Stephen Curry, Warriors Explode in Finals Game 2, Pummel LeBron James, Cavaliers

The Golden State Warriors held serve on their home court and downed the Cleveland Cavaliers, 122-103, in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night to take a 2-0 series lead. 

Stephen Curry led the defending champions with 33 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, while Kevin Durant dropped 26 points on a tidy 10-of-14 shooting.

Klay Thompson added 20 points and didn't appear hindered by the high ankle sprain he suffered in the first half of Game 1. The Warriors also received a major boost from center JaVale McGee, who screen-and-rolled his way to 12 points while making all six of his shots after getting the start in place of Kevon Looney. 

The Cavaliers simply couldn't keep pace with that balanced attack, and LeBron James was left to try to shoulder the load once again as he logged 29 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds in 44 minutes. 

Curry Makes Finals MVP Statement

Chief Curry 3 Reel

Through three quarters of Game 2, it was safe to say the Finals MVP race was wide open.

Durant was knocking down mid-post jumpers and spot-up threes with regularity, James was flirting with another triple-double, and Curry's efficiency was lagging just a little behind. 

And then the fourth quarter rolled around, and Curry erupted. 

The two-time regular-season MVP danced on Cavaliers defenders left and right, and he drilled five threes in the final frame to set a new single-game Finals record with nine conversions from beyond the arc. 

As a result, the Finals MVP—which is the only piece of hardware missing from his crowded trophy case—is Curry's to lose. 

Now, that's not to say Durant and James will go quietly. Just look at their series averages to date: 

• Kevin Durant: 26.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 6.5 APG, 50% FG
• LeBron James: 40.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 10.5 APG, 55.8 FG%

Those numbers are nothing to scoff at, to be sure. 

But if Curry can continue to serve as the Warriors' spark plug en route to a couple more wins, he should have his hands full when the trophy presentation rolls around. 

LeBron's Facilitating Mastery Not Enough to Save Cavs    

Following LeBron's 51-point outburst in Game 1, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr made it clear his team had to make life harder on the lifeblood of the Cavaliers offense. 

"I think we have to continue to explore different ways to defend him, putting different bodies on him," Kerr said, per NBC Sports' Kurt Helin. "I didn't think we were very good against him [Thursday] night. I thought he was spectacular, but I didn't think we made it that difficult for him.

"And that's always the challenge when you play a great player. There is this balance between accepting that he’s going to get his numbers, but making it difficult. I never felt like we got him out of any sort of comfort zone."

In Game 2, LeBron's comfort zone shrank in a major way. 

The Warriors refused to let him barrel toward the rim with a head of steam, and they crowded his airspace with waves of defenders whenever he put the ball on the floor and tried to operate below the free-throw line. 

That strategy put the onus on LeBon to facilitate and the Cavaliers' secondary options to make more plays. And while Kevin Love (22 points, 10 rebounds) did his part and LeBron racked up a game-high 13 assists—one more than the rest of his teammates had combined—his supporting cast came up small. 

To wit: Outside of James and Love, all other Cavaliers players made four threes. As a team, they converted just nine—a mark that equaled Curry's output. 

Matched up against a historic offensive juggernaut, those disparities aren't going to fly. 

Cavs Facing Must-Win Game 3

The Cavaliers are down 2-0, but they've had their moments. 

They were one George Hill free throw—and an epic JR Smith blunder—away from stealing Game 1 in enemy territory, and they were able to hang around through 36 minutes on Sunday. In fact, they won the dreaded third quarter, 34-31, and showed some serious resilience every time the Warriors appeared poised to pull away. 

Those signs have been encouraging, without question. But the fact is they need to come through with more than silver linings now that they're facing an inflection point. 

Heck, we saw what happened a year ago. The Cavs were down 2-0 heading back to Quicken Loans Arena, and just when it looked like they were going to trim Warriors' lead to 2-1, Durant effectively dashed their title hopes with a dagger from the left wing. 

The Cavaliers ultimately won Game 4, but by that point it was clear the series was over. 

This time around, the Cavaliers have to avoid a repeat. 

And based on the way the Eastern Conference champions have played at home in the postseason, the possibility of a strong response can't be discounted. The Cavs are 8-1 at The Q in the playoffs, and they've rattled off eight straight wins in Cleveland since dropping Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Indiana Pacers.

Plus, the Cavs have outscored opponents by an average of 8.0 points per 100 possessions in friendly confines, according to NBA.com. 

If there's an issue, it's that the Warriors haven't been slouches away from the Bay and own the best net rating (plus-2.3 points per 100 possessions) on the road among all playoff teams. 

With memories of last year's Game 3 still fresh in their minds, they figure to have all the confidence in the world that they can seize an insurmountable lead. 

What's Next? 

The scene shifts to Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland for Games 3 and 4. Game 3 will tip off Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET.