Richard Jefferson on Game 2: “We have to answer.”

Ahead of what is a pivotal Game 2 on Sunday, Cavs forward Richard Jefferson says the Cavs can play better than they did in Game 1 and that it’s up to the Cavs to answer.

“We feel like there are things that we can do better," Jefferson said per cleveland.com. "Again, this is going to be a boxing match. It's going to be punch, counter-punch. They played well. They did a really good job of putting us in a position to turn the ball over. We have to answer."

Jefferson is spot on in saying that the Cavs can play better in Game 2. Cleveland turned the ball over 20 times on Thursday and were essentially out of the game after the first quarter. Against a team the caliber of the Warriors, that’s not going to cut it. The Cavs’ margin of error — as it’s been the past two years — is not particularly large.

He’s also right in saying the Warriors’ defense put the Cavs in uncomfortable positions, but there are also mistakes the Cavs made on their own that cost them. LeBron James, in particular, made an uncharacteristically high number of mistakes.

The Warriors landed the first punch in Game 1 and it did some damage. Now, it’s on the Cavs to hit back.