For the third straight year, the Golden State Warriors made short work of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
On Thursday, Kevin Durant's 38 points guided the Warriors past LeBron James and the visiting Cavs by a comfortable 113-91 margin. Can LeBron and Co. return the favor Sunday and even the series before it shifts to Cleveland for Game 3?
Here are a pair of predictions for Game 2 of the 2017 NBA Finals, which is underway right now on ABC15.
ABC15 sports anchor Jason Snavely
BOLD PREDICTION: Kevin Durant scores less than 38 points. OK, so it’s not exactly “bold” to foresee the Cavaliers switching up their defensive strategy a bit after Durant put on a show last Thursday night in Oakland.
In Game 2, we’ll see a boost from Golden State’s award-winning supporting cast. Guys like Draymond Green and Klay Thompson will make their presence felt on the offensive side, Steph Curry will be Steph Curry, and Durant will have a slightly less dominant yet still impressive performance Sunday night. Add it up, and it’s another Warriors victory by a similar margin. Warriors 115, Cavaliers 97
ABC15.com sports writer Shane Dale
Before the series began, I picked the Cavaliers to repeat as champions. But man, did the Cavs get their butts handed to them in Game 1. That Kevin Durant guy kind of makes a difference, doesn't he?
I'm not counting LeBron out yet -- after all, his teams have lost Game 1 of the NBA Finals six straight times, and they've come back to win three of the previous five series. But it's difficult to imagine Cleveland pulling a complete 180 on the road just three days removed from Game 1's events.
Expect a closer game Sunday, as the Warriors probably won't enjoy the same plus-16 turnover margin they had in Game 1. But Cleveland will likely be forced to overcome a 2-0 series deficit for the second time in as many years. Warriors 108, Cavaliers 101
