LeBron James ties NBA Finals Series 1-1
LeBron James put together an impressive triple-double performance and lifted the Cleveland Cavaliers to 95-93 overtime victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 2, tying the NBA Finals series 1-1. James finished with 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. What he gave his team in terms of effort was met in kind by the remnants of the Cavaliers’ dwindled roster. Timofey Mozgov put up 17 points and grabbed 11 boards. The Cavaliers squandered a fourth-quarter lead to let the Warriors force overtime. They pulled it together though and managed to carve out the win. The not-so unsung hero for Cleveland was Australian import Matthew Dellavedova. He knocked down the key free-throw shots with 10 seconds left in overtime to give his team the upper hand. Dellavedova stepped into the starting lineup with Kyrie Irving out of the Finals with a fractured kneecap he suffered in Game 1.
When LeBron was interviewed after the game he had this to say about Dellavedova:
“He came out, he defended. He rebounded. He made timely shots. He was huge for us. We knew we could count on him. He gave us everything and more tonight.”
“It had everything to do with Delly,’’ James said. “He kept a body on Steph. He made Steph work. He was spectacular, man, defensively. We needed everything from him.’’
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He also played solid defense on Golden State’s Stephen Curry all night. Beyond Dellavedova’s defensive pressure, Curry really had an abysmal night on the court. He shot 5-of-23 from the field, 2-of-15 from three-point range, and committed six turnovers. It was a tough loss for Golden State, but how Curry responds in Game 3, how his maturity as player shines through, will be the turning point which will make or break the Warriors’ chances of winning the 2014-15 NBA Championship.
That’s two NBA Finals games in the books. Two exciting games, resolved in overtime. Epic!