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                                                                                                       SPORTS Tuesday 6 June 2017
                  Cavs ignore last year’s comeback after another 0-2 hole




            JOSH DUBOW                   two games at home before
             AP Sports Writer            reeling  off  three  straight
            OAKLAND,  Calif.  (AP)  —  wins to become the fourth
            LeBron  James  and  the  team  to  win  the  title  after
            Cleveland  Cavaliers  are  losing the first two games.
            headed  home  in  a  famil-  “They’re  going  keep  to
            iar  spot  after  the  first  two  coming,  man,”  Curry  said.
            games of the NBA Finals.     “There  is  a  lot  of  work  for
            Rather  than  reach  back  us left to do. And you got
            to  last  year’s  champion-  to  expect  them  to  play,
            ship comeback for a con-     obviously,  better at  home.
            fidence  boost,  James’  fo-  And  we’re  going  to  need
            cus is on figuring out what  to  play  better  to  win  on
            Cleveland  must  do  to  the  road.”  What  was  so
            change its fortunes against  discouraging  for  the  Cavs
            a  Warriors  team  that  is  is  that  they  played  better
            fresher  and  far  more  dan-  in  Game  2  but  the  result
            gerous  this  year,  thanks  to  didn’t  really  change.  They
            the  addition  of  Kevin  Du-  went  to  a  smaller  lineup
            rant.                        that contributed to Golden
            “They’re a different team,”  State  committing  20  turn-
            James said following a 132-  overs a game after tying a
            113 loss in Game 2 on Sun-   Finals record with four.
            day  night  that  put  Cleve-  The  offense  picked  up
            land in an 0-2 hole.         thanks  to  27  points  from
            That’s  been  quite  evident  Kevin  Love  and  the  Cavs
            through two games. Durant  scored 22 more points than     Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving, seated from left, LeBron James, Richard Jefferson, Kyle Korver
            leads  all  players  with  71  in  the  opener  in  a  faster-  and J.R. Smith sit on the bench during the second half of Game 2 of basketball’s NBA Finals against
            points  the  first  two  games  paced game, but that also   the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, June 4, 2017.
            — six more than the player  helped  the  Warriors  im-                                                                          Associated Press
            he  replaced  in  the  lineup,  prove  their  shooting  from
            Harrison  Barnes,  scored  in  43 percent to 52 percent as   in  the  opener  and  Love  from players like Livingston,  in  the  world  ‘It’s  over,  it’s
                                                                      had a big day in Game 2,  Andre  Iguodala  and  Zaza  over,’” Livingston said. “No,
            seven games a year ago.      Cleveland  had  a  weaker
            Durant’s scoring has taken  defensive on the floor.       but  starters  Tristan  Thomp-  Pachulia at times to set an  it’s not over. We saw what
                                                                      son  and  J.R.  Smith  have  NBA record with 14 straight  happened last year. We’ve
            pressure  off  Stephen  Curry  “We definitely have a sense
            and allowed the Warriors to  of  what  they’re  capable   been  nearly  invisible  and  postseason wins.            been  here.  The  guys  that
                                                                      the bench has offered little  But after being so close last  were here last year under-
            withstand  Cleveland  runs  of, and we felt like a lot of
            so  well  that  they  haven’t  times  tonight  we  played   help.  The  Warriors,  on  the  year  and  falling  short,  the  stand it’s the hardest thing
                                                                      other  hand,  have  gotten  Warriors know how difficult  to do is to try to close out
            trailed after the first quarter  better  basketball,”  Love
            in either game.              said.  “But  they’re  a  team   key contributions from their  the next two will be.    a series and we’ve got two
                                                                      four All-Stars: Curry, Durant,  “It’s  human  nature  to  let  more  games  to  go.  We
            A  healthy  Curry  followed  you cannot — you can’t let
            up a 28-point Game 1 with  them go on runs.”              Klay  Thompson  and  Dray-   your  guard  down,  human  need to take that mentality
                                                                      mond  Green,  as  well  as  nature,
                                                                                                             2-0,
            his  first  postseason  triple-  The  key  one  came  late                                             everybody  to Cleveland.”q
            double on Sunday with 32  in  the  third  quarter  after
            points, 11 assists and 10 re-  Cleveland  cut  the  deficit   Charles Barkley takes up Bettman’s in-
            bounds. He looks more like  to four points. The Warriors
            a  two-time  MVP  than  the  followed  with  a  16-4  run   vitation to Cup Final
            hobbled  player  he  was  in  that  included  3-pointers
            last year’s Finals.          from Curry and Thompson,
            Klay  Thompson  shook  off  a three-point play from Du-   TERESA M. WALKER
            a  shooting  slump  to  score  rant  in  transition  and  four    AP Sports Writer
            22  points  and  the  Warriors  points  from  Shaun  Livings-  NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP)
            pulled away late for anoth-  ton.                         — Former basketball great
            er lopsided win.             “That’s  what  they  do,”    turned  TV  analyst  Charles
            “They  play  well  at  home,”  James  said.  “That’s  what   Barkley has not hidden the
            Cavs  coach  Tyronn  Lue  Golden  State  does.  If  you   fact he’s far more excited
            said.  “They  won  their  first  make  a  mistake  —  like  I   about  the  Stanley  Cup
            two  games  like  they’re  said, we had a turnover, it    playoffs than the NBA play-
            supposed  to.  Coming  to  came  from  me,  and  then     offs.
            a  tough  environment,  we  we had a miscue and the       Thanks to a night off in the
            knew  it  was  going  to  be  floods opened again.”       NBA Finals, Barkley took up
            tough,  but  they  won  the  The  first  two  games  have   NHL  Commissioner  Gary
            first  two  games.  We  get  a  shown  a  stark  difference   Bettman  on  his  invitation   Former NBA player and current television analyst Charles Bar-
            chance  to  go  home  now  in depth. While James has      to  watch  the  Stanley  Cup   kley, left, jokes with hockey greats Wayne Gretzky, right, and
            to our home crowd where  thrived  so  far  and  had  29   Final in person.             Paul  Coffey,  center,  during  a  news  conference  before  Game
            we play well, also.”         points, 11 rebounds and 14   “There’s   nothing   more    4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals between the Nashville
            The  Cavs  began  to  turn  assists  to  tie  Magic  John-  nerve-wracking than Stan-  Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins Monday, June 5, 2017, in
            things around last year af-  son’s record with his eighth   ley Cup overtime hockey,”   Nashville, Tenn.
            ter  being  outscored  by  48  career  Finals  triple-double   Barkley said. “It’s the crazi-
            points in the first two losses  Sunday,  he  hasn’t  gotten   est thing you’re ever going   Barkley  interrupted  Wayne  Oilers  being  voted  by  NHL
            in  Oakland  —  seven  more  nearly enough help.          to see, so that’s one reason   Gretzky  and  Paul  Coffey  fans  as  the  greatest  team
            than this year. They split the  Kyrie Irving scored 24 points   I just love the sport.”  talking  about  the  1984-85  in league history.q
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