Chapter 62: 2-0
Jay Sun continued to handle the ball against Deron Williams. As the primary playmaker in the second quarter, Jay had more freedom to orchestrate the offense compared to the first quarter.
Calling for a screen from Kevin Love, Jay broke through the defense and passed back to Love at the top of the arc.
Love caught the ball and prepared to shoot, but Bojan Bogdanović quickly rotated over to contest.
With no clear shot, Love swung the ball to the wing, where J.R. Smith eagerly seized the chance to attack.
Driving aggressively into the paint was exactly what J.R. was known for, especially as a spark plug off the bench.
But Brook Lopez was waiting under the basket. J.R.'s contested layup missed.
The Cavaliers' offense had executed their play well, but they couldn't convert.
"Jay needs to be more assertive offensively," Charles Barkley commented from the commentary booth. "Without a strong scoring presence from him, it'll be tough to maintain momentum."
"The Cavaliers need Jay to step up right now," Kenny Smith agreed. "This is his moment to take responsibility."
The game continued with Deron controlling the ball.
Determined not to let Deron get past him again, Jay tightened his defensive stance, fully prepared for a drive.
Sensing the pressure, Deron passed the ball and drifted to the corner, effectively conceding his role as the primary playmaker.
It was a clear sign that Deron had resigned himself to being a role player.
For the rest of the second quarter, Deron didn't attempt any flashy moves or standout plays.
It wasn't that Jay's defense was impeccable—it was solid—but Deron had simply lost the ability to execute the explosive moves that once defined him.
At just 31 years old, Deron moved with the weariness of a veteran nearing the end of his career, his glory days long behind him.
Jay, meanwhile, focused on facilitating rather than scoring, opting to create opportunities for his teammates.
By the end of the second quarter, Jay had racked up five assists.
The quarter ended with the Cavaliers outscoring the Nets 27-21, extending their lead to 21 points at halftime, 58-37.
For most fans, the outcome seemed inevitable. Many went to bed expecting to wake up to news of another dominant Cavaliers victory.
During halftime, Tyronn Lue emphasized the importance of maintaining pressure in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.
The well-rested LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, who had sat out the fourth quarter of the previous game, were ready to go all out.
Both superstars were fully on board with the plan to decisively end the Nets' resistance.
As the third quarter began, the Nets made some adjustments, subbing out Deron for Jarrett Jack to play alongside Joe Johnson.
Johnson opened the quarter with a back-down play against J.R. Smith.
For a veteran like Johnson, exploiting J.R.'s average defense was straightforward. After a couple of pump fakes, Johnson found a clean look and sank the shot.
On the other end, Kyrie signaled for an isolation play against Jack.
Kyrie dazzled with his dribbling, shifting Jack's defensive balance before breezing into the lane for a layup.
Johnson countered by working a pick-and-roll with Lopez, feeding the big man for a dunk.
LeBron answered with a quick drive, blowing past Bojan for an easy layup.
The game settled into a back-and-forth rhythm.
The Nets relied on Johnson's occasional isolations and team-oriented plays, while the Cavaliers leaned on LeBron and Kyrie to generate offense, either scoring themselves or creating for teammates.
Unsurprisingly, the Cavaliers' superior talent prevailed.
By the end of the third quarter, the Cavaliers had extended their lead to 28 points, 85-57.
With the game all but decided, both teams effectively waved the white flag.
Nets coach Lionel Hollins benched his starters, and Tyronn Lue followed suit, sending in the Cavaliers' deep reserves.
There was no need to risk injuries with such a commanding lead.
"This game's officially in garbage time," Kenny Smith noted. "It's a shame we won't see any more of Jay tonight. No chance for another breakout performance."
"That's true," Barkley agreed. "But the Cavaliers' dominance speaks for itself. This series is just a formality at this point."
Watching from the bench, Jay felt a mix of relief and envy.
Since his 40-point explosion in Game 1, Jay had quickly risen to become the Cavaliers' fourth-most important player, behind the Big Three.
But with that prominence came fewer opportunities to pad his stats during garbage time.
The game ended with the Cavaliers securing a dominant 112-87 victory, taking a 2-0 series lead.
Jay finished with a respectable stat line of 17 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal.
Next up: the Cavaliers would head to Brooklyn for Games 3 and 4.
But for the Nets, playing at home wasn't exactly an advantage. Their fanbase's lackluster enthusiasm made it clear: Brooklyn wasn't exactly a basketball hotspot.
Elsewhere in the NBA, two other playoff games concluded.
The Grizzlies defeated the Trail Blazers 97-82, taking a 2-0 lead in their series.
Meanwhile, the Spurs edged out the Clippers 111-107 to tie their series at 1-1.
As for the Cavaliers, the outcome of their series against the Nets seemed inevitable.
The only real debate was whether it would end in a sweep or a gentleman's sweep.
The talent gap between the two teams was undeniable, leaving little hope for the Nets to steal even a single game.
To make matters worse, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams both left Game 2 battered and bruised, with no memory of how or when they'd been roughed up.
Clearly, the Cavaliers had some masters of subtle physicality in their ranks.
Coach Hollins took note: any attempts to disrupt the Cavaliers with dirty tactics would likely backfire.
For the Nets, survival seemed like the best strategy.