Warriors homecourt edge

WITH the series count deadlocked at 1-1, the two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) defending titlist Golden State Warriors host the Toronto Raptors Thursday, June 6 (Manila time), in Game Three of the Finals at the soon-to-be-demolished Oracle Arena looking to score a second consecutive win and secure a 2-1 advantage.
Notwithstanding the injuries to various key players, the Warriors wrested homecourt advantage from the Raptors with a 109-104 decision in Game Two at the Scotiabank Arena despite injuries to Stephen Curry who is nursing a flu, his co-Splash Brother Klay Thompson sustaining a mild left hamstring strain in the fourth quarter and substitute center Kevin Looney being hurt in the second frame with a fracture collarbone and will be out for the rest of the Finals, and reigning back-to-back Finals Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant still in sick bay for a seventh straight game after suffering a strained right calf in Game Five of the Dubs’ 4-2 victory over the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals.
Swingman Andre Iguodala, who himself is dealing with a lingering calf injury, sealed the deal for the Bay Area outfit with a left corner triple with 5.9 seconds remaining after the Raptors scored 10 consecutive points to come within two, 106-104.
Thompson (25) and Curry (23) combined for 48 points, do-it-all frontliner Draymond Green collected 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and injury-plagued but recovering center DeMarcus Cousins chalked up 11 points, 10 boards and six assists for the Warriors, who reminded the Doubting Thomases of their dreaded third-quarter binge by tallying 18 straight points to open the second half.
The Raptors put to waste the 34-point, 14-rebound performance of top gun Kawhi Leonard, who was only 8-for-20 from the field (including 2-for-9 from beyond the arc) but went a perfect 16-for-16 from the foul line. The team’s other All-Star, point guard Kyle Lowry, fouled out with just 13 points on 4-for-11 floor shooting (including 3-for-7 from three-point range) and a pair of assists.
Lowry needs to be more aggressive and efficient in Game Three if the Raptors are to regain the homecourt edge in the Finals once more. The 6-foot, 33-year-old University of Villanova product normed after a measly 10 points, 5.5 assists and 3.5 boards in the first two games of the Finals and shooting 6-for-20 from the field and 4-for-12 from triple-point territory. Lowry hit a 19.2-point clip during the Raptors’ 4-2 win over Milwaukee, the playoffs’ top overall seed, in the Eastern Conference finals after trailing 0-2 in the series.
In the series opener, Toronto downed Golden State, 118-109, in the first NBA Finals game ever outside the United States as former De La Salle University star Ben Mbala’s compatriot from Cameroon, “Spicy P” Pascal Siakam, racked up a playoff career-high 32 points on 14-for-17 floor shooting (including 2-for-3 from the three-point area) and had eight rebounds and five dimes in 40 minutes.
In the second game, though, the 6-foot-9 25-year-old power forward, the leading candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player honors, missed his first three attempts and struggled with just a dozen scores on 5-for-18 field shooting (including 0-for-3 from long range) to go with his eight boards and five assists.
Even Leonard, who is hobbled by leg soreness, has not shot well in the Finals, shooting a frigid 13-for-34 (.382) from the field (including 5-for-15 from beyond the arc) en route to a 28.5-point average after two games. The 6-foot-7 forward, who turns 28 on June 29 and was the Finals MVP in 2014 while leading his preceding employer San Antonio to the NBA crown, has made a living from the charity stripes in the series, going 26-for-28 from that area.
In Game Three, Golden State won’t have Durant (again) and Looney, Thompson remains iffy (even if he says he’ll play even at 80 percent capacity) and Iguodala will be playing not in the best of health.
The Warriors’ health issues could work in favor of the Raptors if they are to exploit them. Toronto must not allow Golden State to come up with its third-quarter explosion by playing better defense and ball rotation.
The Warriors have been beaten just twice at home in the current playoffs, both to the Los Angeles Clippers during their 4-2 West first-round triumph. They dropped a 135-131 decision in Game Two in the largest comeback in NBA playoff history and 129-121 in Game Five.
Game Four of the 2019 NBA Finals will again be hosted by Golden State on Saturday, June 8 (Manila time). The series shifts to Toronto for Game Five on Tuesday, June 11 (MT).