter.

Tristan Thompson attempts to block a Draymond Green shot.

Bay Area native Carlos Santana performed the national anthem before Game 2 at Oracle Arena.

Published Jun 8, 2015

ROB MAHONEY

Rob Mahoney is an NBA writer dedicated to the minutiae of the game of basketball, its overarching themes and everything in between. He joined the Sports Illustrated staff in 2012.