Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 takeaways from Game 2 vs. Warriors

1. The defense must improve

In defeat, the Cavaliers gave up 122 points, allowing Golden State to shoot 57.3 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from distance.

Some of those makes can be credited to the greatness of the Splash Brothers and Kevin Durant, but most of the Warriors’ offense was a result of crisp passing and continues man movement resulting in open shots both in the paint and on the perimeter.

Golden State scored 22 of its first 30 points right at the rim, allowing the players to start off in a rhythm before the Cavaliers could get comfortable.

While those numbers are a clear indicator of the Dubs’ elite offensive attack, it’s also a sign that Cleveland’s defense wasn’t giving the effort it needed to.

The Cavs did a great job of communicating in Game 1. All these paint points on such a high shooting percentage show that may have declined in Game 2.

Teams can defend the Warriors perfectly, and sometimes it still may not matter with the shooters they possess, but that doesn’t mean one can allow such easy points so close to the basket.

It’ll be up to Cleveland to do more of what it did in the first game, communicating on switches, helping off penetration and rotating to the open man.

Next: 2018 NBA Finals Game 2 recap and reaction

If the Cavs fail to do so, it’ll put more pressure on their offense to keep up with Golden State, something that most teams struggle to do, but will prove even harder for a Cavs team with a dearth of consistent scoring options.