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2019.06.10 – Warriors vs Raptors – 2019 NBA Finals Game 5 – Video Highlights
2019.06.10 – Warriors vs Raptors – 2019 NBA Finals Game 5 – Full Game Highlights!
2019.06.07 – Warriors vs Raptors – 2019 NBA Finals Game 4
2019.06.07 – Warriors vs Raptors – 2019 NBA Finals Game 4 – Full Game Highlights!
Dubs on the Brink – Warriors trail Raptors 3-1 in NBA Finals
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) drives around Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson during the first half of Game 4 of basketball’s NBA Finals, Friday, June 7, 2019, in Oakland, Calif. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
2019.06.07 – The Toronto Raptors push the Dubs to the brink of elimination. The North is one win away from their first NBA title.
Kawhi Leonard scored 36 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and the Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors 105-92 for a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
It will now take an improbable upset for the two-time defending champions with Game 5 on Monday night in Toronto.
Draymond Green has said it often: This run by the Warriors won’t last forever. And forever could be coming up fast.
From Day One the entire team was determined to enjoy the ride for as long as possible. Coach Steve Kerr preached as much at the start of training camp: Cherish this time because it all could change in a hurry once free agency arrives come summer.
The roster might look much different in a matter of months, perhaps a dynasty dismantled. Even if general manager Bob Myers does his best to keep the core together.
Golden State understands the stakes, with the season on the brink following startling back-to-back losses at home.
The Warriors have been in such a postseason predicament before. They rallied from down 3-1 to beat Oklahoma City in the 2016 Western Conference finals when Kevin Durant was still with the Thunder only to squander a 3-1 advantage in the finals to Cleveland, watching LeBron James and the Cavaliers celebrate a Game 7 victory at Oracle.
“We’ve been on the wrong side of history,” Golden State guard Shaun Livingston said. “We look to be on the right side of it now.”
Stephen Curry believes his Warriors have the mindset to make this happen.
“You don’t succeed the way we have over the course of these years without that mentality,” he said. “So as the second half unfolds and things aren’t going our way, we’re still fighting and trying to get over the hump. But until the final buzzer sounds and somebody gets the four wins, we still have life and have an opportunity to win.”
The Raptors, for their part, realize there’s still much to be done.
“It’s not over yet, so I can’t say that we’re better,” Leonard said after a 36-point, 12-rebound performance in Friday night’s Game 4 win.
Kerr has seen many remarkable rallies and triumphs in his five years coaching the Warriors. And he is ready for another comeback, this time on basketball’s biggest stage.
“You just try to win one game. That’s what we did a few years ago against OKC. Win one game, and then you move forward,” Kerr said. “So that’s our focus now. We’ll fly to Toronto tomorrow and take a look at the film, see what we can do better and try to win a game. We have won a lot of games over the years, so we’ll try to win another one.”
Throughout the highs and lows of this season, Kerr has emphasized how hard it is to be on top and stay there — game after game, year after year. Everybody wants what you have, and you get the opponent’s best shot each time you take the floor.
Durant may depart as a free agent next month, while Klay Thompson is expected to re-sign once his contract expires. Both Thompson and Green have indicated their desires to stay with the Warriors for the long haul. DeMarcus Cousins joined Golden State for what was expected to be just one season.
For now, the Warriors must focus all their energy on fighting back. That three-peat is in jeopardy.
“I’ve been on the wrong side of 3-1 before,” Green said. “Why not make our own history?”
Read more at: Golden State Warriors Media Services / More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the Golden State Warriors, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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Curry’s Playoff Career-High!
Warriors fall to Raptors Game 3 – NBA Finals series (2-1)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles against Toronto Raptors center Serge Ibaka (9) during the second half of Game 3 of basketball’s NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif., Wednesday, June 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
2019.06.05 – Stephen Curry scored 47 points a playoff career-high for the three-time champion. Golden State Warriors missing Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Kevon Looney with injuries fell 123-109 to the Toronto Raptors and trail the NBA Finals 2-1.
Curry did all he could to lead the injury-depleted Warriors. But, it wasn’t enough.
“Steph was incredible,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “The stuff he does is, he does things that honestly I don’t think anybody has ever done before. The way he plays the game, the way he shoots it and the combination of his ball handling and shooting skills, it’s incredible to watch. He was amazing.”
Though it’s no consolation to Curry’s playoff career-high, his 47 points were the second-most ever by a player in a finals game loss. The only time someone scored more and wasn’t on the winning team that night was LeBron James, who scored 51 points on this same Oracle Arena floor in Game 1 of last year’s title series. Golden State wound up sweeping Cleveland.
2019.06.05 – Warriors vs Raptors – 2019 NBA Finals Game 3 (Video)
2019.06.05 – Warriors vs Raptors – 2019 NBA Finals Game 3 – Stephen Curry 47 Pts, 7 Asts, 2 GOOD! (Video)
Thompson didn’t play because of his strained left hamstring, Looney’s season is over because of an upper-body injury sustained in Game 2 and Durant sat out for the eighth consecutive game with a calf injury. Game 4 of this series is Friday, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see both Durant and Thompson back in the lineup for the two-time defending NBA champions. Thompson was lobbying to play Wednesday, and Durant has been ramping up toward a return.
The Warriors need them.
Or else their reign might end, no matter how great Curry is the rest of the way.
“The moment is now,” Curry said. “You’ve got to try to have a next-man-up mentality, like we always say, and just go out and fight. We did that tonight. We can play better, obviously better on the defensive end. But I liked the competitiveness that we had, understanding that we’re missing 50 points pretty much between KD and Klay.”
It was evident from the outset that if the Warriors were going to somehow win without both Thompson and Durant in the lineup, it would be Curry carrying the load.
He darn near made it happen.
“Not that he’s not amazing pretty often,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said, “but tonight was a special performance by him.”
Curry scored Golden State’s first five field goals. He had 25 points and eight rebounds by halftime, the first time in his 803-game career that he put up those numbers in the first 24 minutes of a game. Midway through the third quarter, he was outscoring all of his teammates combined towards his playoff career-high. He had his entire arsenal working — 3-pointers, layups, free throws. He was diving for loose balls. He even won a jump ball.
He conceded nothing.
Curry just didn’t have enough help. Or, maybe more accurately, the Raptors had too many answers.
“We tried to up our presence on him a little bit with some double teams, but it doesn’t really matter,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “All that matters is … my dad used to tell me the stats don’t matter, just the final score. So we’ll just take the win and be thankful for that.”
For every amazing shot in a career night by Curry on his home court, Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry and Danny Green kept finding dazzling answers of their own.
The Toronto Raptors decided to “let it rip,” Leonard scored 30 points and now they have the momentum again in these back-and-forth NBA Finals.
“They outplayed us. They deserved it,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I’m very proud of our effort, and now we’ve just got to bounce back and hopefully get back in here Friday night and hopefully get a little healthier and get some guys back.”
Lowry contributed 23 with five 3-pointers and Green had 18 points with six 3s after Pascal Siakam got the Raptors rolling early. Toronto shot 52.4% and made 17 from deep.
“I give our guys a lot of credit. I thought we answered a lot of runs,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “Each time they chipped, we kind of answered back. And that’s kind of what you got to do if you’re going to keep your lead.”
All five Toronto starters scored somewhere between 17 and 30 points. The Raptors made 17 3-pointers, Fred VanVleet’s desperation 3 with just under 2 minutes left put Toronto up by 13, and that’s when Kerr decided to empty the bench.
Curry’s night ended there, with the eighth-highest single-game scoring performance in NBA Finals history. He also had eight rebounds and seven assists, ending with a stat line that only James has done in a finals game.
“Every time we made a run or got the crowd into it they either made a tough 3 or there was a tough foul call and they slowed the tempo down or something went their way,” Curry said. “You have to tip your cap to all the guys who made pivotal plays in the right times.”
“We fought, but we lost,” Curry said. “So we’ve got to go back to the drawing board and just re-calibrate for Game 4.”
TIP-INS
Raptors: All five Toronto starters scored in double digits and Fred VanVleet added 11 off the bench. … The Raptors began 10 for 14 and scored 12 early points in the paint. .. Former Warriors G Patrick McCaw, who departed after last season in contract dispute, drew boos from the crowd when he checked into the game late in the first.
Warriors: Curry’s 17 first-quarter points matched his most in the period for the postseason. He also did so on April 27, 2014, against the Clippers. … In the first half, Curry was 4 of 8 from 3-point range the rest of the Warriors 1 for 11. … Draymond Green’s streak of double-doubles ended at a career-best six games after he had 17 points and seven rebounds. A 12th would match Denver’s Nikola Jokic for most in the 2019 playoffs. … Tim Hardaway from the Warriors’ “Run TMC” era attended the game.
UP NEXT
The series continues at the Oracle Arena for Game 4, with the first NBA Finals to be played outside the U.S. assured of returning to Canada for Game 5.
RELATED: Dubs’ Third Quarter Magic! Warriors past the Raptors Game 2
Read more at: Golden State Warriors Media Services / More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the Golden State Warriors, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
49ERS FIT – FREE 4-DAY PASS
EMI Sports Central – EMI Sports Bay Area: Join the conversation on sports news for SF Bay Area teams: Follow @EMIsports on Twitter, “Like” us on Facebook and sign up for our FREE email newsletters.