THE Toronto Raptors made the series more interesting after beating the two-time defending champions Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the best-of-seven series at the Oracle Arena on Thursday, June 6.
Cebu’s coaches believed that this win will be a big morale booster for the Raptors, but they still see the Warriors responding to the challenge.
“For sure, the Raptors have high morale after the Game 3 win; they are now leading the series,” said the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu coach Rommel Rasmo.
It was a booming response for the Raptors after losing Game 2 at home. The home court advantage is back to Toronto after the convincing 123-109 win in Game 3. Game 4 will be played at the Oracle Arena before its shift to Toronto.
But Rasmo believes that it’s hard to count out the heart of the champion.
“I haven’t watched the whole game of the Raptors, but based on what the Warriors have shown in the past years, the defending champions are capable of a comeback,” he said.
For conditioning coach Pio Solon, the concern moving forward in the series is clearly the health issues of the Warriors.
Reigning two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant did not play since getting injured in Game 5 against the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference playoffs. Another injury blow hit the Warriors as All-Star guard Klay Thompson got injured as well as reliable big man Kevon Looney.
“Missing KD (Kevin Durant) is fine, but missing Klay Thompson only allows the Raptors to worry less on defense and opens up their offense tremendously,” he said.
Solon stressed that fatigue could be a factor for the Warriors playing in the finals for five straight seasons. He said that the performance of the Warriors must be at a high level on the next game.
“Stephen Curry will have to be god-like and Steve Kerr needs to pull something off his hat, something which is still very possible at this point. If Durant and Thompson play on Game 4, we have to see how healthy they really are,” he said.
For Rasmo, the challenge for the Warriors was the rotation with Thompson and other players suddenly out for the three-peat push.
“As a coach, I can see that rotation is a factor. You have used the rotation, but in the middle or late part of your run, the players part of that rotation are out,” he said.
For fitness coach Alan Choachuy, who’s also an avid basketball fan, the Raptors played a near perfect game with the starters and bench contributing both on the defense and offensive side.
“Danny Green finally showed up to play hitting six three-point shots, and Ibaka had six blocks and a lot of putback shots,” he said.
Choachuy said the Warriors fought even without Durant, Thompson and Looney and managed to stay within seven to 12 points behind. But Curry did not get much help and DeMarcus Cousins wass a non-factor in Game 3.
He said that for the Warriors to come back, they need Thompson on the rotation in Game 4.
“Without Thompson, the Warriors will be in trouble, to be swept in the next two games unless Durant miraculously plays in Game 4,” he said.
Solon thinks that if Durant and Thompson can’t play the remainder of the series, the Raptors can win this in Game 7.
Choachuy also believes that the momentum now is on the Raptors but the series can still go a long way. (RSC)