2019 Finals - Golden State vs Raptors

[TranaGreg]

I just wanted to see it as a title. Makes me kind of giddy.

[B-Fly]

LOL. Enjoy. I'm looking forward to it myself as an NBA fan and pulling for the Raps. If I had to bet, I'd say Warriors in 6 or 7, but I'd give the Raps a solid 35% shot at winning the title.

[B-Fly]

Great game by the Raptors, especially defensively. They've got so many guys who can reasonably be called elite defenders, and it showed last night. I think this series may well hinge on whether KD can come back (and be KD), thereby sucking up a lot of Kawhi's energy on the defensive end. Because I think for the games at Oracle, the Raps are going to need Kawhi to score 30+.

[TranaGreg]

yep ... cautiously optimistic ... trying not to get too ahead of ourselves, but we're playing great ball, both individually and as a team. The defensive rotations they use have been evolving for weeks now, it's almost art

cool sidenote - several players speak other languages - Gasol, Ibaka, Siakam - depending on who the other team has they change languages on the court when calling out defensive assignments.

[TranaGreg]

this pic gives a good sense of what Kyle Lowry calls "the kawhi effect" ...

[DMT]

yep ... cautiously optimistic ... trying not to get too ahead of ourselves, but we're playing great ball, both individually and as a team. The defensive rotations they use have been evolving for weeks now, it's almost art

cool sidenote - several players speak other languages - Gasol, Ibaka, Siakam - depending on who the other team has they change languages on the court when calling out defensive assignments.

And so fitting for the city.

[Art Vandelay]

I just went looking at ticket prices for game 3 in Oakland. court side priced at FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS PER SEAT!!

does anyone actually pay that amount??

[B-Fly]

Great game by the Raptors, especially defensively. They've got so many guys who can reasonably be called elite defenders, and it showed last night. I think this series may well hinge on whether KD can come back (and be KD), thereby sucking up a lot of Kawhi's energy on the defensive end. Because I think for the games at Oracle, the Raps are going to need Kawhi to score 30+.

Well, he scored 30, but the Raptors had very nicely distributed scoring, and Kawhi actually had the lowest +/- of the starting five. Obviously the absence of KD, Klay and Looney hurts the Warriors defensively as well as offensively, but it was great to see Siakam, Green, Lowry, Gasol, Ibaka and Van Vleet all play very well in the same game on the road. Golden State now faces a lot of pressure to try to get their injured players back in, even at significantly less than 100%.

[TranaGreg]

Well, he scored 30, but the Raptors had very nicely distributed scoring, and Kawhi actually had the lowest +/- of the starting five. Obviously the absence of KD, Klay and Looney hurts the Warriors defensively as well as offensively, but it was great to see Siakam, Green, Lowry, Gasol, Ibaka and Van Vleet all play very well in the same game on the road. Golden State now faces a lot of pressure to try to get their injured players back in, even at significantly less than 100%.

yeah, it will be interesting to see if KD and Thompson can get back on D ... a strained calf & hamstring don't lend themselves well to transition defense in the type of game the raptors like to play ... don't get me wrong, I'm very concerned that they will dramatically change the dynamic in game 4, but I'm hopeful that we can continue to play our game.

[TranaGreg]

I just went looking at ticket prices for game 3 in Oakland. court side priced at FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS PER SEAT!!

does anyone actually pay that amount??

Hey Art, I hope that wasn't you taken out by Lowry when he dove into the crowd (imagine paying 40K for a seat & being the guy to get kicked out for being a dick!)

edit: apparently he's a minority owner of the Warriors ... as a billionaire venture capitalist I guess he can afford to pay for those seats even at $40K ... though he now can't come back for the rest of the series

[Art Vandelay]

one
win
away

[TranaGreg]

weird feeling ... it's as though the entire city is holding it's breath today

[B-Fly]

Anyone taking odds on whether KD plays? I suspect 'no'.

[DMT]

Anyone taking odds on whether KD plays? I suspect 'no'.

No one seems optimistic he will.

[B-Fly]

No one seems optimistic he will.

They obviously won game 2 in Toronto without KD, and they're a championship team with a lot of talent, and got two full rest days after Game 4, so it's still certainly possibly they can force this series back to Oracle, but it feels to me like they won't. I'm betting a 10 point win for Toronto tonight.