THINGS don’t bode too well for the two-time defending champions, the Golden State Warriors in their goal of scoring that rare three-peat.
Last achieved by arguably the greatest team in NBA history, the Chicago Bulls achieved the feat again by becoming back-to-back-to back champions from 1995 to 1998.
LeBron James and his Miami Heat tried to duplicate that but came up short in the 2013-2014 season, losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals.
For this iteration of a challenger, the Warriors certainly have their work cut out for them, facing a daunting 1-3 deficit against a surprisingly resilient Toronto Raptors Team.
Can they do it?
3-1. For starters, the Warriors are certainly no strangers to this deficit, having been on both sides of the equation. In the 2015-2016 season they were down 1-3 in the Western Conference Finals, facing elimination against the Oklahoma City Thunder, then led by Kevin Durant.
They were able to claw out of that hole and defeat the Thunder and advance to the NBA Finals.
They soon found themselves enjoying a similar 3-1 advantage against Lebron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers only to be infamously upset and enjoy the notoriety of being the first team to blow a 3-1 lead in the finals.
INJURIES. For me, familiarity is not the issue here. It’s a manpower concern, or lack thereof.
The injuries that have practically decimated them have taken their toll early in the series. In my last column, I predicted that if Kevin Durant does not play, they will not be champions this year.
To reiterate, I never subscribed to that false narrative about this team being better without KD. That’s simply preposterous. Two NBA championships with KD at the helm is beyond cavil.
They may play differently without him--but as this series has proven much to their dismay, they are not better without him.
Even if KD suits up for game 5, it might be too late and there is an apprehension that the Warriors have dug themselves a hole too deep that not even Durant’s singular greatness can be enough to bail them out.
Overcoming this Toronto Raptors team who are peaking just in time and firing on all cylinders seems like a pretty daunting task.
LAST ROUND. It’s on a dear friend, Janet Gorne who recently celebrated her birthday. Cheers!