Toronto wins Game 4
Toronto Raptors win Game 4 (105–92) and take a 3–1 lead in the series.
The Raptors can win the series in Game 5
Toronto silenced the Oracle Arena and their fans left Oakland singing ‘O Canada’ at the top of their lungs. The Raptors played a measured game in which they kept the game close during the first half before taking over in the third quarter. The third quarter has often been the chosen portion of the game in which the Warriors go on a five minute run where they score the ball at an efficient rate and put the game out of sight. This game was the complete opposite as the Raptors went on a run in the third quarter and did not let the Warriors back into the game. Serge Ibaka and Kawhi Leonard sparked a run which meant that the Raptors outscored the Warriors by sixteen points and took control of the game.
Kawhi Leonard had another sterling game in which he played efficient basketball while being the primary option for the Raptors. In this specific game, the Warriors keyed in on Leonard and did not allow him to make passes off the drive as he has done throughout the play-offs. The Warriors tried a variety of defensive coverages included hedging, doubles and multiple different defensive match-ups including the injured Kevon Looney. However, Kawhi Leonard did not let this affect his performance as he went for thirty six points (11–22 FG, 5–9 3P, 9–9 FT). This type of performance when the pressure of winning the game is massive for the Raptors who have lacked that killer option in the past. Leonard’s ability to use his size to bash defenders into submission while drawing fouls has been invaluable.
Serge Ibaka also had a fantastic game in which he showed the best aspects of his game. Serge Ibaka as a player has improved and changed his game massively since he came into the league as a raw Congolese shot-blocker. Ibaka added a silky shooting touch and has improved his shooting efficiency year on year. In Oklahoma, there were times where he could shoot above 75% from the field and he looked unstoppable from his spots. Against Golden State, the team who dumped Ibaka out of the play-offs three years ago, Serge Ibaka turned up the wick from his normal performance level.
The Congolese forward struggled when Gasol was acquired by the Raptors, he had to adjust to coming off the bench and learn how to produce as much as possible in his twenty or so minutes. Ibaka at centre has been an issue for the Warriors depleted centre rotation who does not have the combination of athleticism or skill to deal with a player like Ibaka who is versatile. In this game, Serge turned in the type of performance for which he was regarded as an All-Star calibre player.
Ibaka scored twenty points (9–12 FG, 1–1 3P) but it was the impact of these points that was important. The Raptors needed a steadying influence as Danny Green and Marc Gasol struggled with their shot and Ibaka delivered. The Mafuzzy Chef delivered when it mattered while also being a defensive presence who protected the rim at all costs. Ibaka’s impact on the Raptors has been undeniable this season in terms of being a consistent scorer and a building block for team chemistry.
The importance of Mafuzzy Chef cannot be overstated in terms of building a bond with every player on the roster and creating a line of communication that would perform when it mattered most. Ibaka’s voice has been important for the Raptors in terms of providing another player who cares about accountability and provides advice when it matters most. The steadying influence was evident after Toronto went 2–0 against the Bucks, the instant reaction was panic except for Serge. He was calm and reminded the team that his OKC Thunder were down 2–0 against the San Antonio Spurs before eventually winning the series.
A lot of credit has to go to Masai Ujiri and Nick Nurse for acquiring and designing an offensive system that maximises the Raptors’ depth. Inconsistent games from Lowry or Gasol can be masked if Ibaka or Siakam have reliable scoring efforts, the flowing offence with no real points of emphasis has meant that any Raptors’ player can pop up and be the second or third option when it matters. This scheming means that it is so hard for a team like the Warriors who are stretched defensively to take away the Raptors’ offence. On a smaller level, Nick Nurse has done very well in terms of maximising the little details. The pick and roll is a staple of the Raptors’ offence and Nurse has found little wrinkles which have made that particular play more efficient. The screener’s positioning is just one example of Nurse’s scheming. The screener will set a middle screen in which they block the immediate path of the defender and force them to travel around the screen. It gives the ball-handler a second more to run the offence and pick out an efficient option.
The Warriors’ issues were largely due to their shooting. The team misfired from outside by shooting just 8–27 from three which presents a serious issue for Coach Kerr whose system is predicated on good spacing. The Warriors’ offence relies on players to be able to shoot the long ball so that space is created inside for cuts or drives to the rim. In the past, the Warriors have shooters like Barbosa or Speights who could fulfil this role with ease. In the post-season, the Warriors have struggled with shooting with Jerebko being a DNP and Cook cooling off considerably. The Raptors have sagged off shooters to clog the paint and cover any shots taken inside the paint which has made getting an efficient look inside impossible. Curry has obstacles placed in front of him which take away the quick drives for the valuable 0–3ft two-pointer.
For the Warriors, Game 4 was humiliating as it could be their last performance at the Oracle Arena, the home of Warriors’ basketball for years during the bad and good. The Oracle means something specific for a certain group of Warriors fans, it is the place where they heard the roar of working-class fans rep Oakland as loud as possible. The community in East Oakland embraced the Warriors more than any other fanbase in the NBA bar Oklahoma City. The move to the Chase Centre signals that the Warriors; core has changed irreversibly.
The billion-dollar new arena in Mission Row indicates that the Warriors have a new audience, the largely white affluent technology entrepreneur, the type of person to support the Warriors because it is trendy. Those who have that Bay Blue running through their veins and repped the Warriors through the dark ages, who were present for the ‘We Believe’ Warriors will be cut out due to the cost of tickets at the Chase Centre. It feels somewhat cliched to say this but the Warriors’ underdog soul will dissipate as they move to an arena befitting a basketball goliath. The proud Oakland community who remember everything has already began to go away. At the end of Game 4 the Oracle was silent except for Raptors’ fans singing their hearts out, would this desire to beat the traffic still exist with the die-hards? The idea of Roaracle could go out with a whimper if the Warriors do not grab a game on the road to save the season.
The only team to come back from a 3–1 deficit in the Finals was the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers who achieved the greatest glory possible in a Game 7 at Oracle. The Cavs relied on The Block, The Shot and The Stop to achieve a miraculous victory in which they beat the odds to defeat the seemingly invincible Warriors. However, what is often forgotten is that the Warriors pulled off their miracle in the same post-season.
The Warriors have come back from being 3–1 down in a play-off situation that mattered hugely. The series against Oklahoma in 2016 was career-defining for all of the Warriors’ core in terms of the team showing the will to get themselves back to the Finals. In 2016, the Western Conference was arguably the hardest that it has ever been. The 67-win Spurs looked scary behind the strong two-way play of Kawhi Leonard, the Warriors were the 2015 champions and Oklahoma was a little different. The Thunder as a team had a sluggish season in which they mustered to a 55–27 record which only resulted in a 3rd place berth in the Western Conference. However, the play-offs started and the team suddenly looked like the dominant force in the conference. Everybody up and down the roster hit a hot streak which put them in position to be 3–1 up on the Warriors.
The Thunder had slapped the Warriors’ around in terms of rebounding and playing harassing defence, Russell Westbrook swarmed Stephen Curry on the defensive end and did not let the Golden State Warriors’ guard get a break. The Thunder’s dominant rebounding and big lineups meant that the tandem of Westbrook and Durant got extra possessions to build leads and slow down the ‘Splash Brothers’ tandem. It seemed like the Thunder would take another game from the Warriors in Oakland and go on to play LeBron James in the Finals where they could have potentially won the team’s first NBA Championship. Durant would have got a ring on his own terms and the Thunder would have the best pitch for staying in Oklahoma City.
This did not happen as the Warriors dug deep and found the next level which the Thunder did not have. The Warriors’ engaged more defensively and forced both Westbrook and Durant into inefficient shooting for the next three games of the series. The Warriors’ expertly exploited the lack of a tertiary creator and the lack of shooting that the Thunder had by completely nullifying Westbrook and Durant. The Warriors dissected Oklahoma City in Game 7 and their momentum carried them forward into a rematch against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Warriors can take a lot of positives from the OKC three years ago. The Warriors in that series found the resolve to overcome the challenge of every single game in the series remaining being an elimination game, it was the same mind-set that Cleveland embodied when Golden State had their boots on the Cavs’ throat after Game 4. Moreover in the Oklahoma series, the Warriors learnt that Game 6 bring out the best in Klay Thompson. In Game 6, the Warriors were up against the wall as OKC were up seven with just five minutes left in the season. Thompson found a new zone in which he became a laser from deep.
Thompson scored nineteen points in the fourth quarter and extinguished any hope that the Thunder may have had. Each three-point shot was ice cold and drained the Thunder’s spirit as they saw Klay drop in deep three after deep three. While the numerical impact of Klay’s shooting is undeniable, it was the emotional impact that was key. After the first three to cut the lead to four, the Thunder tightened up offensively and there was fear in their eyes every time that Thompson touched the ball. It is not hard to see Klay go on a run where he could take over and win a game by himself.
For Game 5, the Warriors need to approach the game with a fresh mind-set. They cannot approach the elimination game with fear in their mind, they need to trust each other and win every single possession. The Warriors’ have the talent to go super-nova and take a game but they cannot be distracted by the potential end of a dynasty. LeBron James had the exact mental state as the Cavaliers slumped to a 3–1 deficit in the 2016 Finals. James called on his team-mates to stay together and play their game so then they could get home for Game 6. The Cavaliers found a rhythm in Game 5 through continued James/Irving isolations and built momentum going back home. The crowd at the Quickens Loans snowballed the momentum as the Cavs took Game 6 and put the doubt in the Warriors’ mind. If the Warriors can steal Game 5 on the road, the crowd at Oracle can be a massive aid for the Warriors in Game 6 and potentially a deciding factor.
