Warriors stomp Trail Blazers again: 3 takeaways from Game 2
By Dre Elder
The Warriors obliterated the Trail Blazers by 29 points in Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead in the series, despite the absence of Kevin Durant.
No Kevin Durant, no problem. The Warriors smacked the Trail Blazers to collect a 110-81 victory in Game 2. Draymond Green was once again the catalyst and repeatedly found cutting teammates, cleaned the glass, and protected the rim. There was no answer for Javale McGee (seriously) who finished with 15 points on 7-7 shooting.
The Trail Blazers shot 30-90 from the field, including 7-34 from the 3-point line. They lacked noteworthy performances from anyone in a black and red uniform. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum will have to recreate their Game 1 magic for Portland to get back in this series. The Trail Blazers now have the onerous task of trying to defeat a powerful Warriors team in four of the next five games.
Takeaways
Who else can do what Draymond Green does? If the NBA awarded playoff MVP’s, Green is making a strong case early on. Through two games in this series, the Warriors’ utility player is averaging a triple-double. Green is producing 12.5 points, 11 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 4 blocks, and 2 steals per game so far.
Green has shot an efficient 47 percent from the field, including 57 percent on seven 3-point attempts in this series. None of Portland’s forwards have been able to offset the production of Golden State’s vocal leader. The Warriors will be virtually impossible to beat going forward if Draymond Green continues this level of play.
Portland had no answer for Javale McGee. Yes, let that sentence marinate for a second. The player who is still more famous for his regular appearances on Shaqtin’ a Fool, looked more like a guy who could command a $10 million salary in free agency this summer. McGee frequently got loose for lobs a la DeAndre Jordan.
In addition to his perfect night from the field, McGee pulled down five rebounds and swatted four shots. This is as much an indictment of Portland’s frontcourt as it is an endorsement of McGee’s night. The overall matchup down low is a complete mismatch without Jusuf Nurkic.
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum returned to Earth. After the star guards combined to scorch the Warriors for 75 points in Game 1, they were unable to deliver an encore. Lillard and McCollum combined for 23 points on 9-34 shooting and were hardly noticeable. Their plus-minus ratings were -33 and -26 respectively.
Next: Are the Celtics worse than we thought or are the Bulls better?
Last night’s game was a distinct illustration of the talent disparity between these two teams. The Splash Brothers didn’t make their usual splash and it didn’t matter. Without astronomical performances from Lillard and McCollum, Portland was doomed anyway. Terry Stotts has to be extremely concerned as the series shifts to the Moda Center for the next two games, which could be his team’s final two games.