The Raptors win
NBA Finals 4-2…
As of June 13th,
2019, the Golden State Warriors are no longer the reigning and defending 2x NBA
champions, they are still 2x champions, but they were stopped short of the
3-peat by being beaten by the Toronto Raptors. In what was a way better series
than it seemed like after game one this series was a tough one to watch as a
Warriors fan. Steph and Klay gave their all along with Boogie, Draymond, Iggy
and most of all Kevin Durant. This was
not the reason that the Raptors won the series they won because they played
better defense and were more efficient on the offense, these were the major
factors that led to the Warriors demise this season. This team was known for
playing great team ball and the Raptors were able to disrupt that flow, the
thing that surprised me the most was Toronto’s ability to run over the Warriors
defense that normally holds teams at critical times. A prime example of this
would be the 3rd quarter of Game 4, the Warriors came into this
quarter with a 4-point lead and were blown out by 16 in the 3rd
quarter to allow Toronto to get one win closer to victory. This was abnormal
because the 3rd quarter is normally where the Warriors take control
of a game and cruise to victory. This was not the case for this game or for
this series. Bottom line between the injuries and the skill of the Raptors it
was just too much to overcome for this Warriors team.
Kawahi wins the
Finals MVP…
K.Leonard :
30.5ppg, 9.1rpg, 3.9apg, 1.7spg
The more I
look at this run by the Raptors the more I see exactly how important that
Leonard was to their success. He not only provided a steady hand during some of
the more emotional moments of these playoffs, but on the court, he led by
example and posted 14 30+ games and leading the teams in important stats like
steals per game. For this man this isn’t
the first time he has received finals MVP, the last time was in 2014 when he
won the Finals MVP for his defensive performance on the great LeBron James,
making him the first person to win the award on a Eastern and Western
Conference team. So, hats off to the man that is now the Best Player in the
World based on his performance in this year’s NBA Finals…
Injuries plagued
the Warriors all Finals…
There are some
that would say that the only reason the Warriors didn’t 3 peat is because of
the injuries to 3 of their 4 starters and 2 of their key reserves. Though I
would stop short of saying that, I give credit where it is due, and the Raptors
won the chip fair and square. The one thing I will say is that Game 5 showed in
the 2 Quarters that the Raptors would have had to play a completely different
way than they did in order to beat a healthy Warriors squad. All that aside
let’s look at what was missed by the injured Warriors…
·
Kevin Durant (Achilles/Calf Strain) (5 games)
·
Klay Thompson (Hamstring/ACL &MCL) (1
game)
·
Kevin Looney (Rib Fracture) (0 games)
·
Andre Iguodala (Pulled Leg Muscle) (0 games)
·
Steph Curry (Dislocated Finger) (0 games)
·
Demarcus Cousins (Quad Tear) (0 games)
When you look at that list it looks
like the Warriors really weren’t missing much as far as bodies on the floor.
This was very true overall, and it is a main reason why the Warriors were able
to get 2 games in the first place. Bottom line is that the Raptors deserve all
the credit in the world but saying that injuries played no part in the victory
is just plain nonsense.
Top Stories out
of the Finals…
There were a few story-lines that came out of this year’s finals and one of the major ones is the
question of weather or not the Warriors dynasty is over. But I will talk about
that a little later in another section of the blog, for now I am dealing with
some other story lines. The first story-line is that this Warriors loss to the
Raptors will be the last game played at the historic Oracle Arena. This stadium
housed the Warriors for over 40 years and saw a lot of ups and downs. Some
would say that the loss tarnishes the legacy of the Roaracle, not me nothing
like a single loss can ruin the many years of great moments and experiences
that the stadium has provided for the citizens of the City of Oakland. Thank you,
Warriors, for making Oracles last 5 years so memorable.
The next story-line is one that makes my blood boil, and its because of a small group of
fans within the Toronto Fan Base. During Game 5 the Warriors brought back their
key piece Kevin Durant, he was playing well when on a non-contact play, he took
bad step and ruptured his Achilles. This would be a sad moment for any player or
fan of the game. You never want to see a player get hurt playing the game he
loves, and you shouldn’t laugh or mock the injured player as they are being
taken off the court. First these horrible humans cheered him going down, then
as they are carrying him off the court there are fans seen waving bye and laughing
and snickering even though the stadium was erupting in KD chants. To those fans
I say there is a special place in hell for people like you and I hope you feel Karma's wrath for your actions in those moments. Because neither KD nor the
Warriors deserved that…
Lastly, I just
wanted to say a quick congrats to the rest of the Raptors fans base (minus
those fans mentioned above) you all have supported your team for many years
without this result. You suffered through many years of being bounced by LeBron
teams despite being the better squad. You have earned this chip and the right
to gloat by being rabid and loyal fans for years. Enjoy your chip while it last
because it doesn’t always last more than a year or two…
Free Agency
(Finals Addition) …
There are
only 3 to 4 major free agents that are going to be available this off-season,
and 3 of them played in the Finals this year. Kevin Durant is the biggest
domino because his decision about weather or not to stay with the Warriors will
have a huge impact on Free Agency this off season. At this moment there seems
to be some that think that he may stay in SF to finish up some unfinished
business, but who knows he may take off and decide to do his rehab with another
team. On the other side of the coin we have Kahwai Leonard who was traded to
the Raptors after a debacle in San Antonio and won a chip in his first year
there. Now the question becomes has Toronto done enough to keep the silent assassin
in the great white north and keep this run going for another year or two before
Milwaukee takes over. I think they have and expect him to stay and give Toronto
fans something to smile about for the next couple of years. Last there is one
half of the Splash brothers Klay Thompson, the reason I don’t have much to say
about this is because at the time of this writing the Warriors have announced
they will offer Klay the max and Klay has said he wants to sign with the
Warriors as long as they offer him the max….so looks like it’s a done deal
there…
Is this the end
of the Warriors Dynasty??...
This is the
question that is on everyone’s mind, is the dynasty run that has been the
Warriors for the past 5 years over? It may seem like that to the uneducated basketball
fans, they think KD is leaving and the Warriors won’t have enough to compete in
the West and will fall out of the playoffs completely. These are just the wishes that the jealous
fans of other teams are having right now because they don’t want to see the
Dubs continue to win. But the bottom line is that a Dynasty is not over when the
team ceases to compete for more than one off year, or the team splits up. Well
it looks like the Warriors will have one off year and probably not make the
playoffs next season. If things go like I think they will then the Warriors
should be back in contention by 2021 and if they can make the playoffs next
year they will be contending with Klay and KD (if only for one year) back in
the fold and returning healthy for next years postseason. All of this is
speculation though so who know the Dynasty may be over, but I don’t think so.
If it is it was one hell of a ride and I thank my team by the bay for all the
wonderful memories. Speaking of memories…
My
favorite moment at Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA…
There are many
great moments that epitomize the spirit of Oracle Arena and they are all
running through my mind, they have won 6 of their 8 franchise chips in this
arena and have brought the City of Oakland many great moments. The We Believe team
of 08’ the fun days with Run TMC (Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway and Mitch
Richmond) that led to many playoffs runs but never a championship. But my
favorite moment comes from the recent stretch of Finals runs. The 2017 run was
my favorite for one reason only that was the only championship win that the
Warriors closed out on their home floor in Oracle. That was a moment to behold I
tell you watching the fans party and the boys get up on that stage and
celebrate bringing the City of Oakland a 2nd championship in 3
years. This moment will forever live in my mind and my heart as we close the door
on one of the best arenas that the NBA had to offer in my humble opinion…
If you want to listen to the Double K’s Classroom Podcast tune in
at
every other Friday Night on the 4ACES Presents Radio Network…
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