son or Kevin Durant, racking up 47 points
(17 in the first quarter), 8 rebounds, 7
assists and a couple steals.
Despite the astounding individual
effort from Curry, the Warriors couldn’t
overcome the haymakers the Raptors
threw to open each half en route to a
series-high 123 points.
As a team, the Warriors struggled from
behind the arc—outside of Curry, they
shot just 27.3 percent. The astounding
defensive play of Serge Ibaka, who had 6
blocks in 22 minutes off the bench, sty-
mied their ability to attack the rim, too.
All five Raptors starters scored in dou-
ble figures and Fred VanVleet added 11
points off the pine. Kawhi Leonard scored
a team-high 30 to go along with 2 steals
and 2 blocks and Pascal Siakam notched a
game-high plus-minus of +22 to go along
with his 18 points, 9 boards and 6 dimes.
The collective scoring effort was efficient,
too: Toronto finished the night shooting
52.4 percent from the field and 44.7 per-
cent from the three-point line.
Toronto took the lead 1:35 into the night
and never looked back, leading the rest
of the way. “They outplayed us. They de-
served it,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
The loss was the Dubs’ first in Oakland
since April 24 against the Clippers.
The game’s biggest storyline took place
off the floor. After diving into the stands
for a loose ball, Kyle Lowry was shoved
by a fan who was later escorted from his
courtside seat. It was revealed after the
game that the fan was Warriors minority
owner Mark Stevens. The Dubs’ most vo-
cal leader showed his support for Lowry.
“You have to give Kyle a lot of credit in
the way he handled it,” Draymond Green
told the media. “You’re playing in the NBA
Finals, so your emotions are running high.
For him to handle it the way he did says a
lot about his character.”
Stevens was fined $500,000 and
banned from all team activities for a year,
a punishment that was announced the
following day. —Ian Pierno
Game 4 Oracle Arena
Raptors 105, Warriors 92T
HE WARRIORS, known for third
quarter scoring outbursts that have
demoralized teams since the dynas-
ty began, got a taste of their own medicine
as the Raptors exploded for 37 points in
the period to effectively put Game 4 to bed.
Kawhi Leonard led the way on both
ends of the floor, racking up 36 points, 12
boards and 4 steals while knocking down
a game-high 5 threes—the two most
important of which were back-to-back
shots to open the third quarter. The game
was Leonard’s fourth in a row as the
Raps’ leading scorer.
The Warriors found themselves down
3-1, a deficit that they hadn’t faced since
the 2016 Western finals—an eventual 4-3win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The
Warriors dropped the ensuing series after
leading the Cavs 3-1.
Draymond Green, Golden State’s vocal
leader, knew as well as anyone that any-
thing is possible when facing a two-game
deficit. “I’ve been on the wrong side of 3-1
before,” Green told the media after the
game. “Why not make our own history?”
Videos shot after the game showed
the Raptors heading back to the locker
room without celebrating—not a single
player showed even a hint of a smile.
“We’ve won three games, it’s the first
to four,” Lowry said. “We haven’t done
anything yet.”
Klay Thompson (28 points, 6 threes)
made a triumphant return after missing
Game 3 due to injury. Despite his strong
shooting night, Golden State still shotjust 29.6 percent from deep—Warriors
not named “Thompson” finished just 11.8
percent from behind the arc.
The Warriors struggled to hold the
rock, too, as Kawhi Leonard (4 steals),
Danny Green (3) and Kyle Lowry (3) led
the way in forcing 21 turnovers. The Dubs’
92 points was their lowest since a 104-92
loss to the Spurs on November 18, 2018.
Kevon Looney also returned from a
cartilage injury that most believed would
knock him out for the series, receiving a
standing O from the crowd at Oracle Arena
as he chipped in 10 points and 6 rebounds.
The loudest the arena got though
was as the seconds ran down in the final
period—as Warriors fans left, Toronto’s
traveling faithful congregated into one
corner of the arena to belt out the Cana-
dian national anthem.
“We get this a lot on the road. It’s
really amazing,” Nick Nurse said. “It’s
Canada’s team.” —IPGame 5 Scotiabank Arena
Warriors 106, Raptors 105“A
N INCREDIBLE WIN and a
horrible loss at the same time.”
Steve Kerr sat at the podium
after his team had pulled off a miracu-
lous victory in Game 5 and wrestled with
his emotions.
“It’s a bizarre feeling that we all have
right now,” he said—his voice hoarse, his
expression stern.
On a night when Golden State showed
unbelievable resilience to keep their
championship hopes alive, the sense of
relief was fleeting. Kerr found himself at a
loss for words and GM Bob Myers fought
back tears at his press conference.
The scoreboard read 106-105, but the
Warriors had suffered a horrible, devastat-
ing loss. Kevin Durant had torn his Achilles.
Durant, who had been sidelined for over
a month with a calf strain, decided to give
it a go. He started 3-3 from beyond the arc
before planting awkwardly, falling to the
ground. As he was assisted off the floor,
there was a clear and gloomy impression
that he would not return. Not tonight. Not
for the series. Not for a long time.
From then on, the game had a strange
feel to it. A dynasty was being threat-
ened, only moments from possibly being
dethroned and minds were elsewhere.
Perhaps motivated by Durant’s absence,
Golden State jumped out to a significant
lead, getting a boost from DeMarcus
Cousins (14 points) off the bench.
After struggling for much of the28 SLAMONLINE.COM