The Raptors take it all
After battling hard in game 5, game 6 was all it took for the Toronto Raptors to take care of the Golden State Warriors. This was the last stand the Golden State Warriors could make in the Oracle Arena and for the most part of the game, it sure seemed like it but in the end, it was all Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors. Toronto had a great start as Lowry just exploded and scored the first 11 points for the Raptors.
Toronto's ball movement seemed like poetry in motion on each possession as they rotated till one player finds a good high percentage shot. They were excellent in finding the right shot which led to good defense as well. Klay Thompson was shooting the ball exceptionally well, coming off screens and creating opportunities for himself. Demarcus Cousins on the other hand finally seemed as if he was playing to win. Cousins has been the most disappointing factor for me in this series. But Cousins was good on defense, shooting and passing. With a close first quarter, both teams came to win.
Lowry kept up his amazing outburst in the second quarter for someone who averaged only 14 points in the playoffs had 17 already. Golden State struggled a lot with turnovers as they have this entire series. If only they could've cut back on turnovers, the outcome could've been different. Cousins was doing all he could, scoring for the Warriors and diving for loose balls, though where was this Cousins all this time? If only he did this earlier, the Warriors could've taken Game 6. Pascal Siakam cam through big time as he did in the past few games, driving inside the lane and overpowering Draymond Green at certain possessions. Serge Ibaka had a strong contribution off the bench, scoring again in double digits. Thompson and Lowry were the highlights of the second quarter with only a 3 point difference going into the half.
The third quarter had a lot of secondary players contribute big time. A total back and forth game, Andre Iguodala scored some big points in the third and so did Fred VanVleet. Steve Kerr played an injured Kevon Looney who had cracked ribs but still wanted to play the game. Golden State amped up their ball movement, Draymond Green was a big difference maker in creating opportunities for his teammates. Kawhi Leonard showed his strength playing through some tough physical plays and getting and-ones. Thompson, on the other hand, was lighting up the Raptors, scoring in bunches but on an unfortunate fastbreak, Thompson was injured by Danny Green which ended up in him tearing his ACL.(Left Knee) As Thompson was heading down to the locker room, he came back wobbling just to shoot his 2 free throws. An excellent display of sportsmanship, Thompson riled up the Oracle Arena to drain his 2 shots. After Thompson went down, it was all in the hands of Stephen Curry who up until now wasn't having that great of a game. He did not look for his shot and didn't seem his 100 % in the game till now. Iguodala scored some Crucial three's and Kawhi showed consistency throughout the quarter. Toronto was absolutely lethal on both ends of the court late in the third quarter closing the deficit to a 2 point lead.
The final quarter, this was all or nothing for the Warriors and the Raptors knew that. Toronto locked Golden State up right from the start of the fourth because they knew the Warriors will come with everything they have. The Warriors were having a tough time holding onto to their lead and before you know it, the lead switched hands. Fred VanVleet came up huge in the fourth, scoring 12 points in the quarter with back to back three's. Toronto made sure to keep the ball moving, avoiding silly turnovers. Demarcus Cousins struggled a little on the line and missed some Crucial free throws which could've change the outcome entirely. As soon as Toronto got the lead, the never let it go, pushing Golden State back on their heels. The Warriors were always a couple of players scoring for the team whereas Toronto always had a team effort, a team contribution. The final minutes of the fourth with the game on the line, it was Pascal Siakam's drive over Draymond Green that was the last nail in the coffin. Despite Iguodala's scoring burst, the Warriors couldn't do much then. However in the final minute of the game, Danny Green threw the ball away under defensive pressure to cause a turnover and all of a sudden Golden State still had a shot at winning this game and forcing Game 7.
Iguodala inbounds the ball gets it to Draymond Green who passes it to Curry. Curry gets a good enough look but is unable to convert. The ball is loose on the floor, players diving to get the ball and Warrior players to call timeout leading to a technical as they had no timeouts left. 111-110 the score, everyone knew the outcome by then. Still, Leonard shot the technical free throw and while inbounding Green fouled Leonard giving him 2 more free throws. The game ended with a 114-110 as the Toronto Raptors won Game 6 to create history.
This was the first championship in franchise history and not just the city but the whole country went berzerk because it wasn't Toronto against Golden State but Canada against USA and Canada prevailed. This will go down as one of the biggest things in NBA history.
The Toronto Raptors deserve all the things coming to them. They've played well throughout the 2018-2019 season ending with the second-best record, played team basketball and always stuck together. Although all this wouldn't have been possible without the finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. He did it all for the Raptors. He became the all the scoring leader for the Raptors in the playoffs in just one season. He led the playoffs in various categories as well and there is no doubt that the Klaw deserves to be the finals MVP.
It has been a gruesome journey up until now but it's not over as there's always the next season.
But we'll get into that some other time.
For now, congratulations Toronto Raptors on this huge win.
#WeTheNorth
