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The Toronto Raptors are one win away from their first NBA championship after beating the Golden State Warriors 105-92 in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead in the 2019 NBA Finals on Friday.
After the Warriors fired in the first quarter, the Raptors were able to resist the charge behind Kawhi Leonard's 36 points and 12 rebounds. Both teams struggled to pass the 3-point range while they combined 18 points for 59 points beyond the bow. But it was the warriors who were even worse, converting only 8 attempts out of 27 (29.6%) from the 3 point range. Even the best shooter in the game, Stephen Curry, scored 2 goals out of 9 off the arc, as his 27 points were not enough for Golden State to defeat Toronto.
Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 28 points on his return, while Kevon Looney scored 10 points and six boards in his first action in two games since his injury, but that was not enough because the Warriors lost the two games at Oracle Arena.
With the Raptors at a Larry O'Brien Trophy win, the Warriors will have to win Monday's fifth game at the Scotiabank Arena to ensure that one more game, the sixth, will take place at Oracle. Arena next Thursday. night.
Here are five main take-away victories in Match 4 in Toronto:
1. Kawhi Leonard for MVP
Another win for the Raptors, and this is a lock. Kawhi Leonard will be the most valuable player in the finals and become a Toronto hero forever and ever, no matter what he decides to do during the off season. Kawhi had 36 points, 12 boards and 4 interceptions on Friday, and was once again the best player on the field. The Raptors reversed the Warriors' third quarterback scenario with 37 points at half-time and Kawhi was 17. He went into a pair of 3 to start the third which were absolute.
If your warriors think you're just going to fill up in the third quarter as usual, you have something else to do.
Kawhi was aggressive from the start after Toronto was set up, unlike Steph Curry (what we're going to do), and started shooting in the hallway with the firm intention of not hesitating for a second – He finished 5 out of 9 in a range of 3 points and 50% overall.
What story is close to becoming. In Toronto, DeMar DeRozan exchanged a pillar of the franchise against Leonard, knowing that he could walk after a season. The Raptors knew that they had to make the most of this season, but honestly, how often do hopes become reality? It's a book of total tales.
2. The awakening of raptors
In one way or another, people still do not understand how great this Raptors team is. Before this series, I was asked again and again how Toronto could be suspended in this series. Even with the wounds of the warriors, they would say that the gap is too big. Seriously, what were people watching when the Raptors played four games in a row against a very, really good Bucks team? When the defense of Kawhi and Raptors dominated one of the best players on Earth Giannis Antetokounmpo?
In the third game, with Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Kevon Looney, the Warriors were STILL FAVORABLE TO WIN! In Game 4, they were further favored. It's pure ignorance. The Raptors have clearly been the best team in this series in all areas, and none of this is a surprise.
Kawhi has been amazing all series and all season. Same thing for the defense. Pascal Siakam did not come from nowhere. He will win the title of most improved player and will quickly become a star player. Fred VanVleet did it last year. Danny Green has already held the record of most 3 points in the finals of the NBA. Serge Ibaka has been really good for a very long time. Marc Gasol goes to the Hall of Fame. Kyle Lowry, after what he did in this series, could perhaps join him.
The Raptors are not good. They are awesome.
Let's finally understand this, regardless of the wounds of warriors.
3. The defense of the warriors the biggest culprit
During the regular season, Steve Kerr told me that he had been "scared to death" last year because the Warriors would not be able to reverse the defensive stance in the playoffs. They did it, going from a mid-team defensive to first place playoffs before winning the title. I followed this with: Do you think you can do it again this year? Kerr expressed his confidence. He said the warriors had won the benefit of the doubt.
These playoffs, the Warriors have not gained anything in terms of defense, apart from a monster of critics. After yielding 123 points in the third game, the Warriors, although the total points are not less dark, were terribly defensive Friday night. They were completely shredded in pick and roll and in doubles against Kawhi Leonard. They did not shoot. They did not stop the penetration of the dribble. They helped when they should not have, and did not help when they should have. They looked exactly like a struggling team trying to overcome their talent gap, and they did not even fail to do it.
The Raptors got pretty much the same look they wanted in 14 of the 16 quarters of this final. They clearly looked like the best team, at least such as it is currently built. The Warriors are simply not powerful enough without Kevin Durant to play this defensive game. Today, they are more than a game of the end of a dynasty perhaps.
4. Steph Curry Stinker
It was not the game for Steph Curry to lay an egg, but he did, and we must hold him responsible. The final line looks good: 27 points, six assists and four rebounds, but a lot of that was done when it was too late and some stupid mistakes that gave him some cheap free throws. He shot 2 of 9 out of 3 and hesitated at least three times in the middle of his shot.
Curry was terrible in defense, too. He missed a crucial deadlock late in the game for Danny Green, which led to another offensive rebound and the Toronto bucket. He helped Kawhi drive when Thompson made it cover, leaving Green wide open in the corner for a 3-point workout. Klay showed his frustration. He should have. It was a terrible decision on a rather terrible night for Curry, who simply did not release the aggression required to score the ball.
The return of Klay Thompson would not be enough for Curry to return to running on screens and taking pictures here and there. I've put some of that on Steve Kerr, who apparently refuses to put the ball completely in Curry's hands until he has absolutely no choice. Establishing an early pace can make all these pitfalls and blitzes much less effective after Curry did, but they did not prioritize Curry's offense in the fourth game, and Curry did not He did not feel as aggressive as he was in Game 3 and it cost the Warriors – who may not have been able to shoot against the incredible defense of Toronto – but Curry was their favorite. BEST shot, and they did not lean enough on him.
5. Give a huge credit to Nick Nurse
This man is driving his tail. Switch from Kawhi to Giannis in the final phase of the conference and completely reverse this series, throw one box and another against Curry in the second game and almost finish with this game, the way he handled the charge of Kawhi's work all year round to be as effective this end of the season, he had every confidence in him to keep going to see Fred VanVleet when he was shooting bricks everywhere … all he's done is mounted in the red.
An important thing that few people talk about: the pace of Toronto. Before the series, we thought that the Raptors would slow down the pace to control the tempo of the Warriors. But instead, it's the Raptors that propelled Golden State into the ground. The nurse knew that Curry was gassed after what he had to do in the third match with only a day off between the two. He knew that DeMarcus's cousins could not follow any rhythm. He knew that Thompson was hurt and was dragging. And he ran down their throats. He did all the series. People say that training does not matter in the NBA, that everything is a matter of talent. Completely false. Nick Nurse is Steve Kerr's coach in this series. This has a lot to do with the fact that the Raptors are a win of the first title in franchise history.
Summarize all the news and highlights of Match 4 below:
How to watch Warriors vs. Raptors Game 5
- Date: Monday, June 10
- Time: 21h ET
- Location: Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- TV channel: ABC
- Diffusion: WatchESPN
- Live Statistics: GameTracker
- chances: Raptors -3.5 (Over / Under 212)
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