With an NBA Title on the line, the Toronto Raptors came up just short, losing to the Golden State Warriors in a heartbreaking loss.
It doesn’t get anymore crushing than that. The Toronto Raptors were seconds away from an NBA Championship. Now, they’re a full game away, after a crushing last-second loss.
The game started off heavily in the Golden State Warriors favor. With their season on the line, the Warriors turned to their “Hampton’s Five”, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green. The “Death Lineup” came out on fire, hitting three after three and taking a six-point lead after one.
During the second, the worst part of basketball happened. Kevin Durant made a move towards the basket, injuring his right leg along the way. Except, this time it wasn’t his calf, it was his Achilles. Horrible news for a tremendous player who was just attempting to help his team out.
On the court, the Warriors held serve. They played the Raptors even in the next three-quarters, taking a six-point lead into the fourth. During a stretch of the third quarter, it appeared as if the Warriors were going to pull away, but Toronto held on.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Raptors made their run. Kawhi Leonard, who struggled all game, hit some shots. Kyle Lowry, who struggled during the first half, made some plays. All of a sudden, Toronto took the lead. With under three minutes remaining, it was a six-point game.
The next sequence will haunt Raptors fans until they win the title or for years to come. Klay, then Steph, then Klay again, the splash brothers hit three unanswered three-point shots (with a DeMarcus Cousins goaltend mixed in there) to give the Warriors a three-point lead.
Toronto scored another basket, got a stop, and with 15-seconds left, had the ball down one. Kawhi Leonard isolated at the top of the key when Andre Iguodala brought a trap. He passed the ball to Fred VanVleet who swung it to Lowry. Lowry pulled up with a chance for the win… blocked. Draymond Green got a piece at the buzzer.
The Raptors lose. The Warriors survive. And we have a Game 6 on Thursday. But what were the biggest takeaways from this game? There are a couple, including Nick Nurse’s questionable late-game strategies.