Shaun Livingston and JaVale McGee have been giving the Golden State Warriors a huge lift in these NBA Finals by making every shot they take look easy.

Then again Tremaine Edmunds Bills Jersey , they all have been easy.

Livingston is a perfect 9 for 9 from the field in this championship series. McGee is 8 for 9, and his lone miss came when he tried a dunk and stuffed the ball into the rim instead. The average distance of their made field goals is a staggeringly close 3 1/2 feet, which is basically gimme range in golf and darn close to gimme range in basketball as well – especially at this level.

For as spectacular as LeBron James has been in the first two games, his Cleveland Cavaliers are down 2-0 largely because the Warriors’ supporting cast members like Livingston and McGee – journeymen of sorts – are soundly outplaying their Cavs‘ counterparts.

Stephen Curry is playing like an NBA Finals MVP, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson have been brilliant, and Draymond Green is quietly averaging a near triple-double. But the Warriors’ motto is ”strength in numbers,” and Livingston and McGee are personifying that.

”It’s just being aggressive, being in the right spot too,” Livingston said. ”It’s nothing really magical about what I do or how I’ve been playing. I’ve been fortunate enough to, you know, shoot at a high clip. But a lot of those are dunks. Also, just being in the right spot on the court.”

Livingston has taken three jumpers Jimmy Garoppolo Jersey 49ers , all of them mid-rangers of about 13 feet, in this series. Everything else has been at the rim. McGee made one shot from about 6 feet; his other eight attempts from the floor have basically been dunks.

McGee was moved into the starting lineup for Game 2. He said Tuesday that he doesn’t know if he’ll stay there for Game 3 in Cleveland on Wednesday night.

”These are some of the greatest teams in the world, ever,” McGee said. ”It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of it and to be a contributor in it.”

It’s a difficult enough spot for the Cavaliers to deal with Curry, particularly when he is coming off an NBA Finals-record nine 3-pointers in Game 2. It’s daunting to deal with Durant, one of the few guys in the league who can post up against James, turn and face the four-time MVP and shoot over him with relative ease. It’s maddening to chase Thompson around and have him get shots off using his super-quick release, even when he’s fairly well covered.

Golden State opponents expect that.

Livingston and McGee shooting 17 for 18, that just doesn’t seem fair.

”I think when you’re locked in and you’re trying to take away K.D., you’re trying to take away Steph and Klay, Livingston, McGee Cheap Josh Rosen Jersey , they’re going to get some shots,” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said. ”We’ve just got to do a better job of taking away the easy dunks and layups around the basket. When you’re focusing on those three guys, other guys are going to get shots. But we’ve got to do a good job of just taking away the easy ones.”

McGee got the Warriors off and running in Game 2 with two easy dunks to open the game. Golden State never trailed.

Livingston said that wound up being a huge energy boost for Golden State, and he knows that the Cavaliers will aim to take the easy ones at the rim away in Game 3. As such, the Warriors might already have a counter in mind for whatever anticipated adjustment Cleveland makes.

”Coaches, I think they have a good game plan moving forward, seeing maybe what kind of adjustments Cleveland can make,” Livingston said. ”We just have to be ready. Steph, Kevin, Klay, our scorers, they take the majority of the load Billy Price Jersey , right? So they get a lot of the attention and the pressure. I think we have to be ready, all us other guys, to relieve some of that pressure.”

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Operating in the middle of the Baltimore Ravens defensive line, Brandon Williams is expected to bang helmets with one or two 300-pound brutes before pushing them aside so one of his teammates can make the tackle.

Although the task is instrumental to the success of Baltimore’s gritty defense, it often goes unnoticed by the casual fan and does not produce impressive statistical numbers.

”I’m totally fine with what I do,” Williams said after practice Monday. ”I know it’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it and I’m happy to raise my hand and volunteer. As long as my guys have my back and are making plays around me, that’s all I care about.”

Told it’s not exactly a sexy job, the 6-foot-1, 336-pound Williams smiled and said, ”Oh, it’s sexy. As long as I’m there Rashaad Penny Jersey , it’s sexy.”

Drafted in the third round of the 2013 draft out of Missouri Southern State, Williams has been Baltimore’s starting nose tackle for the past five years. He follows a long line of players who have effectively filled an unglamorous, pivotal position.

”A lot of interior linemen who have come through here and had the honor of being considered a Raven for life, the No. 1 thing they had was toughness,” Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs said.

”Can you be mentally tough? Can you physically dominate the man across from you? I think Brandon Williams embodies that. He can be considered in the rare group of the Tony Siragusas, the Kelly Greggs, the Haloti Ngatas.”

The Ravens showed their appreciation to Williams in 2017 when they provided him with a five-year contract rather than allow him to test free agency.

Last year, he started the first two games, both of them victories in which Baltimore allowed a total of 10 points and forced 10 turnovers.

Williams missed the next four games with a foot injury, and the Ravens won only one of them.

”When we lost him, we sunk a little bit,” defensive line coach Joe Cullen said. ”Brandon is the epitome of what you want an inside tackle to be. He’s really quick for a big guy John Ross Youth Jersey , but so strong he can get big knock-back at the point of attack.”

Williams has 188 career tackles, 4 sacks and one touchdown – on a fumble recovery he took in from the 1.

These facts and figures do nothing to convey his importance to the Ravens.

”I’m a big Brandon Williams fan,” coach John Harbaugh said. ”Ask the offensive line coaches and the offensive linemen around the league how they feel about blocking him. He’s a force in there. He takes up two blockers, sometimes more. He’s very stout.

”You want great players everywhere, but in the middle of your defense it’s important to have an anchor that can keep people from running inside and can create better angles for your defense. It’s nice to have a big, physical run stopper. The Ravens have always had that. It’s really been a staple here historically.”

Williams certainly doesn’t mind being Baltimore’s next man in the middle, but he’s not interested in merely carrying on a tradition that began long ago.

”I want to play how I play,” Williams said. ”I’m not Haloti, even though he was a great player and I learned a lot from him. I want to do my own thing, just be whatever I can be for the team.”

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