LeBron James: Cavs man seen ‘peeling off bandages’ after Game 2 Warriors loss

The defending champions were in no mood for another similarly nail-biting finish and controlled the game from start to finish.

Warriors point guard Steph Curry produced a typically masterful shooting performance, putting up 33 points while breaking the NBA Finals record for made three-point shots with nine.

Klay Thompson passed a late fitness test to feature alongside Curry, shaking off a painful sprained ankle as he produced 20 points while former MVP Kevin Durant added 26.

James, whose 51 points in Game 1 became NBA Finals record for the highest by a player on the losing side, battled through another episode of questionable officiating but could only produce 29 points and Kevin Love added 22.

Four-time league MVP James was seen sporting a gruesome damaged left eye after being prodded in Game 1 – but ESPN’s Brian Windhorst claimed the 33-year-old was concealing further injuries from the fans.

“The narrative of LeBron never getting calls and faking injuries has taken a beating these last two games,” Windhorst said.

“Because he’s got blood coming out of his eye. He’s also got scratches and scrapes all over his body.

“I was just in the locker room – and so does Steph [Curry], at this point, all these guys have scratches and scrapes – but LeBron is peeling off bandages.

“He gets raked in the eye and he’s got a couple of ridiculous calls that have gone against him.”

Speaking after the game, Boston Celtics legend and former NBA champion Paul Pierce questioned what more James could do to help his team beat the Warriors.

"[He scores] 51 then comes back with 29, 13 and nine and they get blown out,” Pierce said.

"They have got to focus on the defence. It's not even about the offensive numbers anymore.”