Bent, not broken

Golden State coach Steve Kerr put it eloquently when he said the Warriors were bent, not broken, in surviving a do-or-die Game 5 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto last Monday evening (yesterday morning, Manila time) to force a Game 6 against the rampaging Raptors at the Oracle Arena in Oakland on Friday morning (Manila time).

The defending back-to-back champion Warriors refused to roll over and die in Game 5, playing with pride in preserving their flickering hopes of a three-peat. They led most of the way but had to crawl out of a six-point deficit with 3:28 left. Three straight triples, two by Klay Thompson and one by Steph Curry, regained the lead for Golden State, 106-103, time down to 57.6 seconds.  

The Raptors missed on the next possession and Boogie Cousins collared the defensive board only for the Warriors to throw the ball away on a Draymond Green backing violation. Kyle Lowry scored on a driving layup to trim the gap to one, 106-105 with 29.9 ticks to go. Cousins was called for goaltending on the play. How ironic that with Golden State down, 103-100, Cousins was whistled for offensive goaltending less than two minutes before. Then, with 15.7 seconds remaining, Cousins was charged with an offensive foul on a moving screen for Curry. That led to Kerr replacing Cousins with Shaun Livingston for defensive purposes as Toronto worked for the last shot to win it.

The Raptors had 15.7 seconds to execute. They didn’t need a three-pointer. Kawhi Leonard, who had scored 10 consecutive points to transform a 95-93 deficit to a 103-97 lead, would either take the shot or play decoy. He was defended by Thompson then as time ticked away, doubled by Andre Igoudala to force him to pass. The ball sailed to Lowry in the far corner on the weak side. Marc Gasol was in position to receive a pass at the post, also on the weak side. Green was on Gasol’s back so when the ball went to Lowry, it was easy for Green to reverse and close out. If Gasol posted on the strong side, it would’ve been difficult for Green to recover. Lowry put up a shot that was contested by Green and missed to preserve the win for Golden State.

Golden State lived and would’ve died with the triple, ending the game with three treys in a row. The Warriors knocked down seven triples in the first period and five in the last. In all, Golden State hit 20-of-42 from beyond the arc and had two more attempts from three-point distance than from two-point range. It’s no wonder Toronto shot more points in the paint, 54-32 and more free throws, 21-of-27 to Golden State’s 10-of-14. Curry was fouled twice taking a three, once converting a four-point play.

Kevin Durant had sat out Golden State’s last nine games with a right calf strain and returned to give his teammates a lift. He hadn’t played in over a month but came out to fire 11 points in the first period then limped off the court with 9:46 left in the second. Durant never went back and it appears that he suffered an Achilles heel injury. In retrospect, maybe he shouldn’t have played in Game 5. His fragile condition probably led to the more serious Achilles injury. It doesn’t look like he’ll be able to play in Game 6 and if the series goes the distance, in Game 7.

Durant’s courageous effort rubbed off on his teammates. The Warriors won it for KD and played more like a team, out-assisting Toronto, 27-19 to shoot at a higher clip from the floor, 46.3 to 44.7 percent. As for the Raptors, they, too, had their share of heroes. Leonard emerged from a one-point third period to erupt for 12 in the fourth. Lowry was scoreless in the first quarter but finished with 18 points, four boards and six assists. Fred VanVleet, undrafted out of Wichita State in 2016, had three threes in the third period.

Kerr did a masterful job of shuffling his troops to keep his key players fresh for the homestretch. Golden State’s bench played 74 minutes compared to Toronto’s 57. Because Curry is the league’s highest-paid player ($37.5 million this year) and KD earns $30 million, there’s not too much left for the reserves under the salary cap so Kerr has to make do with low-calibers like Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell. Lowry is Toronto’s highest-salaried player ($31.2 million). Gasol earns even more than Leonard, $24.1 million to Kawhi’s $23.1 million.

Toronto’s road record in this year’s playoffs is 6-4 and the Raptors are unbeaten in Oakland this season, winning twice in the Finals and once in the regular season. Another road win in Game 6 will clinch the title for Toronto. Golden State is 6-4 in the playoffs at home and without KD and possibly Kevon Looney, the series isn’t likely to go to a Game 7.