Klay Thompson showed no signs of being hampered by his injured ankle as he finished with 20 points on 8-13 shooting, including 3-8 from beyond the arc. After Game 1 was played at a slow pace (92.59) - the second-slowest game for the Warriors this postseason - Game 2 saw the pace increase to 96.34.

[28] Smith struggled for Cleveland, shooting 2-for-9 (22.2%) with both baskets coming in the first quarter.

Thompson’s offensive rating is 15.6 points per 100 possessions better than the team’s overall offensive rating for Game 2 (106.8).

Cleveland shot 76.9% from the line, while the Warriors were just 61.9% (13-21) on free throws. Kevin Durant shot 8-22 and posted an effective field goal percentage of 38.6% in Game 1 -.

The graph shows the average TV ratings of the National Basketball Association Finals in 2018.

After a subpar outing in Game 1, Durant had an efficient performance in Game 2: 26 points on 10-14 FG, 2-3 3P, 4-4 FT to go with nine rebounds, seven assists and two blocks.

Stephen Curry scored 37 points, while Finals MVP Kevin Durant recorded his first career playoff triple-double in the clinching game. Draymond Green had nine assists and just one turnover in Game 4. ESPN Deportes provided exclusive Spanish-language coverage of The Finals, with a commentary team of Álvaro Martín and Carlos Morales.

[15], This was the Golden State Warriors' fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals.

Copyright © 2020 NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Despite grabbing seven more offensive rebounds than the Warriors, the Cavaliers did not have an advantage in second chance points (19-19). The Cavs offense scored 122.4 points per 100 possessions in the 23 minutes that Tristan Thompson was on the court - the highest rating of any Cavs player that played more than five minutes. On April 7, 1960, Clyde Lovellette, Johnny McCarthy, and Si Green achieved that feat for the St. Louis Hawks versus the Celtics.

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Ad Choices. [39], With Golden State leading 102–77 with 4:03 remaining, James came out of the game, receiving a standing ovation. Despite only grabbing three rebounds in the game, Draymond Green led all players 13 box outs in Game 4 as the Warriors matched the Cavaliers in rebounds with 44 apiece in Game 4.

[21] With the score tied at 107 in the last five seconds of regulation, J. R. Smith of the Cavaliers collected an offensive rebound following a missed free throw, but dribbled the ball towards half court rather than taking a final shot.

[27] He scored 33 points, while the Warriors got 26 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists from Kevin Durant, and 20 points from Klay Thompson. For the second straight game, the Cavaliers dominated the Warriors in second chance points (19-9), with Kevin Love and LeBron James scoring five apiece to outpace Golden State by themselves.

Entering the matchup, the Warriors were also noted by various sports media outlets as one of the biggest NBA Finals favorites in recent history. Jun 1, 2018 3:58 AM ET . Golden State’s edge in effective field goal percentage (53.5% to 39.1%) was simply too much to overcome despite the Cavs getting to the free throw line more often and getting more shot attempts due to extra offensive rebounds.

However, the last team to overcome that 0-2 deficit was Cleveland in 2016 as they won four of the final five games to win the championship. [37] Curry scored 37 points and made seven three-pointers, while Durant recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

Stephen Curry led all players in usage rate in Game 4 at 38.9 percent, with LeBron James leading the Cavs at 26.5 percent. Durant was named Finals MVP for the second straight year.[40]. Teams that lead the NBA Finals 2-0 have a 29-4 record. In this best-of-seven playoff, the defending NBA champions and Western Conference champions Golden State Warriors swept the defending Eastern Conference champions Cleveland Cavaliers four games to zero.

[35] Golden State withstood poor offensive performances from Curry and Klay Thompson, the Splash Brothers.

LeBron James led all players with 12 of his 23 points coming in the paint; Stephen Curry led the Warriors with eight of his 37 points coming in the paint.

[38] The Warriors expanded their lead in the third quarter and entered the last period of play with an 86–65 advantage. [26] Meanwhile, Golden State's Stephen Curry set an NBA Finals record in Game 2 with nine three-point field goals. Cleveland was not able to score in the final seconds and the game went to overtime. The 2018–19 NBA season was the 73rd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The 2018 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 2017–18 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs.In this best-of-seven playoff, the defending NBA champions and Western Conference champions Golden State Warriors swept the defending Eastern Conference champions Cleveland Cavaliers four games to zero. As part of a multi-year partnership deal, YouTube TV also broadcast the NBA Finals. Warriors finish off Cavs for back-to-back championships", "Warriors NBA title parade set for Tuesday in Oakland", "Oakland again celebrates NBA champion Golden State Warriors", "NBA, YouTube TV announce first-ever partnership for 2018 Finals", "NBA, YouTube TV Announce Partnership To Air 2018 Finals", "2018 NBA Finals Exclusively on ABC: Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers in Historic Fourth-Consecutive Championship Series", "Four is Enough: Finals Game 1 Behind Previous Cavs-Warriors Openers", "Interest in Cavs-Warriors Strong, But Slipping", "NBA Finals Strong, But Down Again, in Game 3", "NBA Finals Ends With Lowest Overnight of Warriors-Cavs Era", "NBA Finals Ends With Lows, Particularly in Young Demos", "TV Ratings: NBA Finals Take a Hit With Blowout Conclusion", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_NBA_Finals&oldid=982201499, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 6 October 2020, at 18:51. Both, For the game, LeBron James shot 8-9 in the restricted area, but was, The Cavaliers scored just 3.9% of their points on mid-range shots (including one by Jose Calderon in the closing minutes while the benches were emptied). For the third straight year, the Warriors will head to Cleveland with a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals after a 122-103 win in Game 2 on Sunday in Oakland. After taking a 23-point advantage on fast break points into Game 4, the Warriors had a playoff-low five fast break points in Game 4 to Cleveland’s 10. With 29 points in Game 2, LeBron James (1,327) passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,317) for second place on the all-time Finals scoring list.

This postseason, the. The Warriors scored just seven points off of Cleveland’s miscues. Top three: Jerry West (94, 1969), Shaquille O'Neal (83, 2000), LeBron James (83, 2015) according to the Elias Sports Bureau. LeBron James assisted on 59.1% of Cleveland’s baskets while he was on the court in Game 2. This was also the eighth consecutive NBA Finals appearance for Cavaliers small forward LeBron James.

In addition to leading all players in scoring, Stephen Curry also recovered a game-high seven loose balls in Game 4. LeBron ranks second with 85 after he made two 3-pointers in Game 2, but Curry has surpassed him with a career Finals total of 90 triples. And despite getting nine more free throw attempts, the Cavaliers made just one more free throw than the Warriors, who shot a perfect 16-16 from the charity stripe. Cleveland assisted on 70 percent of their field goals in Game 4 (21 assists on 30 field goals made). It was his highest mark of any game this season -, Among players that played at least five minutes, Stephen Curry led the way in usage rate at 39.1%, well ahead of LeBron James’ team-leading 28.8%. Let’s take a closer look at Golden State’s Game 2 win with a deep dive into the box score. NBA source says Cavaliers' trades a 'win-win, "Numbers notebook: Cleveland Cavaliers upgrade at the trade deadline", "2017–18 Cleveland Cavaliers Schedule and Results", "NBA Finals: Get set for Warriors-Cavaliers, Version 4.0", "Warriors sign free agent guard Nick Young", "2017–18 Golden State Warriors Schedule and Results", "LeBron James, underdog: NBA's top star once again faces long odds in NBA Finals", "Warriors withstand James' 51 points to win NBA Finals Game 1", "Anatomy of a Blunder: Inside J.R. Smith's Devastating Game 1 Mistake", "New footage shows LeBron James' bench reaction to J.R. Smith's blunder", "If LeBron James scored 51 points with one eye in Game 1, what's he need for Game 2 against the Warriors? [2][3][4] This was the first time since 2012 that the Finals did not feature either of the top seeds in each conference. Golden State led 13–3 at the start of the game. Game 4 was also James' last game as a Cavalier as he joined the Los Angeles Lakers during the offseason.