SUMMARY
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MANILA, Philippines – Everything went right for the Toronto Raptors as they nailed a 118-109 win over the Golden State Warriors in their NBA Finals franchise debut last Thursday, May 30 (Friday, May 31, Philippine time).
Leading Most Improved Player candidate Pascal Siakam made his name known in the biggest stage after tallying a playoff career-high 32 points on a 14-of-17 shooting, plus 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks.
Former Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard was no slouch in his finals return, either, churning out 23 markers, 8 boards and 5 dimes while Marc Gasol rounded out their frontcourt dominance off 20 points and 7 rebounds.
Meanwhile, the two-time defending champion Warriors looked lost from the get-go. Despite announcing the return of star big man DeMarcus Cousins, they were only able to deploy him for 8 minutes to the tune of 3 points, 2 assists and 2 steals. (READ: Warriors seek answers after NBA Finals loss to Raptors)
Although these Warriors won a championship without Kevin Durant back in 2015, they are just not quite the same team anymore.
As the reigning two-time Finals MVP sits at home still nursing his lingering injuries, only 3 players reached double-digits in scoring, with Steph Curry’s 34-point performance leading the way.
Klay Thompson chipped in 21 markers while Draymond Green churned out a bare-bones triple-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Raptors now head to the second game of their most crucial home stretch of the season with higher confidence, knowing that the champs are wounded and beatable. (LOOK: NBA Finals 2019 schedule, Philippine time)
Pride comes before the fall, however, and the Warriors know better than to let these finals newcomers run wild all over their domain.Curry is still the two-time MVP who revolutionized the modern NBA. Thompson is still an All-Star who can erupt for 37 points in a quarter while Green is still a former Defensive Player of the Year.
Durant or no Durant, a team of hungry Warriors are foes no one would like to face.
Will the Raptors pressure the champs to a 0-2 hole or will the Warriors rebound to restore balance to the series?
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2019 NBA Finals G2 – Curated tweets by RapplerSports
– Rappler.com
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