Player grades as Stephen Curry torches Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of NBA Finals

Jay Asser 07:08 04/06/2018
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  • Stephen Curry brought the Oracle Arena faithful to their feet in Game 2.

    The Golden State Warriors reached top gear to soundly beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 122-103 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

    Stephen Curry hit a Finals record nine 3-pointers and had 16 of his 33 points in a scintillating fourth quarter to cap off a strong showing by the Warriors as a whole.

    LeBron James, meanwhile, didn’t come close to matching his 51 points from Game 1, but had another near triple-double.

    Here are player grades for both teams.

    Golden State Warriors

    Stephen Curry – Was scorching the nets with ease from beyond the arc near the end, when he was in one of his unstoppable zones. A

    Klay Thompson – Didn’t look at all bothered by the high ankle sprain he suffered in Game 1 and contributed 20 points. B+

    Kevin Durant – Wasn’t the focus of the offence but took his opportunities when they were there to shoot an efficient 10-of-14. A

    Draymond Green – His defence on LeBron was exemplary and he did his usual playmaking as the trigger man on the other end. B+

    JaVale McGee – Was a difference-maker in his 18 minutes as the roll man, while his length provided rim protection on defence. A-

    Shaun Livingston – Still hasn’t missed a shot in the series after hitting all five of his attempts off the bench in Game 2. B+

    David West – Did some of the dirty work but also hit a corner 3-pointer for some found money. B

    Jordan Bell – Was solid off the bench in his 11 minutes to hold down the fort while the starters got a breather. B-

    Nick Young – He let it fly in his 14 minutes but was 0-of-5 from the field, including misses on all four his triples. C-

    Durant

    Cleveland Cavaliers

    George Hill – Started the game with an aggressive mindset but his offensive impact faded as the night went on. B+

    J.R. Smith – Didn’t make up for his costly blunder at the end of Game 1 as he missed several open shots to finish 2-of-9. D+

    LeBron James – Had a tougher time scoring than in the opener but was fantastic at finding his teammates, who could have done more. A-

    Kevin Love – Even though he had 22 points, Love shot inefficiently again and was burned several times on the other end. B

    Tristan Thompson – Was much better as a finisher than in Game 1 and did his part by chipping in 11 points. B+

    Jeff Green – It was another rough game for Green, who seemed allergic to catch-and-shoot chances. C-

    Larry Nance Jr – Provided some energy off the bench but also got cooked several times by Curry in switches. C

    Kyle Korver – Didn’t make a single shot and was tied with James with a team-worst plus-minus of minus-18. D+

    Jordan Clarkson – He’s nearly unplayable right now and Tyronn Lue decided to barely use him after a bad start. D

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