OAKLAND – Game 2 is the game the Cleveland Cavaliers must win.
And they have just the right player to help them get that much-needed, series-altering victory.
That player, of course, is LeBron James.
Starting with the 2009 playoffs, James is 9-0 in the second game of a playoff series after losing the first one, including winning Game 2 of the past four NBA Finals following a loss.
James and the Cavs are in that position again after dropping Game 1 104-89 to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday
“My team has always been able to recalibrate, look at the mistakes that we had in Game 1 and come up with a better game plan in Game 2 and be able to execute it,” James said. “So I’ve been a part of some resilient teams that’s bounced back from a Game 1 loss either at home or on the road.”
In those nine Game 2 victories, James averaged 29 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists, and the four Finals games he has won after losing the opener, he averaged 30.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists.
James understands the importance of tying the series and not falling behind 2-0, and while losing the first two of this series against Golden State doesn’t give the Warriors the championship, it’s difficult envisioning a scenario in which the Cavs win four of the next five games in this series.
Game 2 on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) is now Cleveland’s biggest game of the season.
“We’ve got to be much better going into Game 2. I don’t think we’re that far off,” James said. “When you’re playing against a team this great, you cannot make mistakes or you have to limit your mistakes.”
James has proven his team can play better following a playoffs loss, and the Cavs are going to need another one of his great games. It may require a 40-minute plus game from James, who has said throughout the playoffs he is willing to play the minutes required to win.
But it’s not all on James. Kyrie Irving and Love need to be better. Cleveland needs to find a way to get J.R. Smith and Channing Frye more three-point shots.
“He’s (J.R. Smith) a huge part of our success, and we’ve got to do a better job of trying to get him some looks early on and just to keep him engaged throughout the whole game,” James said. “Three shot attempts is not enough for him.
The room for improvement obvious, and the Cavs know what they need to do.
Commit fewer turnovers after 17 in Game 1. Make more shots at the rim after making just 18-of-38 – 12.5 percentage points lower than the league average – in Game 1. The Cavs liked that they were able to get to the rim, and they want those shots.
“It’s funny, we showed the team that today. Just we’re right there, we got into the paint,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. “We got stripped five or six times with LeBron and Kyrie getting to the basket. We missed nine-point-blank layups when no one was around. We’ve got to be able to finish those shots around the basket.”
Curiously, the Cavs said on Friday that they want to play with greater pace. It seems counterintuitive to play that style against the Warriors, who thrive in an up-tempo game. But when Cleveland made its comeback in Game 1 and took the lead in the third quarter, it played a faster tempo.
“We were able to go from a nine-point deficit to going up three points by playing faster and being more aggressive in transition,” Lue said.
For the Cavaliers to succeed that way, getting stops on defense and creating early offense in transition. It prevents Golden State from setting up its strong half-court defense and allows Cleveland to find better shots.
“If Coach feels like we need to play faster, then we do,” James said. “We’ve got to push the tempo a little bit more offensively, see if we can get down, get some easy baskets and get to the flow of our game. It’s been a good thing for us throughout the whole season once Coach Lue took over, so we need to do that.
Said Lue: “Pace, so we can get up the floor and get guys open shots in transition like J.R. and Kevin and Channing and those guys. But I think the floor’s more open when you’re able to play with pace and LeBron and Kyrie can get downhill.
“If we pick up the pace and play with a faster tempo offensively, I think we’ll be fine.”
There’s the blueprint for the Cavs in Game 2. Now, they just need to execute and see if it results in a victory.
“Game 2 will be different,” Lue said. “We’ve got to make a couple adjustments and do a few things better.”
