Stephen Curry Showed in Game 2 that He Should Be Finals MVP This Time Around

In comparison to Game 1, Game 2 was really uneventful.  The Warriors fans hilariously trolled J.R. Smith by giving him a loud stading ovation during player introductions and “MVP” chants when he was on the line, and Stephen Curry jawed with Kendrick Perkins at the end of the third, but there was no real, notable drama in this game.

The Warriors were in total control all throughout the game, and ended up with a blowout win.  There were stretches where the Cavs hanged around, but the home team would make demoralizing plays that would extinguish fires before they could even get started.  The Cavs failed to use their frustrating Game 1 loss as drive to come out angry, and play energized, gritty basketball.

LeBron James was human. He had 29 points, 13 assists, and 9 rebounds – great numbers – but compared to his Game 1 performance, it was unsatisfactory. He only took 20 shots. Maybe because he was still exhausted – physically and emotionally – from Game 1, or maybe because the Warriors’ defense on him was more effective in this game. Either way, for the Cavs to have any chance of winning this series, he should find a way to be constantly on attack mode and attempt 30+ shots a game.

As for the Warriors, Klay Thompson shook off his ankle injury and scored 20 in 13 shots; Kevin Durant played much better than he did in Game 1, registering 26 points (from 10-of-14 shooting), 9 rebounds, and 7 assists; Draymond Green was Draymond Green; and Shaun Livingston and Javale McGee were a combined 11-of-11 from the field.

But the biggest contribution came from Stephen Curry, who had 33 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds.  Sure, he shot 11-of-26.  But 9-of-17 of those were from behind the arc.  And a three-pointer from Curry is not only worth three points, but also has a huge psychological effect on the game.  There were numerous times throughout Game 2 where the Cavs’ morale was deflated by a timely Curry three-pointer, including this beauty:

Imagine playing solid defense for nearly 24 seconds, which forces Curry to lose his handle on the ball a bit, and yet he still manages to net three points in the end.  That would be so soul-crushing if you’re a Cav.  Look at the facial expression of Kevin Love in that first photo at the very top.  That perfectly sums up what Stephen Curry did to the Cavs emotionally in Game 2.

Oh, by the way, his nine three-pointers broke Ray Allen’s record for most three-pointers made in a Finals game (which he set against my beloved Lakers in 2010. Ha!).

With this record-breaking performance, it seemed like Stephen Curry is gunning for Finals MVP, which he has never won despite being a two-time champion.  And I think his teammates should help him attain it.  Why?  Because the Warriors are really at their best when the offense is centered on Curry, not Durant.  KD can and should have his isolation plays once in a while, but only once in a while.  Most of the gameplan should be letting Curry shoot and shoot and shoot.  For not only does his three-point shooting have a huge psychological impact, but a lot of them come as a result of a flurry of passes and screens.  And when the Warriors’ ball movement is this fluent, it opens up great opportunities for the rest of the team as well.  Most notably, when KD falls back into this system, his shots are rarely forced and he plays very efficiently (again, in Game 2, he scored 26 on brilliant 71% shooting).

Game 3 will surely be tougher, as the series will shift to the Cavs’ home floor.  But if Curry continues playing at a Finals MVP-level, stimulating the Warriors to play like the Warriors, I have no doubt that the championship is going to be won sooner than later.