There was no Warrior momentum at all in Game 3. Only a monstrous Raptor roar that nakedly exposed Golden State’s sudden vulnerability.
Unless help in the form of a fleet of firefighting trucks comes to the rescue of the Warriors on Saturday (PHL time), the Toronto-instigated conflagration could raze Golden State to the ground—completely.
I don’t know what’s on coach Steve Kerr’s mind.
Will he treat his Warriors’ 123-109 loss on Thursday as a mere temporary setback?
That being behind, 2-1, in the NBA best-of-seven Finals is no big deal? Nothing to worry about?
Can Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson not be recalled to active duty—whether Klay is “half-dead” or not? Is Durant really not yet 100 percent from his calf injury?
Game Three was simply an utter demonstration of Toronto’s sheer firepower over a Warrior lineup sorely lacking in manpower, with Durant and Thompson watching helplessly from the bench.
And while Steph Curry was killing himself to keep the Warriors afloat, his remaining reliable teammates—usually, that is—were suddenly unreliable.
Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala were duds this time.
Aggression was Toronto’s template from tipoff as the Raptors sped to a 28-16 lead before settling for a seven-point first quarter lead, 36-29.
They never slowed down, taking a 60-52 halftime edge on a torrid 53-percent shooting in a huge hop from their dismal 37-percent tally from that Game 2 loss.
Their suffocating defense choked Golden State to a mere 39-percent field goal clip, with only Curry escaping traps to score a career playoff high of 47 points.
Serge Ibaka had 23 points, 9 assists and 6 blocks behind Kawhi Leonard’s 30 team-high points and Kyle Lowry’s 28, typifying the Raptors’ wrath that forced 14 turnovers on Golden State.
The suddenly offense-minded Raptors collected 38 assists, with their last three baskets even containing two triples from Marc Gasol and Fred VanVleet.
Thus, without Durant and Thompson on Saturday, the Warriors could be goners.
A 3-1 Raptor lead might be fatal for GS going to Toronto.