Tiwala lang sa Golden State-- Green

OAKLAND, California — Dati nang sinabi ni for­ward Draymond Green na hindi magtatagal ang dominasyon ng Golden State Warriors.

Ngunit tila napakabilis nito.

Mula sa Day One ay naging determinado ang Warriors na ipagdiwang ang kanilang pagiging back-to-back champions at nakatutok para sa pambihirang ‘three-peat’.

Ngunit sa pagdating ng free agency sa offseason ay posibleng mawasak ang itinayong ‘dynasty’ ng Golden State, ayon kay general manager Bob Myers.

Nabaon sa 1-3 ang Warriors laban sa Raptors sa NBA Finals at gagawin ang Game Five sa Martes (Ma­nila time) sa Toronto, Canada.

“It’s important to have that pride, to have the faith in what we’re capable of,” wika ni Green.

Kung makakaiwas ang Golden State sa pagkakasibak sa Scotiabank Arena ay babalik sila sa Oracle Arena para labanan ang Toronto sa Game Six.

Ayaw nilang maiwan sa alaala ng kanilang mga fans ang huling dalawang kabiguan sa nakaraang 47 seasons sa Oakland sa kanilang paglipat sa bagong Chase Center sa San Francisco sa susunod na season.

“You don’t succeed the way we have over the course of these years without that mentality,” ani star guard Stephen Curry. “So as the second half unfolds and things aren’t going our way, we’re still fighting and trying to get over the hump. But until the final buzzer sounds and somebody gets the four wins, we still have life and have an opportunity to win.”

Nauna nang nalubog sa 1-3 butas ang Warriors sa postseason at nakabangon para talunin ang Oklahoma City Thunder na pinangunahan noon ni Kevin Durant, noong 2016 Western Conference Finals.

Sa NBA Finals ay kinuha naman ng Golden State ang 3-1 bentahe hanggang makabalik si LeBron James at ang Cleveland Cavaliers at angkinin ang kampeonato sa mismong Oracle Center.

“We’ve been on the wrong side of history,” sabi ni Warriors guard Shaun Livingston. “We look to be on the right side of it now.”

Natunghayan na rin ni Steve Kerr ang lahat ng kabiguan at tagumpay sa kanyang limang taon bilang head coach ng Golden State.

“You just try to win one game. That’s what we did a few years ago against OKC. Win one game, and then you move forward,” ani Kerr. “So that’s our focus now. We’ll fly to Toronto tomorrow and take a look at the film, see what we can do better and try to win a game. We have won a lot of games over the years, so we’ll try to win another one.”