2018 NBA Finals - Game 2: Cleveland Cavaliers 103-122 Golden State Warriors - 5 Talking Points

#3 Led by JaVale McGee's energy, Warriors start hot and take control of the boards

2018 NBA Finals - Game Two

A well-documented problem for the Warriors these Playoffs has been slow starts. There was none of that in Game 2, as they scored 32 in the first quarter by making 15-of-23 shots (65.2%).

A lot of that had to with JaVale McGee's insertion into the starting line-up. His numbers don't attract any attention on the stat sheet but it was the attitude and the energy that he brought that the Warriors carried forward. Instead of playing a slow, mucked-up game, they were deciding the game's tempo by running on every possession, especially when the Cavaliers were missing on their shot attempts.

Winning Game 1, the Warriors were lucky. Not only because of Cleveland's errors but also because of Golden State's shortcomings on the glass. They got outrebounded 53-38 in Game 1, which included getting beat 19-4 on the offensive glass. Although the offensive glass massacre continued, the Warriors better overall at rebounding the ball in Game 2.

In Game 2, the Warriors lost the rebounding battle only by 1 (41-42) despite being outrebounded on the offensive glass 16-7.