Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 adjustments for Game 2 of 2017 NBA Finals

After a humbling defeat in Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals, what adjustments can the Cleveland Cavaliers make heading into Game 2?

In Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors proved they are who we thought they were. The Cleveland Cavaliers were completely outclassed in a 22-point rout that wouldn’t have been that close if not for 15 missed layups from the Dubs in the first half.

Kevin Durant had his way with a Cavs team that looked way more like the 29th-ranked defense after the All-Star break than it did like the third-ranked defense through the first three rounds of the postseason. Golden State’s defense smothered the playoffs’ most high-powered offense, the role players disappeared and the Dubs looked like the overwhelmingly superior team.

But the Cavs have been here before. They lost Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals by 15 and got walloped by 33 in Game 2 before winning four of the next six games to claim the championship. In fact, LeBron James has lost Game 1 in each of his last five Finals, going on to win the series three times. It’s not even close to being time to start panicking.

Even if the Cavs lose Game 2, there’s the old saying that a series doesn’t truly begin until the home team loses.

That being said, the Warriors are no ordinary team, and the Cavs certainly would prefer to steal one on the road in Game 2 — especially since that old saying does Cleveland no good without home-court advantage in the series.

Game 1 was thoroughly discouraging for the defending champs in the wake of a juggernaut that’s now 13-0 in the playoffs. But aside from the obvious “LeBron and Kyrie Irving combine for 80 points,” here are five adjustments that the Cleveland Cavaliers can make in Game 2 to climb back into this series.