Warriors' relentless attack leaves Cavs gasping for playoff life

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Even when working at full capacity, the Golden State Warriors made basketball appear effortless in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, whipping the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-113 to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

The game started with pyrotechnics that extended from player introductions well into live play. The Warriors turned in a blistering first quarter in which they outscored the Cavaliers 40-34. Golden State got to the line for 11 attempts, found plenty of opportunities in transition with 16 fast-break points, and posted a 71.8 true shooting percentage. Can you imagine if they hadn’t turned the ball over eight times in the period -- more than a quarter of their possessions?The Warriors are a team constructed to attack their opponents relentlessly in the open floor, and every time the Cleveland Cavaliers looked up -- off a miss, off a turnover, off a make or even a dead ball -- Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston or Klay Thompson was driving the ball down their throats. In a game that featured more than 100 possessions, the Warriors used pace as lighter fluid. At one point or another, each of Golden State’s principals functioned as a ball handler, shooter, slasher or drag screener, keeping a beleaguered Cavs’ defense on its heels.

Much of the sloppiness can be laid at the feet of Steph Curry, who was far too casual with the ball for a game of this magnitude, and racked up six turnovers alone in the first half against only four assists. Curry’s shot was similarly off, though he found a saving grace at the free throw line, where he sank all 10 of his attempts before halftime.

But following intermission, Curry harnessed his control and discipline and delivered the game’s signature highlight three minutes into the third quarter. Matched up one-on-one against James, Curry danced forward and back, then spun in reverse to his right, then crossed him over en route to the rim. James tried to block the scooping layup with his left, but Curry eluded his reach. The roar of the crowd gave way to an official’s whistle -- timeout Cleveland with Golden State up 10, its first double-digit lead in more than a full quarter.

By the time Curry pulled up and drained a 28-footer off a miss by Kyrie Irving on the other end with a little more than six minutes remaining, the Warriors led by 22.

The Warriors rose to prominence as a team with all-purpose contributors who could do it all irrespective of size or position. Through all the hysteria about moving to Oakland, Durant conforms to this template, and his Game 2 performance was another all-purpose effort, and at times barely seemed to break a sweat. He finished with a gaudy line -- 33 points (13-for-22 shooting, including 4-for-8 from beyond the arc), 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 blocks and 3 steals.

Regarding versatility, Green battled foul trouble for much of the night, but took advantage of some open looks afforded him from distance by the Cleveland defense that moved much of its attention inside on Sunday. And Game 2 was a welcomed offensive salve for Thompson. Though he has a claim as Golden State’s top perimeter defender since the start of the postseason, he has struggled to find his offensive footing. On Sunday night, he appeared at his most comfortable. He scored 22 points -- his most since Game 3 of the first round vs. Portland -- hitting eight of his 12 attempts from the field and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.