LOCAL coaches believe a rare three-peat is within reach for the Golden State Warriors after stealing Game 2 of the best-of-seven championship series on the Toronto Raptors turf on Monday, June 3.
The Warriors evened the series at 1-all with a 109-104 win and will be heading to the Oracle Arena with the momentum for Games 3 and 4.
Program director of Epic Performance and Fitness and athletic director for Southwestern University-Phinma Pio Solon said he likes the chances of Toronto Raptors but the Warriors are a different customer.
“The Warriors are a different animal. Even without Kevin Durant they’re still a handful and are a beautiful team to watch. Their offense is almost as beautiful as the 2014 San Antonio Spurs,” he said.
Solon said Game 2 was definitely a momentum booster for the three-peat seeking Warriors.
University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers coach Gary Cortes said the Warriors have been proven to deliver in this kind of situation. He sees the Oakland-based team winning a three-peat after six games.
“Stealing a game on your opponents court is big swing. Definitely, Game 2 was a morale booster for the Warriors, winning without Kevin Durant,” he told SunStar Cebu in Cebuano.
Edsel Say Vallena of the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Wildcats thinks the same. He thinks the Warriors can win it in Game 6. If the series goes to a deciding Game 7, he thinks the championship experience of the Warriors core will still prevail.
“It swings the momentum, and against the Warriors you don’t want to give them any momentum. The Spurs were up by 25 points before Kawhi (Leonard) was injured by (Zaza) Pachulia. What normally might be an insurmountable lead evaporated against the Warriors,” said Solon. “At this elite level, the mental game comes into play. The Raptors can’t look back at Game 2 and feel sorry, and the Warriors can’t be complacent either. It boils down to who can execute consistently with force through extended periods. The advantage in this situation might go to the Warriors, but don’t count out the Raptors, their mental fortitude is evidenced by the playoffs path they took to get to this point.”
Vallena expects the Warriors to win after Game 6, but he picks the Raptors to win if it goes to a deciding Game 7.
For Vallena, the return of Durant will be a huge factor. He said if the Raptors can steal a game in the Oracle Arena, the series could go either way. (RSC)