Warriors vs Cavaliers Game 2 preview: There’s still work to be done in the 2015 NBA Finals

Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors

Series: Warriors lead NBA Finals, 1-0

TV: ABC / Radio: KNBR

Arena: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA

Tip-Off: 5 p.m. PST

Blog Buddy: Fear The Sword

Why yes it is Dub Nation... Yes it is!

There’s still work to be done.

The Golden State Warriors lead the 2015 NBA Finals 1-0 after an exciting overtime win on Thursday over the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James and Company look to bounce back without their star point guard Kyrie Irving, who is now out for the series with a knee injury.

The Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James is looking to make a big statement tonight and steal a win in Oakland despite losing Kyrie Irving in Game 1. James might be the man to pull off an upset tonight, especially with a 2015 playoff-high 44 points in Thursday's loss. With two of their key players out (Irving & Kevin Love), the Cavs are looking for LeBron to have a big night and contributions from the team all around.

Cleveland's also going to have to worry about the noise level in Oakland — I was at the game on Thursday and I can't explain how hype the crowd was, even when we were down. Cleveland's still a tough team and I'm not counting them out just yet.

The Golden State Warriors: Just get the job done, fellas. The media noise, the nervousness... it's all out the window from here on out. Just get a win and try to close it out in Cleveland. With Marreese Speights back in the lineup, Golden State has a Full Squad again. If we can avoid a repeat performance of Game 1's slow start and make things happen early, the Warriors definitely can add another W in the series.

A few things I'm excited to see tonight:

• Andre Iguodala defending LeBron James is going to a good one. I've been a huge Iguodala fan since his 76ers days. He's had some key performances with Golden State since signing, but his full-on defensive performance is what fans have been waiting for. We appreciate all of his hard work!
• A Splash Brothers performance in the highest level, Klay Thompson has been exceptionally well. I want to see him and Curry light it up.
• A repeat performance of Golden State's bench outscoring Cleveland's bench.
• Mo' Buckets! When the Dubs were down early and he came off the bench, Mo Speights changed the tempo of the game and kept the Dubs close!

Beware King James... Beware!

Predictions:

• Iguodala, Harrison Barnes & Draymond Green are going to be a huge defensive presence over Lebron James. They're a little bit smaller but are up for the challenge to bang with the best.
• Jitters out of the way, expect an incredible shooting night from The Splash Brothers — over 50% behind the 3-point line. Harrison and Draymond are welcome to join the "splash party!"
• Our "bigs" will shine tonight. Andrew Bogut will continue to be a beast under the basket. Festus and a healthy Mo' Speights will help hold the line against Cleveland.
• Another MVP performance from Stephen Curry. If he's going to do it all, it's going to be tonight and in front of the world.
• A blow out is a possibility, I'll be happy the Dubs win it by at least 5 giving them a 2-0 lead going into Cleveland.

It's been a pleasure writing my first NBA Finals game preview! Nine years with GSoM and years on top of years of sucking lol.

Mama, we finally made it! - Tony.psd

See ya' at the Roaracle!