What we’re talking about: There’s the run!
The most jarring part of Golden State’s Game 1 loss in Toronto was that they never put together one of their signature runs. Give credit to the Raptors, they were able to stiff-arm the Warriors that night.
Game 2? Not so much.
There is no other team in the league like the Warriors that can make a 12-point lead feel so tentative. They strike so fast it’s hard for teams to collect themselves, as the Raptors found out on Sunday night. When the Warriors want to ratchet up their defense as they did on the 18-0 run early in the third quarter of Game 2, even great teams come unraveled.
The Raptors squandered a chance to put some rare pressure on the Warriors, but Golden State has been on this big stage so often, it’s hard to see them getting rattled by much of anything in this series. Even when guys go down — whether it’s Kevin Durant’s calf or Klay Thompson’s hamstring — they don’t seem to panic and actually seem energized by the fact that other guys have to step up.
Now it’s back to the Bay and Toronto is going to have to play with a whole bunch more poise.
What we’re watching: Look at that chemistry!
Our favorite moment from Game 2? This …
Maybe we’re still shellshocked from a Boston team that didn’t always gush team chemistry but watching Steph Curry, one of the NBA’s top 5 players, sprint onto the opposite side of the court to body bump Cook was just neat.
And that it was a live ball situation — Curry, who had been at the scorer’s table waiting to check in, likely thinking there was a foul — only made it cooler. These little things add up. When veterans go out of their way to empower and encourage younger players, good things happen.
Boston Celtics
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