The Bum's 2018 NBA Trends/Stats/Best Bets Thru The Playoffs !

[StarDust Bum]

Raptors hit big shots, beat Warriors for 2-1 NBA Finals lead
June 5, 2019
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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Kyle Lowry kept finding answers for every big shot by Stephen Curry and the beat-up Warriors, and the Toronto Raptors grabbed a pivotal road win in the NBA Finals by beating Golden State 123-109 on Wednesday night for a 2-1 series lead.

Curry scored a playoff career-best 47 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists, but couldn't do it all for the two-time defending champions, down starters Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson and key backup big man Kevon Looney because of injuries.

Leonard scored 30 points, Lowry contributed 23 with five 3-pointers and Green had 18 points with six 3s after Pascal Siakam got the Raptors rolling early as Toronto shot 52.4% and made 17 from deep.

Splash Thompson missed his first career playoff game after straining his left hamstring late in Game 2, while Looney is out the rest of the series after a cartilage fracture on his right side near the collarbone that also happened Sunday. Durant, a two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP, is still out because of a strained right calf.

Golden State hopes to get healthier by Game 4 on Friday night back at Oracle Arena.

The Warriors trailed 96-83 going into the final quarter then Curry's three free throws at 10:37 made it a seven-point game before back-to-back baskets by Serge Ibaka.

Siakam scored 18 points and established the momentum for Toronto from the tip, hitting his first three shots and setting a tone for a defensive effort that stayed solid without the foul problems that plagued the Raptors in Game 2.

Golden State greatly missed not only Thompson's touch from outside but also his stifling defense.

Raptors coach Nick Nurse challenged his team to produce more defensive stops in order to get out in transition - ''make them miss more,'' he said. Ibaka produced six blocked shots in the effort.

''We're at a point in the series we've got to get out and guard these dudes,'' Nurse said.

Curry shot 14 for 31 including 6 of 14 on 3s while making 13 of 14 free throws in his sixth career 40-point playoff performance.

Nurse pulled out a box-and-one to try to stymie Curry in Golden State's 109-104 Game 2 win, then the Raptors made Curry's short-handed supporting cast try to beat them this time - and it sure worked.

TIP-INS

Raptors: All five Toronto starters scored in double digits and Fred VanVleet added 11 off the bench. ... The Raptors began 10 for 14 and scored 12 early points in the paint. .. Former Warriors G Patrick McCaw, who departed after last season in contract dispute, drew boos from the crowd when he checked into the game late in the first.

Warriors: Curry's 17 first-quarter points matched his most in the period for the postseason. He also did so on April 27, 2014, against the Clippers. ... In the first half, Curry was 4 of 8 from 3-point range the rest of the Warriors 1 for 11. ... Draymond Green's streak of double-doubles ended at a career-best six games. A 12th overall this postseason would match Denver's Nikola Jokic for most in the 2019 playoffs. ... Tim Hardaway from the Warriors' ''Run TMC'' era attended the game.

WARRIORS INJURIES

Durant went through extensive workouts both Tuesday and Wednesday at the practice facility with the hope he would do some scrimmaging Thursday. While the Warriors weren't scheduled for a regular practice Thursday, coach Steve Kerr said some of the coaches and younger players might be called upon to give Durant the full-speed court work he still needs before being medically cleared to return.

He missed his eighth straight game since the injury May 8 in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Rockets.

Thompson was hurt in Game 2 on Sunday and was to be evaluated by the training staff before tipoff. He didn't end up warming up on the court.

Thompson did some running and shooting earlier in the day but Kerr said the Warriors weren't going to play him ''if there's risk'' of further damage at this stage of the series. Thompson is averaging 19.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists this postseason, including 23.0 points through the first two finals games.

He will have another full day to recover before Game 4.

ORACLE OVERDUE

The home fans waited 20 days between home playoff games with the long layoff after the Western Conference finals sweep of Portland then Golden State opening the finals in Toronto.

It had been since Game 2 against the Trail Blazers on May 16 that the Warriors hosted - the second-longest lapse between home games since the current 16-game, four-round format was established in 1983.

The Warriors hosted a Game 3 in the finals for the first time since winning the 1975 title, having begun at home in each of the previous four.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY JUNE 7, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
9:07 PM Toronto Raptors Golden State Warriors ORACLE Arena

SCHEDULE FOR MONDAY JUNE 10, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
9:07 PM Golden State Warriors Toronto Raptors Scotiabank Arena


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nba championship picks and best bets!

06/05/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
06/02/2019 1-0-1 100.00% +5.00
05/30/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50


total.............. 2-3-1 40.00% -6.50


best bets

date.................ats.................units.... ..................o/u...................units...............total

06/05/2019........0 - 1...............-5.50......................0 - 1...................-5.50...............-11.00
06/02/2019........1 - 0..............+5.00......................0-0-1.................+0.00..............+5.00
05/30/2019........1 - 0..............+5.00......................0 - 1...................-5.50...............-0.50


total..................2 - 1.............+4.50.......................0-1-1..................-11.00...............-6.50

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s 6-pack

College football spreads for games on Nov 29-30:

— Texas Tech @ Texas (-10)

— Washington State @ Washington (-9)

— Notre Dame (-5.5) @ Stanford

— Ohio State @ Michigan (-3.5)

— Florida State @ Florida (-14)

— Texas A&M @ LSU (-7.5)

Quotes of the Day
“The more screwed up they (Lakers) are, the happier I am. But I feel that way about every other franchise not in Dallas. We all go through it. Every franchise goes through cycles, and when your down cycle hits you, it’s never fun.”
Mark Cuban

Thursday’s quiz
Where did Klay Thompson play his college basketball?

Wednesday’s quiz
Last time the NBA Finals ended in a 4-0 sweep was last year, when the Warriors swept Cleveland; last time before that was 2007, when San Antonio swept the Cavaliers.

Tuesday’s quiz
San Antonio Spurs were the last Western Conference team other than Golden State to play in the NBA Finals; they beat Miami in the 2014 Finals.

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Thursday’s List of 13: Nobody asked me, but……

13) Starting today with something a little different; an unsolicited endorsement of a couple guys who own a financial advisement firm in this area; they’re very good at what they do.

I’ve known Chris/Dennis Fagan for a long time; they’re very smart people. In 2010, i gave them some money to invest for me, not a lot, but a decent amount for me.

Every month, I get a statement on how that money is doing, and right now, my account has more than double the amount that I gave them in 2010, so I’m going to post a link to their website here and if you need investment advice, they’re the guys to ask:

12) Raptors 123, Warriors 109— Key for Toronto is how the other four starters (minus Leonard) score; they were 28-53 from floor in this game, which is great production for them. Toronto has a 2-1 series lead.

11) Miami Marlins got an RBI from all nine hitters in the fifth inning Tuesday night, the first time that all nine lineup positions got an RBI in one inning since the Brooklyn Dodgers’ 15-run first inning on May 21, 1952.

10) Marlins are only major league team that has used only five starting pitchers so far this season.

9) Watching some college baseball Sunday night, and it dawned on me that the Creighton Bluejays have nicer jerseys than the Toronto Blue Jays, which shouldn’t be.

8) Colorado Rockies have couple of promising starting pitchers coming up thru their farm system, but here’s the thing: If you’re talking fantasy baseball, do you really want a pitcher on your team from the Rockies? History tells us that you do not.

7) Baseball stuff:
— Cubs are signing closer Craig Kimbrel, pending a physical.
— Mets DFA’d OF Aaron Altherr, third team to dump him this year.
— Indians put P Carlos Carrasco on IL (non-baseball illness).

6) Interesting how different teams draft ballplayers; only three of the 40 players the Oakland A’s picked were high school players- they also picked a guy from both Harvard and Yale.

Red Sox drafted seven HS kids, Marlins took eight, Astros took only four.

5) Bruce Bochy won his 1,000th game as Giants’ manager Tuesday night; he also won 951 games managing San Diego, and is a lock for the Hall of Fame.

4) Comedian Tracy Morgan got very upset Tuesday when a woman hit his $2M Bugatti with her Honda in Manhattan, which raises a question for me.

There is a car that costs $2M? Seriously? I love my Nissan Rogue; it cost $23,000. Oy.

3) Carolina Panthers’ owner David Tepper has promised to build a “world class” NFL practice facility for the Panthers in Rock Hill, SC; the Panthers play home games in Charlotte, NC, but when a $115M tax break was thrown Tepper’s way, he chose the Palmetto State for the team’s new practice facility. Go figure.

2) Starting this coming season, the 3-point line in college basketball will be 22’1¾” away from the basket, a change from the 20’9″ that has been in place since 2008.

In Divisions 2-3, the change will take place in 2020-21, to account for the costs associated with moving the line on the courts.

1) A large echo showing up on radar in Southern California last night was actually a cloud of ladybugs about 80 miles by 80 miles in size flying at between 5,000-9,000 feet.

[StarDust Bum]

More tomorrow

[StarDust Bum]

Friday’s 6-pack

College football spreads for games on Nov 29-30:

— Texas Tech @ Texas (-10)

— Washington State @ Washington (-9)

— Notre Dame (-5.5) @ Stanford

— Ohio State @ Michigan (-3.5)

— Florida State @ Florida (-14)

— Texas A&M @ LSU (-7.5)

Quotes of the Day
“You were not born a winner, and you were not born a loser. You are what you make yourself be.”
Lou Holtz

Friday’s quiz
In this century, how many horses have won the Triple Crown?

Thursday’s quiz
Klay Thompson played his college basketball at Washington State.

Wednesday’s quiz
Last time the NBA Finals ended in a 4-0 sweep was last year, when the Warriors swept Cleveland; last time before that was 2007, when San Antonio swept the Cavaliers.

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Friday’s List of 13: Random stuff with the weekend here……

13) The person who shoved Toronto Raptors’ G Kyle Lowry, then cursed at him at Wednesday’s NBA Finals game in Oakland wasn’t just any fan; it was Mark Stevens, who is a minority owner of the Warriors. Stevens was tossed from the game Wednesday, and won’t be at any of the games the rest of the series.

Not only that, but Stevens got fined $500K and was banned from the NBA for a year.

12) Atlanta Braves signed P Dallas Keuchel to a one-year deal worth $13M, which probably leaves Bronx and the Phillies as main trade partners with the Giants for Madison Bumgarner.

11) Eagles signed QB Carson Wentz to a 4-year, $128M contract that could escalate to $144M; $107M of it is guaranteed. Funny thing is that Eagles won Super Bowl two years ago, without Wentz, but Nick Foles is in Jacksonville now, so Wentz has to stay healthy now.

10) 1,200 kids just got taken in the baseball draft; 172 from California, 129 from Florida, 113 from Texas, so 34.5% of players taken were from those three states.

9) Kenyon Martin Jr., son of the former NBA player, is skipping playing basketball at Vanderbilt to try professional ball overseas. Martin is a 6-6 forward; he is the second prospect in two weeks to pass up college ball to play overseas for money.

8) College basketball is moving the 3-point line distance from 20 feet, 9 inches to the international basketball distance of 22-1 3/4; they did this in the NIT the last two years- under went 64-60 in those games.

Last year, 38.7% of shots taken were 3’s; will this result in less 3’s being tried?

This season, they will also reset the shot clock to 20 seconds (instead of a full 30) after an offensive rebound, which will result in more possessions, which helps the over.

7) Blues 2, Bruins 1— Back in January, a guy named Scott Berry bet $400 on the Blues to win the Stanley Cup, when they were 250-1 to win the championship. Now St Louis is one win away from winning its first Stanley Cup title. Berry would bank $100,000 if that happens.

6) Former Steelers’ backup QB Landry Jones may surface next in XFL tryouts; one thing the AAF didn’t have was high-quality QB’s.

5) For what it is worth, ESPN’s new gambling show Daily Wager is not allowed to use NFL team names or logos, but they use names/logos for all the other sports.

4) Brooklyn Nets traded Allen Crabbe, the #17 pick and a protected first in 2020 to the Atlanta Hawks for Taurean Prince and a 2021 second-round pick.

Nets clear $18M in additional salary cap space for July, which gives Brooklyn $46M in salary cap space to sign a max free agent.

Hawks now have three picks (#’s 8, 10 and 17) in this month’s draft.

3) Rockies, Dodgers, Pirates are tied for major league lead, with 13 home-grown players each on their 25-man rosters. Houston leads MLB with 22 players on their 40-man roster.

2) News item: Two female acquaintances vanished with more than half a million dollars in jewelry from Jets’ RB Le’Veon Bell’s Florida home.

Lot of ways to go with this one; not every day someone has two “girlfriends” over to the house. Fact that Bell left to go to the gym and left the ladies in the house seem to indicate that they aren’t escorts; if they are escorts, then Bell is a nominee for immediate induction into the Imbecile Hall of Fame.

1) When MLB puts in the 3-batter minimum rule for relief pitchers in the near future, I’ll be glad that I’ll never have to watch some of these cruddy lefty relievers who are in the majors for one reason only— supposedly they can get lefties out.

[StarDust Bum]

Nurse making the right moves for Toronto
June 6, 2019
By The Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Toronto coach Nick Nurse plays to the beats to his own drum.

And that's not even one of the instruments that he's messing around with these days.

Nurse's office in Toronto has a guitar stand on one side of his desk and a piano on the other. He's trying to master both; the guitar travels with him on the road and he's been known to strum it while studying film. The piano doesn't exactly fit in the overhead storage bin of the plane so it stays behind.

Nurse says he's not any good yet.

His team, however, is making plenty of beautiful music so far in these NBA Finals.

The moment has not been too big for Nurse or the Raptors. They lead the title series 2-1 after a 123-109 win over injury-depleted Golden State on Wednesday night, an outcome that puts the two-time defending NBA champions in trouble. The maestro of the best season in Toronto history is a 51-year-old NBA coaching rookie, one who's making plenty of right moves.

''He looks young,'' Raptors guard Kyle Lowry said. ''But he's pretty old.''

Nurse might have been an unknown to casual NBA fans when he got the job a year ago following the firing of his former boss in Toronto, Dwane Casey. Nurse was an assistant on Casey's staff, largely credited with running things on the offensive side of the ball. He had good relationships with players, but the task of replacing someone who was the NBA's coach of the year and got fired anyway was daunting nonetheless.

He has handled it with ease.

''Each game's critical, and the next one will be as critical as (Game 3) was,'' Nurse said. ''So it's been like that all through the playoffs, and we just got to guard and play who is out there. That's all we can do.''

The guy he's going against has eight rings already. Steve Kerr won five as a player, has three more from his first four seasons as coach of the Warriors and still very much has a chance at a fourth in five seasons.

But this is no coaching mismatch.

''I've watched Nick closely,'' Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, the president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, said earlier in the series. ''We played against him twice this year. He's terrific in making adjustments and I love the way he's approached the entire season. They have set up the entire season to work to get to this point and for a first-time NBA head coach, that's not easy to do.''

For a first-timer, no, it wouldn't be easy.

Thing is, Nurse is no ordinary rookie.

He's won championships - four of them, two in the British league, two more in what's now called the G League. That's not the NBA, of course, but there's a progression that he's followed, a long slow path that saw him coaching teams most people have never heard of like the NAIA's Grand View University, Telindus Oostende in Belgium, the Oklahoma Storm of the USBL.

''Some pretty remote places,'' Nurse said.

He got tons of attention for throwing a box-and-one on Warriors star Stephen Curry late in Game 2 of this series. Some would say that's an unconventional move. Not for Nurse. He spent one season basically full-court pressing the whole time so he could collect the data. He's been known to count certain shots in practice as 4-pointers, to emphasize the need for proper spacing.

He's part-coach, part-chemist.

''Like a laboratory,'' Nurse said.

The lab on Wednesday night was Oracle Arena. The Raptors survived a 47-point night from Curry and prevailed over a Golden State team without Kevin Durant, Kevon Looney and Klay Thompson. Looney's season is over. Durant may be back for Game 4. Thompson figures to be back. The Warriors are almost certainly going to get boosts.

''Five guys are going to be out there,'' Nurse said. ''You really can't worry about that.''

It's still too early to tell whether Nurse and the Raptors can pull this off.

But Lowry knows his coach will be ready.

''His mind for the game has been special, and the growth throughout the year has been pretty good for him,'' Lowry said. ''He's not a first-time head coach - he's a first-time NBA head coach. But the experience that he's had in his many leagues and teams that he's been a head coach before, he's kind of just kind of stepped up and continued to grow with that.''

[StarDust Bum]

Thompson set to return for Game 4
June 6, 2019
By The Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Everyone knows about Klay Thompson's ability to get dangerously hot in a hurry on offense.

His stingy defense might just be the thing that matters most when he returns for the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night with his team trailing Toronto 2-1.

''We can't fall into the trap of thinking offense alone is going to win us another championship or letting that end of the floor affect our defense,'' Stephen Curry said on the heels of a postseason career-best 47-point performance in the Warriors' Game 3 defeat.

Thompson is scheduled to play Friday barring any further issues with his strained left hamstring after he sat out the 123-109 loss Wednesday, while Kevin Durant remains sidelined as he attempts to work back from a strained right calf.

With the way Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry and Danny Green delivered time and again for the Raptors to answer every big shot by Curry, Thompson's defense will be a key part of the two-time defending champions' adjustment as they try to even the series at home before another trip to Toronto.

''People fall in love with his shooting and how hot he can get on the offensive end, but the way that our team plays defensively and the chemistry that we have and the experience, he's right at the forefront of that,'' Curry said. ''And it's a tough adjustment when guys who haven't been in that position consistently and in these type of moments are thrown into his minutes. So you would love to have him out there on that end of the floor as well, especially with a team like Toronto.''

Thompson, who was injured late in Golden State's Game 2 win at Toronto, even surprised the Raptors when he didn't take the court for tipoff.

The Raptors still had him on the board to play when the team left the locker room just before game time.

Not facing Thompson became a key advantage and all five Toronto starters scored in double figures - and Curry was forced to take on a greater load.

''He's a great defender. I think he's one of the best, right up there at the top of the best wing defenders in the league,'' Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of Thompson. ''He's probably underrated in that department. He really puts in some awesome defensive performances for them, especially when they really need them.''

Here are some things to watch for Friday night:

WARRIORS INVESTOR SUSPENDED

Warriors investor Mark Stevens was banned by the NBA for a year and fined $500,000 for shoving Lowry and directing obscene language toward him early in the fourth quarter Wednesday.

''He shouldn't be a part of our league. There's just no place for that,'' said Lowry, who confirmed Thursday that there were obscenities directed at him.

Support poured in for Lowry's handling of the incident, including a text message from LeBron James.

''I was furious, I'm not going to lie,'' Lowry said.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr personally apologized to Lowry and the Raptors, calling Stevens' behavior ''unacceptable.''

Draymond Green applauded Lowry's calm response.

''You have to give Kyle a lot of credit in the way he handled it,'' Green said. ''You're playing in the NBA Finals, so your emotions are running high. For him to handle it the way he did says a lot about his character, a lot about him as a man and the way he handles himself. That was great to see.''

THEY'VE SEEN IT ALL

Last season, the Warriors had to win Game 7 of the Western Conference finals on the road in Houston. They triumphed with an ailing Kerr sidelined for much of the 16-1 title run in 2017.

This fifth straight NBA Finals has brought on its own challenges, most notably all the injuries.

''Our best basketball is usually played when our backs are against the wall,'' Green said.

DURANT'S STATUS

Durant wasn't going to get on the court in a scrimmage situation Thursday as the Warriors had initially thought, but might do so as soon as Friday or Saturday with the hope he still could return before the finals are done.

''There was no setback. I was hoping that today would be the day when he could get out on the floor,'' Kerr said. ''It's not going to be today.''

Durant, the two-time reigning Finals MVP who was averaging 34.2 points this postseason before the injury, was hurt in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Rockets on May 8. He has missed the eight games since.

FAREWELL TO ORACLE

Oracle Arena really is on its last hurrah. Friday night's Game 4 is the only remaining guaranteed contest at the arena before Golden State moves to the new Chase Center in San Francisco next season.

The Warriors might need an even more deafening response from the loyal home fan base.

''We're going to miss it here for sure,'' Kerr said. ''We're looking forward to the new arena. It's going to be amazing, but we'll always miss Oracle.''

[StarDust Bum]

Danny Green excels again on Finals stage
June 6, 2019
By The Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Toronto's Danny Green couldn't make a shot for about two weeks going into these NBA Finals.

Seems like forever ago now.

The finals are a happy stage for Green, who has been in the title-deciding series three times now and has put up big numbers in each of those trips. The trend has continued in this series against Golden State, and Green's six 3-pointers were a huge factor in the Raptors' Game 3 win that put them up 2-1 in the series.

Game 4 is on Friday, and Green can expect to see a lot more defensive attention from the Warriors.

''Our defense was poor last night and in particular several times leaving Danny when we didn't need to,'' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Thursday. ''He's a shooter who commands attention and respect. And there were at least three of his shots where we just drifted away from him, and we have got to stay connected to him.''

Green was 6 for 10 from long range in the Raptors' win Wednesday. He was just 6 for 32 from 3-point land in the six games it took Toronto to oust Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference finals.

''I don't think it's the stage,'' Green said. ''I think it's just the life of a shooter. Sometimes you have ups and downs and I think luckily, during this time, I've had some ups.''

He's had a lot of them in the finals.

There are 46 players in NBA history to have made at least 15 3-pointers in the finals. Of those 46, only two have done so while shooting at least 50% from beyond the arc.

No. 1 is former Miami standout Mike Miller, who went 26 for 49 - 53%.

The other is Green, who is 47 for 91 - 52%. And that percentage climbed in Game 3.

''Danny's buckets, I think, boosted our whole team's confidence,'' Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. ''We're kind of used to most of the year relying on those.''

Ray Allen shot 43% from 3-point range in finals games. Golden State's Kevin Durant is also at 43%. Larry Bird, 42%. Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard, 41%. Warriors sharpshooter Stephen Curry, who has made more 3s than anyone in finals history, is just under 40% in those games from deep. Warriors guard Klay Thompson, 38%.

Even Kerr, who was as good a shooter as one could find in the NBA when he played, was a 28% guy from beyond the arc in his finals career.

But for Green, the big number in Game 3 was 100%.

That's where he was at following his first attempt. And when a shooter sees the first shot of a game go down, the rim tends to get bigger.

''It helps,'' Green said. ''It helps a ton.''

Curry blamed himself for some of Green's Game 3 success, saying that first shot was one he should have contested better.

''Early in the first quarter I gave up a 3 to him, or I let him get open for a 3 in the corner without really making him feel my presence at all,'' Curry said. ''And shots like that for a great shooter just build confidence, and he fed off of that the rest of the game.''

The Warriors know their defense has to get better, and with an elite defender like Thompson - who missed Wednesday with a strained hamstring - expected to be back on the floor for Game 4, they should be better on that end.

Thompson's presence alone won't be enough. If the Warriors pay too much attention to Green, he's perfectly fine giving up the ball.

''I'm sure they're going to do a better job, trying to make us feel them,'' Green said. ''But you do that, you've got to pick your poison. You've got to guard me or double-team Kawhi. Stay stuck to me, it's going to leave open lanes ... they'll have to pick and choose. If we use our pace and move the ball like we know we can, we'll have open lanes for everybody.''

[StarDust Bum]

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Raptors (58-24) at Warriors (57-25)

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Toronto Raptors can move within one game of their first championship Friday night, but likely they will see a different-looking opponent than two days earlier when they take the floor for Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena.

The Golden State Warriors, who trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, hope to get All-Star guard Klay Thompson back in action.

The hot-shooting Raptors easily brushed aside Golden State's one-man assault in Game 3 when the visitors got double-figure scoring from all five starters to overcome Stephen Curry's 47-point explosion in a 123-109 victory Wednesday.

With or without Thompson, who strained his left hamstring late in Golden State's Game 2 win at Toronto and sat out Wednesday, the Warriors have scored exactly 109 points in all three games of the series.

The game outcomes have hinged on Toronto's shooting accuracy.

The Raptors were held to 37.2 percent from the field and 28.9 percent on 3-pointers while putting up just 104 points in their Game 2 loss.

They have sandwiched that performance by hitting better than 50 percent from the field (50.6 percent in Game 1, 52.4 percent in Game 3) in their two wins, brilliant shooting nights that have included 39.4 percent and 44.7 percent accuracy from beyond the arc.

That shooting has produced nine- and 14-point wins and put the Eastern Conference champs right where they want to be -- with a lead in the series on the eve of Game 4, where they have been unbeaten, including twice on the road, in their previous three series.

"We haven't really had a good team shooting night, and I knew eventually at some point we were due for one," Toronto guard Danny Green said after going 6-for-10 on 3-point attempts in Game 3. "We still have to do a better job defensively on that end of the floor to limit those guys better so we don't have to rely on our offense or our shooting to win games for us."

In a remarkable display of consistency, all seven Raptors who took a shot in Game 4 made at least half of their attempts. Kawhi Leonard led the way with 30 points, the 13th time this postseason that he's reached that mark.

Only six others in NBA history -- Michael Jordan (four times), Kobe Bryant (two times), LeBron James (two times), Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson -- have had 13 or more 30-point games in a single postseason.

Just three of those guys (Jordan, Iverson and James) have ever scored 47 or more in a Finals game. In Game 3, Curry became the eighth player to put or 47 or more in the Finals, producing a career postseason high while shooting 14-for-31 overall and 6-for-14 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Without Thompson and Kevin Durant (strained right calf), he did that without getting much help. Only Draymond Green (17 points) and Andre Iguodala (11) also scored in double figures for the Warriors. The other eight members of the two-time defending champs who took at least one shot combined to go 12-for-38 (31.6 percent).

Golden State coach Steve Kerr announced Thursday that Durant, who hasn't played since the Western Conference semifinals, also would miss Game 4.

Re-enter Thompson, who was given a thumbs-up after a workout and examination on Thursday. He was the Warriors' leading scorer in the Game 2 win with 25 points on 10-for-17 shooting, which, Curry noted, only tells half the story.

"People fall in love with his shooting," Curry said Thursday, "but the way that our team plays defensively and the chemistry that we have and the experience, he's right at the forefront of that. So you would love to have him out there on that end of the floor as well, especially with a team like Toronto who is versatile and can space the floor. He can guard a lot of different guys."

The winner of Game 3 in a 1-1 Finals has gone on to claim the championship on 31 of 38 occasions. But Draymond Green had different numbers bouncing around in his head after the Warriors' Wednesday loss.

"We just got to continue to battle," he said, "and win the next game, go back to Toronto, win Game 5, come back to Oracle (Arena), win Game 6 and then celebrate. Fun times ahead."

[StarDust Bum]

527Toronto -528 Golden State
GOLDEN STATE is 35-54 ATS (-24.4 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game in the last 3 seasons.




NBA
Dunkel

Friday, June 7

Toronto @ Golden State

Game 527-528
June 7, 2019 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
125.152
Golden State
134.230
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 9
224
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 4 1/2
216
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State
(-4 1/2); Over




NBA
Long Sheet

Friday, June 7

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TORONTO (72 - 31) at GOLDEN STATE (70 - 31) - 6/7/2019, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) on Friday nights this season.
TORONTO is 217-270 ATS (-80.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 43-56 ATS (-18.6 Units) in all games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 36-50 ATS (-19.0 Units) as a favorite this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 19-30 ATS (-14.0 Units) in home games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 12-21 ATS (-11.1 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 35-51 ATS (-21.1 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 20-30 ATS (-13.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 36-45 ATS (-13.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 5-3 against the spread versus GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 5-4 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, June 7

Toronto’s other four starters were 28-53 from floor in Game 3 win- all five starters scored 17+ points- when they get that kind of balance, very tough to beat, especially for team missing two starters and Looney. Raptors are 4-1 vs Golden State this year, winning both meetings here. Curry had 47 in Game 3; other four starters combined to go 12-33 from floor. Nine of last 11 series games went over the total. Extra time between games allows Toronto to play their best guys more; three Raptors played 38:00+ Wednesday. Klay Thompson’s leg is the obvious variable here; doubtful that Durant will return in this spot.




NBA

Friday, June 7

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Trend Report
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Toronto Raptors
Toronto is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Toronto is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Toronto is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Toronto's last 10 games on the road
Toronto is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Golden State
Toronto is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Golden State
Toronto is 6-17 SU in its last 23 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Toronto's last 11 games when playing Golden State
Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Golden State
Toronto is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Golden State
Toronto is 2-13 SU in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Toronto's last 11 games when playing on the road against Golden State
Golden State Warriors
Golden State is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Golden State is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Golden State's last 6 games
Golden State is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Golden State is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Golden State is 3-7-1 ATS in its last 11 games when playing Toronto
Golden State is 17-6 SU in its last 23 games when playing Toronto
Golden State is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Golden State's last 11 games when playing Toronto
Golden State is 11-4 ATS in its last 15 games when playing at home against Toronto
Golden State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto
Golden State is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Golden State's last 11 games when playing at home against Toronto

[StarDust Bum]

Finals G4 - Raptors at Warriors
Tony Mejia

NBA Finals – Game 4

Toronto at Golden State (-4.5/215.5), ABC, 9:07 p.m. ET

May 30 – Raptors (-2) 118 vs. Warriors 109 (Over 212.5)
June 2 – Warriors (+2) 109 at Raptors 104 (Under 213.5)
June 5 – Raptors (+3) 123 at Warriors 109 (Over 210.5)

There will be some who won’t believe Kevin Durant is sitting out Game 4 until he’s listed as inactive prior to the contest.

After not being cleared to even scrimmage on Thursday, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr ruled him out of Friday night’s crucial contest, but the star forward wanted to see how he felt in the morning before officially pulling the plug on his availability for a must-win since his Warriors can’t afford to go down 3-1 in the series.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that this could all be gamesmanship by the two-time defending champs, but it’s doubtful they would be that sneaky, especially since Nick Nurse and the Raptors are going to prepare as if he’s playing anyway.

The Warriors have already made no secret of the fact Klay Thompson is returning after missing his first career playoff. Even though he wanted to play in a Game 3 loss that Golden State discouraged him from suiting up for, the gamble to give him a few more days to rest his hamstring strain may still pay off if he’s able to pick up where he left off. Shaun Livingston, Quinn Cook and Alfonzo McKinnie weren’t able to adequately replace his production, failing to support Stephen Curry despite his virtuoso 47-point scoring outburst.

Andre Iguodala started for Durant and couldn’t build upon his huge shot to seal Game 2 in Toronto, finishing with 11 points, six boards and three assists in over 30 minutes. Both he and DeMarcus Cousins started and clearly weren’t their usual selves, a troublesome issue for the champs since they won’t have much time to heal up their ailments with just one day in between games. Thompson won’t be anywhere near 100 percent either, but the Warriors missed him on both sides of the floor, particularly since he’s able to switch and defend multiple Raptors.

It’s probably no coincidence that Danny Green got off the way he did, finishing 6-for-10 from 3-point range in becoming one of six double-digit scorers who made themselves right at home at Oracle on Wednesday. Serge Ibaka finished with just six points but helped change the game with six blocks, so all seven Raptors who played major minutes will have confidence entering Game 4 after coming through with big performances in stealing homecourt advantage back.

Kawhi Leonard led Toronto with 30 points, Kyle Lowry was terrific with 23 points and nine assists and Pascal Siakam stuffed the stat-sheet with 18 points, a team-high nine boards and six assists. Marc Gasol and Green set the tone early with excellent first quarters, joining Leonard in getting the Raptors off to a fast start to allow them to play from ahead and keep Oracle from swallowing them whole. If anyone was worried about the moment being too big for the first-time Finals participants, their experienced veterans sent a clear message that they’re able to lead the younger guys.

We’ll see if Thompson’s return can help the Warriors produce some game pressure that will help trip up the visitors after losing all four quarters on Wednesday night, ultimately leading to Toronto running away for a 123-109 win in what has been the highest-scoring game of the series. The Raptors won the third quarter that had been a rallying point for Golden State all postseason 36-31, bouncing back from surrendering the first 18 second-half points of Game 2 in losing at home on Sunday night. They similarly excelled in the Eastern Conference finals, getting the better of a Bucks team that had dominated coming out of the locker room in the first few rounds.

Toronto controlled the paint against the smaller Warriors, taking advantage of Cousins being a step slow and thriving despite Andrew Bogut again putting together a solid performance. The Raptors scored 36 points in the first quarter, putting together the most efficient opening first 12 minutes of the series thus far for either team in immediately setting the tone despite taking the floor in Oakland for the first time since December. They’ve been effective on the road this postseason, following up a regular-season that saw them go 26-15 outside Canada by winning five or their first nine outside Scotiabank Arena in these playoffs.

If the Warriors lose on Friday, they may not make it back for a Game 6, which means this could be the final game ever at Oracle Arena since the team is moving to San Francisco’s new Chase Center this fall. NBA expert Kevin Rogers feels they’ll have a much better chance of holding serve with at least one All-Star returning to the mix.

“The Warriors were put in a difficult position heading into Game 3 with Thompson not able to suit up. Curry can only do so much by himself as evidenced by his 47-point effort, but just two other Warriors scored in double-figures,” Rogers said. “Toronto improved to 6-1 SU/ATS in the last seven games following the Game 3 win as the Raptors are one bad stretch in Game 2 away from maybe leading Golden State, 3-0. It has been a very long time since the Warriors dropped successive home games in the playoffs, which came all the way back in the second round in 1991 against the Lakers (yes it was the famous “Run TMC” squad).”

Curry will look to follow up his brilliant contest that featured 6-for-14 3-point shooting with another big scoring game, but needs teammates to fare better than the combined 6-for-22 clip they managed from beyond the arc in Game 3. Getting Thompson back should help matters, but the likes of McKinnie and Cook, who shot 1-for-5 as a tandem off the bench, must be more aggressive and effective.

Toronto hit 17 3-pointers and shot 20-for-21 from the free-throw line, so it really stepped up when it needed to and got wherever it wanted against a defense that looked incredibly shaky. It may help matters to get Kevon Looney back after he was initially ruled out for the remainder of the series since he’s looking to get back from a collarbone injury and a fractured rib in order to help add some quality depth to a team badly in need of it with so many players hobbled and Durant likely sidelined until at least Monday’s Game 5.

After the injury status for Thompson was announced on Wednesday night prior to Game 4, the total dropped from 213 ½ points to a closing number of 210 at most books. Sure enough, Toronto scored a playoff-high 123 points and the ‘over’ cashed in Game 3 with plenty of time remaining in the fourth quarter. Oddsmakers sent out an opener of 216 for Game 4 and that number was pushed up to 216 ½ at a handful of betting shops before being bet back down to the 215 range. VegasInsider.com totals effort Chris David offered up his thoughts for Friday’s number.

“The ‘over’ was a clear-cut winner on Wednesday and that ticket was helped with a barrage of 3-pointers from Toronto, who finished with 17 triples from distance. I often relied on pace as a key factor for handicapping totals but it’s become apparent now that it comes down to 3-point shooting. If the Raptors continue to ring it up from the outside, this series could be over in five games,” David said. “The “if” is a certainly a big one and you could be reluctant to back the Raptors offense again knowing that they were averaging 101.3 PPG on the road in this year’s playoffs prior to the Game 3 effort. Thompson is expected to return on Friday and not only will that help Golden State’s offense but it’s defense as well. Steve Kerr’s team has shown incredible defensive form after a loss.”

The Warriors have only lost multiple home games in a playoff series twice since their remarkable run began back in 2014. They dropped a pair in losing the 2016 Finals to Cleveland and fell twice in Oakland against the Clippers in the first round this postseason. They’re simply not used to slumping in front of the paying customers.

“Including their win in Game 2 at Toronto in this series, the Warriors have now gone 12-2 after a loss since the All-Star break,” David said. “The ‘under’ cashed luckily in that contest and the low side is now 10-4 during this span. One of the reasons behind those ‘under’ tickets is based on Golden State’s defense, which has allowed 106 PPG. There’s no doubt that the Raptors are a legit team and when the shots fall, they’re more than dangerous. While I could be underestimating them again, it’s hard for me to back a team that hasn’t shown much consistency away from home. Toronto’s Team Total is hovering between 105 and 106 points for Game 4 and I would lean low to the Raptors in this spot.”

Despite the ‘over’ result from Wednesday, Toronto has watched the ‘under’ go 6-3 on the road in the playoffs. Going back to the 2016 postseason, the Raptors have watched the ‘under’ go 18-8-2 as visitors in the playoffs. Golden State is 5-4 to the ‘over’ at home in this year’s postseason. The ‘over’ is on a 5-0 run in the last five NBA Finals games played at Oracle Arena.

Draymond Green, who scored 17 points but had series-lows in rebounds and assists in Game 3, will look to bounce back from committing a team-high four turnovers and must be sharper in facilitating offense, which should also be easier with Thompson back in the fold. Most sportsbooks now have the series as a pick’em despite Golden State being down 2-1, so if you still believe the champs will three-peat, now is the time to strike. Dropping Wednesday’s game led to the Warriors being demoted from the role of NBA title favorite for the first time all season, odds-wise.

Toronto has looked like the better team in the series and are currently one second-half lull from a 3-0 lead over the depleted champs. Given the impending free agency of Durant, Thompson and Green and all the injuries, the NBA’s top dynasty since the 1990’s Chicago Bulls is on the ropes. We’ll see if the Warriors can keep themselves off life support by responding at home to ensure at least one more game in Oakland regardless of what happens in Monday’s Game 5.

[StarDust Bum]

In big trouble: Warriors trail Raptors 3-1 in NBA Finals
June 7, 2019
By The Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Golden State coach Steve Kerr is fond of saying that the Warriors have seen everything in their five-year run as the best team in the NBA.

They are now looking at something they haven't faced before.

They've successfully overcome a 3-1 deficit in the playoffs before - but never in the NBA Finals, and never when they needed to win two road games to win the series.

Such is their predicament. Oracle Arena might have seen the Warriors for the last time. The Larry O'Brien Trophy might be hoisted in Canada on Monday night. The Toronto Raptors are in full control of these NBA Finals, their 105-92 win on Friday night giving them a 3-1 lead and putting them on the brink of winning their first title.

Golden State's hopes of a third straight title are hanging by a most precarious thread. The Warriors will be quick to say that even a 3-1 deficit in the finals isn't insurmountable.

They know.

The Warriors learned that the hard way.

They blew such a lead in 2016, falling twice at home to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. But the Warriors' collapse that year was largely due to Andrew Bogut getting hurt in Game 5 and Draymond Green losing his cool and earning a one-game suspension. The Raptors have no such injury concerns, no such behavioral matters to deal with right now.

The Raptors are as poised as can be.

They were in trouble in each of the first three rounds of these playoffs - down 1-0 to Orlando, down 2-1 to Philadelphia, down 2-0 to Milwaukee. It steeled them. Toronto got better every step of the way.

Golden State looked the exact opposite on Friday night. The Warriors are still without Kevin Durant, endured a night where Stephen Curry struggled, and where their biggest boosts came from Klay Thompson returning from a balky hamstring and Kevon Looney playing through the pain of a cartilage injury in his upper body.

The Warriors made a run. Curry's 3-pointer with 3 minutes left pulled Golden State within eight and gave the Warriors a chance.

And then they scored three points the rest of the way, before making the long, slow walk off the court and to the locker room.

It's very possible they made that walk at Oracle for the last time.

When Golden State was down 3-1 in the West finals to Oklahoma City - and Durant - in 2016, it needed to win just one road game in order to escape that mess.

They need to win in Toronto twice now, after not being able to win at home even once.

Now, the biggest challenge of the Warriors' five-year run is officially here.

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday’s 6-pack

College football spreads for games on Nov 2:

— Miami @ Florida State (-1.5)

— Houston @ Central Florida (-14)

— Georgia (-3.5) vs Florida (@ Jacksonville)

— Virginia Tech @ Notre Dame (-16)

— Oregon (-1) @ USC

— Utah @ Washington (-8)

Quotes of the Day
“When you get used to coming up in the minor leagues, sometimes you don’t know who’s playing until an hour before the game, or sometimes 10 minutes.”
Toronto Raptors’ coach Nick Nurse

Saturday’s quiz
How many current NBA head coaches have a won a championship as a head coach?

Friday’s quiz
In this century, two horses have won the Triple Crown:
American Pharoah (2015)
Justify (2018)

Thursday’s quiz
Klay Thompson played his college basketball at Washington State.

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Saturday’s List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind…….

13) Raptors 105, Warriors 92— Golden State led this game 46-42 at the half, lowest scoring first half in a finals game in four years, but Toronto outscored them 63-46 in second half, and is now one win away from its first NBA title.

From sound of things, Kevin Durant won’t be playing in this series. Game 5 is Monday night in Toronto, where there could be a very big celebration.

12) McDonald’s locations in Eastern Canada give away free medium orders of french fries whenever the Toronto Raptors hit at least 12 3-pointers in a game.

According to The Financial Post, McDonald’s estimated 700,000 orders, but with the team playing so well, that number has ballooned to nearly three times the original estimate, resulting in approximately $5.4M (just over $4M US$) worth of fries.

11) Must admit, I don’t get the whole “opener” trend in baseball, unless you have one guy who could be a closer who you prefer to start a game with (Ryan Stanek in Tampa Bay).

Putting a minor leaguer in to pitch the first inning of a game just seems bleeping stupid, like you want to start off at a disadvantage. First inning is the only inning where you’re guaranteed to face the top of the other team’s order- you need a good pitcher there, not some stiff.

10) Batting the pitcher 8th is kind of the same thing, though at least I can see some logic there, but fewer teams are doing that now. Pretty soon this will be a moot point, because everyone will have the DH in the next couple years.

9) Houston Texans fired GM Brian Gaine, only 18 months after hiring him, meaning that coach Bill O’Brien is 42-38 in regular season games, 1-3 in playoffs, but has already seen two Texans GM’s fired.

From Ian Rappaport:
“My understanding is there was no one incident that created the opening. Houston did an evaluation of its football operations and believes — right or wrong — GM Brian Gaine was not good enough. Good, but not good enough.”

In other NFL GM news, the Jets hired Joe Douglas as their GM; he interviewed for the GM job in Houston when they hired Gaine.

8) ESPN’s Doug Kezirian pointed out that there is a gambler in Las Vegas who is having a very bad week; he lost $49,500 on Golden State’s money line in Game 3, then lost $75,000 on the Boston Bruins Thursday.

This person is chasing losses……..Friday he bet $182,000 on the Warriors $-190 to win $95,789 in Game 4.

Another tough night for that gambler. Minus $306,000 in three nights; hope he got free drink tickets, at least.

7) Baseball stuff:
— Mariners put OF Mitch Haniger (ruptured testicle) on the IL. Ouch
— In 2012 there were 2,020 pitchouts in major leagues; last year, there were 350.
— Relief pitchers have thrown 40.5% of innings this year, with a 4.42 ERA; five years ago, relief pitchers threw 33.5% of IP. with a 3.57 ERA.

Next analytics wave in baseball will find starting pitchers being stretched out longer in starts.

6) Boston Celtics are in favor of having free agency happen before the draft, which would be interesting. Right now, there are only roughly 10-14 days between the end of the Finals and the draft, so the draft would get pushed back, which would push back the summer league.

5) Kentucky and UCLA have assistant coaches in Brazil at the FIBA u16 Americas tourney. The quarter-finals of the event started Friday.

4) Alex, I’d like bad baseball for $400 please:
— Top of 6th inning, Cardinals down 3-0 at Wrigley, man on first with one out, and Dexter Fowler gets picked off. Why? How? He wasn’t going to steal. Terrible.

3) Jurors in the Kellen Winslow Jr rape trial sent this message to the judge:

“The jurors could benefit from an explanation as to what being under oath means.

Additionally, how we should follow the law and not what we think the law should mean.”

Sounds like those 12 people aren’t getting along too well.

2) RB Frank Gore Jr signed with Florida Atlantic and Lane Kiffin.

RB Frank Gore Sr is still playing in the NFL, with Buffalo.

1) Phillies 4, Reds 2— Jay Bruce is the first player ever to homer in each of his first three starts with the Phillies.

[StarDust Bum]

Analysis: Warriors' hopes hinge on Durant coming back
June 8, 2019
By The Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) When Game 4 was over, while Toronto fans were waving Canadian flags in celebration inside an otherwise-stunned Oracle Arena, a glum-faced Kevin Durant was outside the Golden State locker room to greet equally glum teammates as they sauntered off the floor.

That's been his only visible role on game nights in the NBA Finals.

If that doesn't change Monday, this series is probably going to end.

With it, in that case, so would Golden State's reign as NBA champions. And then it's possible that Durant, a free-agent-in-waiting, has played for the Warriors for the last time.

Durant limped off the floor at Oracle Arena a month ago - Game 5 of the second round - with what the team called a mild calf strain. It's apparently the most severe ''mild'' calf strain in the history of injuries, because he hasn't played since and there's no way of knowing if that's going to change on Monday.

And the Warriors clearly need him if they're going to pull off a comeback against the Raptors in these NBA Finals.

''Nobody's going to feel sorry for us at all,'' Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. ''It's just a matter of can we get it done or not, and we're going to leave it all out there starting on Monday.''

That'll be the case, with Durant or not.

Here's reality: Any Durant is better than no Durant for the Warriors right now. His mere presence might throw the Raptors off just enough to create more chances for the rest of the Warriors. It's really the only card the Warriors have left to play at this point.

Toronto took full control of the series Friday night, winning 105-92 for a 3-1 finals lead. Durant wasn't on the bench for Game 4, and hasn't been since getting hurt. He'll be on the plane Saturday headed to Ontario, and his uniform will be packed inside the Warriors' equipment bags.

If it goes unworn again, the Warriors are in big trouble.

''There's been hope that he will come back the whole series,'' Warriors forward Draymond Green said. ''So that's not going to change now. Obviously we hope to have him, but we'll see what happens. We don't make that final call ... he don't really even make that final call. His body will tell him if he can get out there or not. And if he can, great. And if not, you still got to try to find a way.''

They've been trying, with limited success.

Even with Durant.

The Raptors are 5-1 against the Warriors this season, even going 2-0 in the regular season when Durant scored 51 in one game and 30 in another. The Warriors just looked tired on Friday night, weary against a Toronto team that has had every answer in this series. They haven't been able to muster the offense they need against Toronto.

With Durant, that story could be different.

But even if he plays on Monday, after not playing for a month, how good could he be anyway? Even someone as talented as Durant, who is in the conversation of ''best player in the world'' right now, can't fake rhythm. Throwing him into an elimination game in the NBA Finals, after not playing for a month, is an unbelievably daunting ask.

It might be what's required.

''We're hoping he can play Game 5 or 6,'' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. ''And everything in between I've decided I'm not sharing because it's just gone haywire. There's so much going on, and so it doesn't make sense to continue to talk about it. He's either going to play or he's not.''

The Warriors will practice on Sunday. With so much at stake, unless his calf muscle just won't allow it, Durant will probably try to do something that day. It's hard to believe that he doesn't want to play, and the fact that he hasn't been seen yet in this series just reiterates how not mild this ''mild'' strain was.

A shot at a third straight ring is slipping away. Maybe it was gone the second Durant got hurt. When the Warriors swept Portland in the Western Conference finals, there was silly talk about how the team might be better without Durant.

That talk is nonexistent now.

Any team is better - a lot better - with Durant. And if he finds a way back to the court, the Warriors might just get a lot better in a hurry.

Or else, this era could end Monday night.

''We've got to win one game,'' Green said. ''We win one, then we'll build on that.''

Without Durant, winning that one game on Monday might be too tough an ask, even for the Warriors.