LeBron James Leads Cleveland Cavaliers to 95-93 OT Win Over Golden State Warriors in Game 2

LeBron James posted a triple-double of 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 95-93 win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the 2015 NBA Finals on June 7.

No Kevin Love. No Kyrie Irving. No problem for the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

LeBron James posted a triple-double of 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists to lead Cleveland to a 95-93 overtime win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the 2015 NBA Finals. With the victory, the Cavaliers tied the series at one game apiece, per Joe Gabriele of the team’s official website. 

It was just the third loss of the Warriors at Oracle Arena all season long, per Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group. 

We’re coming home tied, 1-1.

@KingJames: 39pts, 16reb, 11ast

#ALLinCLE #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/VzSvOhtfKO— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 8, 2015

According to NBA.com’s Antonio Gonzalez, the win was also the Cavaliers’ first in an NBA Finals series. The San Antonio Spurs swept them in the 2007 NBA Finals. 

James shot 11 of 34 from the field, 3 of 6 from three-point distance and 12 of 16 from the free-throw line, per Gabriele. 

He put the Cavaliers ahead by 11 at 83-72 when he drilled a 28-foot shot with 3:14 left to play in regulation. However, the Warriors went on a 15-4 run to get right back into it. 2014-15 NBA MVP Stephen Curry buried a finger roll with eight seconds left in the fourth quarter to tie things up at 87, per the Cavaliers’ official website. 

Cleveland had a chance to win it in regulation, but James’ jumper didn’t go in. Forward Tristan Thompson’s follow-up attempt didn’t find the mark, either, per Gabriele. 

The Cavaliers continued their struggles from the floor in the overtime period, making a solitary field goal in the extra five minutes. Gabriele says the team’s saving grace was the charity stripe, where it went 5 of 6 during that stretch. 

“He kept a body on Steph. He made Steph work. He was spectacular.” – @KingJames on Delly’s defense.

#ALLinCLE #NBAFinals— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 8, 2015

Australian backup point guard Matthew Dellavedova, filling in for an injured Irving, made two crucial free throws with 10.1 seconds left in overtime to give Cleveland a one-point lead. He then guarded Curry tightly on the ensuing possession, forcing him to shoot a 19-foot airball. 

James got the rebound, was fouled and split his charities to give the Cavaliers a precarious two-point lead, per Gabriele. 

The Warriors failed to equalize as Cavaliers forward Iman Shumpert stole the ball to secure the improbable road win. James emphatically spiked the ball on the Oracle Arena parquet floor as the overtime buzzer sounded, per the Cavaliers’ official website. 

He told Gabriele he can’t wait to go back to Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland for Games 3 and 4:

“I’ve heard our fans pretty loud before. A couple instances my first postseason appearance was really loud, and me coming home against the (New York) Knicks at the start of the season was pretty good. 

“But I know we can be much, much louder than any fan base in this league. I know they’re getting ready, and I can’t wait to see them.”

“I can’t wait to see our fans.” – @KingJames looking forward to #TheLand.

#ALLinCLE— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 8, 2015

Dellavedova’s numbers — nine points on 3-of-10 shooting, five rebounds, one assist and three steals — don’t jump off the page but he picked his spots beautifully, especially on defense against Curry. 

The reigning NBA MVP finished with just 19 points on 5-of-23 shooting from the field and 2-of-15 from three-point distance to go with six turnovers. Against Dellavedova, he was 0-of-6 shooting, per the Cavaliers’ official website. 

Cavaliers head coach David Blatt praised Dellavedova’s performance when he spoke with Gabriele:

“(Dellavedova’s a courageous kid that plays right. There was a lot of nonsense swirling around about his style of play. I think anyone that really looks at him objectively and fairly recognizes someone that just plays hard, heartfelt and tough basketball.”

Mood:

#ALLinCLE #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/Lugco8aEJy— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 8, 2015

Center Timofey Mozgov chipped in with 17 points and 11 rebounds while J.R. Smith had 13 points for the Cavaliers, per Haynes.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 34 points, per Gabriele.  

For the game, Cleveland outrebounded Golden State, 55-45, per NBA.com. 

“This is the Finals. It’s hard. It’s supposed to be hard,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told Gonzalez. “We had a tough night. So you have to move on. You’ve got to learn from it and get better, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Game 3 of the 2015 NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will be on June 9 at 9:00 p.m. ET. 

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