TORONTO – When the shots do not fall and their defense lags, the Warriors usually have a solution to jumpstart their team.
Get the ball to Kevin Durant. He often covers up the Warriors’ blemishes with consistently scoring efficiently. If only the Warriors had that as an option.
The Warriors labored through a 118-109 loss to the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday. The result offered the latest evidence to a topic that should have been irrefutable even during the Warriors’ recent success without him.
The Warriors are worse without Durant, who missed his sixth consecutive playoff game because of a strained right calf.
“It doesn’t matter until he’s out there,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “So if he’s out there, he’s pretty good. But if he’s not out there we play with the guys we have and we have got enough.”
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VIDEO: Warriors coach Steve Kerr says there’s an unfamiliarity with the Toronto Raptors that partly led to the NBA Finals Game 1 loss
The Warriors did not have enough in Game 1 against the Raptors.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for a 16-of-35 clip from the field. Green’s fifth triple double of the postseason in points (10), rebounds (10) and assists (10) became diminished with six turnovers and five fouls. The Warriors had less of an answer for Toronto forward Pascal Siakam (32 points on 14-of-17 shooting) than Kawhi Leonard (23 points on 5-of-14 shooting). And the Warriors collected 27 fouls, committed 17 turnovers and conceded 17 points in transition. As Kerr said, “we just got outplayed.”
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“You usually do have Kevin there to throw the ball to, but I don’t necessarily think the problem was our offense, outside of the turnovers,” Green said. “ We just got to be better all around the floor, and especially on the defensive end. And that starts with me. So we’ll be better.”
The Warriors will likely have to be better without Durant.
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VIDEO: Draymond Green says the team figured out some things about the Toronto Raptors
Kerr considered it a “long shot” that Durant would practice before Game 2 on Sunday, something he considered a prerequisite before his return. The Warriors had only recently cleared Durant to complete individual drills. Hence, Durant wore a sweatshirt at the arena that described the Warriors’ Game 1 circumstances perfectly. The sweatshirt read, “Been Through the Fire.”
In other words, this played out much differently than when the Warriors cemented a decisive Game 6 against Houston in the Western Conference semifinals with everyone playing as if their season depended on it. Or when the Warriors swept Portland in the Western Conference Finals and overcame three 17-point deficits.
Curry acknowledged the team’s nine-day layoff contributed toward feeling rustiness. The Warriors admitted the felt less prepared against Toronto after facing Cleveland for the past four NBA Finals. It did not help that the Warriors’ regular-season losses to Toronto featured notable absences on Nov. 29 (no Curry, Green or DeMarcus Cousins) and on Dec. 12 (no Leonard, no Green). While the Warriors bemoaned their ineffectiveness against Siakam, they also acknowledged Toronto’s defense made them feel uncomfortable.
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VIDEO: Stephen Curry says he’s still confident despite dropping Game 1
“They’re very long and athletic, they’re tough, they get after you and they play well together,” Kerr said of Toronto. “They got a lot of versatility. I think they’re actually a lot like our team, they can switch and guard different positions and that sort of thing.”
Durant prevailed against such a roster by scoring 51 points and almost single-handedly helping the Warriors overcome an 18-point deficit in an overtime loss on Nov. 29. This time, the Warriors did not look this vulnerable in the Finals since squandering a 3-1 series lead to Cleveland three years ago.
Incidentally, that paved the way for the Warriors to acquire Durant as a free agent. To the Warriors’ benefit and the dismay of 29 other NBA teams, the Warriors then breezed past Cleveland in five games (2017) and in four (2018). For once, they will be play Game 2 without a Finals series lead with uncertainty if their star player will return. The Warriors insist they will not lean on that lifeline.
“KD’s an all-time great player on both ends of the floor, so I could sit here and talk for days about what he adds to our roster,” Curry said. “We obviously have proven that when he’s out we have, we can have guys step up and that’s going to be the case until he gets back. I don’t think it’s that complicated what we need to do differently, it’s just play better, take away the easy buckets for them and control the momentum a little bit better. And we’re definitely capable of doing that, no matter who is out there on the floor.”
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