Warriors farewell to Oracle

This is the Golden State Warriors’ final season playing home games at the Oracle Arena in Oakland and they want to go out with a bang. The stadium, the oldest in the NBA, has been the Warriors’ home since 1971 and it’s where they clinched the championship in 2017, beating Cleveland in Game 5. The three other Golden State titles were won on the road – in Washington in 1975 and in Cleveland in 2015 and 2018.

Next season, the Warriors will relocate to the Chase Center in downtown San Francisco. No doubt, they’re determined to make their send-off at Oracle memorable. It’s Golden State’s fifth straight trip to the Last Dance, sowing seeds of an emerging dynasty and coach Steve Kerr is looking to bag his fourth title. Over the last five seasons, the Warriors’ only miss was when Cleveland did the nearly impossible by coming back from a 1-3 series deficit to win three in a row for the 2016 crown.

Even without Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins, Golden State swept Portland, 4-0, in the Western Conference Finals. That’s a clear indication of the team’s resiliency, chemistry and Kerr’s ability to maximize the mileage of the troops available for battle. Durant is nursing a strained right calf and has missed the last five playoff games, including the entire Trail Blazer series. Cousins went out in Game 2 of the first round with a torn left quad muscle. Andre Igoudala skipped Game 4 of the Portland series with a left calf issue. There is talk that all three may be back in harness for Game 1 of the Finals against Toronto on Thursday (Friday morning, Manila). At full strength, the Warriors are unbeatable and could dispose of the Raptors in four or five. If they’re not at full strength, Toronto could make it a long series but Golden State should still be able to retain the crown.

It took 16 games for Golden State to reach the Finals, ousting the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston in six each and Portland in four. Toronto took a little longer, 18 games, to eliminate Orlando in five, Philadelphia in seven and Milwaukee in six. Injuries aren’t a major concern for Raptors coach Nick Nurse although Kyle Lowry is playing with an injured left thumb and Kawhi Leonard’s left leg is hurting.

In the regular season, Golden State ranked No. 2 in offense (117.7), No. 1 in field goal percentage (.491), No. 1 in assists (29.4) and No. 3 in three-point percentage (.385). In contrast, Toronto was No. 8 in offense (114.4), No. 5 in field goal percentage (.474), No. 13 in assists (25.4) and No. 6 in three-point percentage (.336). The only way Toronto can upset Golden State in the Finals is to play tough defense because the Raptors won’t be able to outscore the Warriors. That was evident when Toronto beat Golden State, 113-93, in their second meeting during the regular season. In their first encounter, the Raptors won, 131-128 in overtime.

The Raptors’ rotation will be a huge advantage for Nurse as seven players are logging at least 20 minutes a game. Without Durant, only five Warriors are averaging at least 20 minutes – Klay Thompson (39.4), Draymond Green (37.7), Steph Curry (37.2), Igoudala (29.4) and Kevon Looney (20.5). In an extended series, depth is a critical factor. Durant is averaging 34.2 points and hitting .416 from beyond the arc in the playoffs. Despite his absence, Kerr has managed to steer the Golden State ship through troubled waters. Curry is averaging 27.3 points and Thompson, 19.1. Green is delivering all-around numbers, norming 13.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 8.2 assists. 

Toronto is in its first-ever Finals and the Raptors should guard against the mindset of rejoicing just by making it this far. Nurse, whose nephew David was in Manila as a skills coach in 2015, is a rookie head coach but has won two titles in the NBA D-League (now G-League) and the British league. He’s surrounded by a staff of mixed backgrounds. One of his assistants is Italian Sergio Scariolo who piloted Spain to a silver in the 2012 Olympics and a bronze in the 2016 Olympics. Another assistant Nate Bjorkgen is based in Norway and still another assistant Patrick Mutombo, no relation to Dikembe, is a Congolese-Belgian. There’s a distinct international flavor to the Raptors lineup with Pascal Siakam from Cameroon, Serge Ibaka from Spain via the Congo through naturalization and Marc Gasol from Spain. Jeremy Lin, who’s Chinese-American, is also in the lineup. In the injured list is British-born Nigerian OG Anunoby.

Leonard is “clawing” his way to average 31.2 points and 8.8 rebounds in the playoffs. He’ll be a free agent at the end of the season and Toronto fans are going all out to convince him to stay, offering free meals in restaurants for life and a luxury condo. Leonard never felt this kind of love at San Antonio where he left after a bitter dispute with coach Gregg Popovich over the progress of his rehab for a right quad injury. If the Raptors win the title, Leonard will be enshrined as a hero forever. Nurse is also counting on Lowry (14.7), Siakam (16.9), Danny Green (10.3) and Gasol (9.1) to contribute heavily to the effort. Leonard and Green aren’t newcomers to Finals pressure because of their San Antonio background so that will help.