After game one of the NBA Finals, the Warriors were in shock. For the first time in their five straight finals appearances, they had lost the first game. They received a 118-109 thrashing led by forward Pascal Siakam, who had 32 points and shot an astounding 14-17 from the field. The Warriors had no answer for the blazing hot Raptors offense, and it seemed like they got an open shot on every possession.
Offensively, it was also a nightmare for Golden State. Outside of the Splash Brothers, the Warriors got practically no offense. DeMarcus Cousins was a liability in his return from injury, Andre Iguodala only put up 6 points, and Draymond Green could only tally 10 despite playing 40 minutes. They made numerous preventable errors and had 16 turnovers which led to 17 points for Toronto. There were major questions surrounding whether or not the Warriors could win this series without Kevin Durant.
Then, in game two, the Warriors played like they had four all-stars and a finals MVP in their starting lineup(which they do), but only in the second half. The first two periods were slow for Golden State, as before a late second quarter run, Curry had shot 0-6. At half-time, they were down by five. Then, the tables turned. Golden State went on an insane 18-0 run in the third quarter, something that Toronto cannot afford to give up in the future. Once these Warriors get hot, they don't cool down very quickly.
In the fourth quarter, it was the Warriors role players that stepped up. Andrew Bogut stepped in for an injured Kevon Looney and played excellent down the stretch. After a Klay Thompson injury early in the fourth, reserve Quinn Cook also elevated his game. Finally, to ice the game, Andre Iguodala hit a cold blooded three with five seconds left.
The Warriors have been extremely confusing and incomprehensible first two games in to the finals. They changed drastically between the two games, and will need to be more consistent if they want to win this series. However, that should become much easier once KD returns from his injury. The Raptors will have to adjust to a lot of new obstacles when this series moves to Oakland.
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