Warriors vs Cavaliers NBA Finals preview: Golden State aims to increase their advantage in Game 2

Matchup
Golden State Warriors Playoffs: 13-5 (10-1 HOME)				vs	Cleveland Cavaliers Playoffs: 12-3 (5-3 ROAD)
Details
June 5, 2016
Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
5:00 p.m. PDT
TV: ABC Radio: KGO 810AM/KTCT 1050AM
Blog Buddy: Fear the Sword
Projected Starters
Stephen Curry				G	Kyrie Irving
Klay Thompson				G	J.R. Smith
Draymond Green				F	LeBron James
Harrison Barnes				F	Kevin Love
Andrew Bogut				C	Tristan Thompson
Key Injuries
No injuries reported					No excuses No injuries reported

Warriors vs Cavaliers Overviews

- The Cavs: How will they respond to the Warriors in Game 2? They cruised past each round with ease, but what adjustments will they make after their 104-89 loss to compete with Golden State tonight? These answers will be revealed shortly.

- Golden State closed out Game 1 with a huge double digit win Thursday night and they did it without their superstars Stephen Curry & Klay Thompson. Bench sensation Shaun Livingston finished with 20 points, Andre Igouldala had 12 points and Leandro Barbosa contributed with 11 points.

- LeBron James finished Thursday's game with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists (just short of a triple double). Both Kyrie Irving & Kevin Love combined for 43 points but was't enough to seal the deal.

- While the Warriors look to take a 2-0 lead against the Cavaliers tonight, Cleveland is looking to bounce back and sneak a win against Golden State. I'm not underestimating this game at all tonight and we should be mindful of what LeBron and his team can do to play upset on Warriors Ground. It's going to fun to see how the Warriors close things out tonight, attempting to take a win.

Oh yeah, Coach Kerr did this Thursday night...

Took it out on a clipboard Thursday night

and this...

Performed the "Dim Mak" (death touch) to the media!

Warriors Fun Fact: Uber got a big push from Stephen Curry recently.

Yes, Steph Curry uses Uber to get around Bay Area https://t.co/5floYJLVP2 via @sfchronicle

— Rusty Simmons (@Rusty_SFChron) June 2, 2016

Key to the game: Team work makes the dream work.

Keep it moving and Keep Cleveland guessing. The Cavs had an answer to limit the Splash Brothers' performance. What they weren't expecting was key players from the bench to step things up, beating them in their own game and in a double digit manner. Someone has the opportunity to make big things happen tonight. If it isn't Livingston or Barbosa you've got Igoudala, Speights and even Clark ready to step up. Cleveland can't break all of us down with the options we have.

Predictions:

- Stephen Curry & Klay Thompson, who were absent in Game 1 of the Finals will have a bigger impact in Game 2. They've got a great supporting cast but if these two guys light it up on the court, Cleveland could be in some serious trouble.

- Draymond Green will continue to contribute for this team. The Warriors' "heartbeat" had 16 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists getting everyone involved. With so many options to score and defend, Green will use this to his advantage.

- The bench will continue to give the Cavs problems if they can't find a solution to contain them. There's just so many options for Golden State.

- Shaun Livingston is going to be defended differently after his 20 point performance Thursday night. The question will be how will he perform in Game 2?

- The Roaracle Crowd must keep the noise levels past 100! Have a good time and show em' what home court advantage is all about!

- Win Prediction: Work for it and play hard. Warriors win it 115-106. The big challenge will be on the road for Games 3 and 4.

ICYMI: (Posts from GSoM)

Warriors news: Klay Thompson's emergence, Harrison Barnes' value and Kevin Durant's free agency decision

NBA Finals 2016: Steve Kerr's "destructive" anger drives Warriors towards Game 1 victory

Warriors vs. Cavaliers analysis: Game 1 goes to Golden State's bench

ABC records highest rating for NBA Finals game 1 in network history