Warriors Raptors Finals: Game 4 preview: Klay Thompson is back, Durant is still missing.

The good news is that Klay Thompson is back officially for a fourth decisive game. But while Kevin Durant is ruled out for at least one more match, the bad news is that the Warriors are going to need Klay and all the help they can get to not be led 1 to 3 during the final when the series sways. back to Toronto after tonight.

According to my rudimentary Internet research, the winner of game 3 in the final 1-1 wins the series 82% of the time. These warriors are not normal and it would seem that the extenuating circumstances are partly responsible. Nevertheless, this fourth game is as close as a team can go to a playoff match without actually being in a literal elimination game.

While the third match was tight for most of the evening, it was clear in the 3rd quarter that what was left of the formation probably could not beat the Raptors. Will just Thompson's return be enough?

It seems foolish to me to have room for that, but you may not have been so eager to try to get constant updates for anything like me, here's what happened. spent yesterday.

Klay Thompson is officially back. After missing a match with a stiff hamstring, which was rightly called a high bet, it will be a welcome addition to a training that was forced to play the old Andrew Bogut 22 minute and tiny Quinn Cook for 27 minutes. minutes.

No Durant for now, time is running out

Rumors have hinted that Durant was about to return for match four, the team officially decided that Thursday, Formally unavailable, and not even returned to the fray, does not bode well for his return at of the fifth match (Monday). As they did with Thompson, the team sails in a narrow passage here. They said they were holding him in wait for a long run, but if the rest of the team can not stretch long enough, there will be no way to put a player on the ground before that his body is ready.

Do not forget that the difference between muscle fatigue and muscle tear is largely pedantic and that the terms can be used interchangeably. When the Warriors added Durant, one of the countless reasons why it made sense to think that the team could obviously survive a injury to a key playoff player while still remaining the champion. This game will put this theory to the test.

Bottom line: maybe. After being diagnosed with an unplaced fracture of the thoracic cartilage, the team thought that he was ready for the season. But perhaps the cruel basketball gods have begun to feel a little pity?

Looney would probably not come back for tonight's game, but keep an eye on this, as we'll probably learn more before tonight's game.

It's enough. As many domestic observers are happy to report, the Warriors still have a plethora of highly decorated veterans.

With the return of Thompson, Golden State will return to a respectable starting team with Curry, Thompson, Iguodala, Green and Cousins. It's an extremely strong championship starting from five.

Curry was excellent in the third match, but failed. I can not imagine what it's like to score 47 points and lose two figures. He was good in the final and, although it's hard to imagine his performance in the third part, we are witnessing a battle for the ages:

The return of Klay Thompson is equally important on both sides. The Raptors hit nearly 45% of their three, and Danny Green in particular killed us with six three pointers. Thompson would have been extremely close to playing in the third game, so I think we can expect him to come back to a level close to his strength (thankfully) – and the Warriors will need it.

Shane Young discusses defense issues the Warriors had with the Raptors' wings in Game 3. Although Thompson's offense was sorely missed, these defense failures are another way Golden State needs him – look at the number of three big open ones:

Of these 38 deep attempts, nearly half were wide open:

Distance between Raptors shooter and defender of warriors

2 to 4 feet of space: 4/8 (50.0%)

4 to 6 feet of space: 5/11 (45.5%)

6 feet and more space: 8/18 (44.4%)

Without Thompson on the wing, the defensive battle against Golden State was always going to be tough. He is their main match against Lowry for most of the match, to the critical point, as he has generally moved to Leonard.

Let's hope Thompson's comeback also raises some of the other players. DeMarcus Cousins ​​was severely crushed by Marc Gasol. Cousins ​​only scored four points on seven throws and was crushed by Gasol 1 (7 points and seven rebounds). This is a tough challenge for Cousins, but if you want to become a champion, you will usually have to play better than the guy in front who wears a different uniform.

As always in the final, we watch the decisive moments of our history take place in real time.

Prediction

Warriors must win this game. Keep your head high and your heart strong, Dub Nation! Warriors 109 – Raptors 98.