NBA Finals: Game 2 Preview [David Stefanini]

Well where do we begin with Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Oh I know, START DANIEL GIBSON! Why is Gibson not starting, the kid is on fire and is playing with a huge amount of confidence. He is explosive, can shoot the three, and may have enough speed to stay with Tony Parker. He needs to see more playing time.

Secondly, Bruce Bowen is amazing. I never give him enough credit, but after shutting down Steve Nash and stopping LeBron in Game 1, he deserves some credit. LeBron was completely out of his comfort zone, he couldn't buy a shot, and wasn't making sharp crisp passes.

Now lets look at the real thing the Cavs have to do to win this game, stop Tim Duncan. Naturally stopping Tim Duncan is far easier said than done, but they have to try. In Game 1 it looked as if Timmy D could do anything he wanted to. He was scoring off the glass, blocking shots, and controlling the game. Yes, Tony Parker controlled the game, but it was Duncan who dominated it. The Cavs need to find a way to slow down Duncan. They are going to need to switch to a zone defense. That will allow them to double Duncan, while protecting against the 3 point threat of Ginobili, and the speed of Parker.

This is not a must win game for the Cavs. They fell down 2-0 to the Pistons and won that series. But this is not the Pistons, these are the Spurs. If the Cavs lose tonight they are going to need to win 3 in a row then steal a game in San Antonio. It is possible to come back from 2-0, so it is not a must win, but this is a game they are going to want really bad.

I would expect a much closer game in the fourth quarter, but for the Spurs to once again prevail: 87-83. Hopefully, the score is 87-83 in favor of the Cavs instead of the Spurs. Only time will tell, we are only 2 and a half hours away from the tip. Go Cavs!