The Toronto Raptors looked out of sorts to begin Game 4, but they climbed on Kawhi Leonard’s back in the third quarter and rode to a 105-92 victory to take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. Game 5 is Monday in Toronto.
OAKLAND, CA- JUNE 7 – Toronto Raptors center Marc Gasol (33) chases a loose ball as Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala (9) reaches as the Toronto Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors in game four of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena in
Game 4 was a major turning point in the NBA Finals on Friday night in Oakland, and it put the Toronto Raptors on the brink of history with a chance to become the first team outside the United States to be crowned NBA champions.
More specifically, the third quarter was when everything changed in favor of Toronto against the Golden State Warriors. At the start of the quarter, Kawhi Leonard delivered a couple of three-point daggers just 16 seconds apart. That took the life out of the two-time defending champions.
The first (video clip below) came with 11:30 remaining in the third quarter and pulled the Raptors within one point, 46-45.
The second Leonard three-pointer in the third period came with 11:14 remaining and gave Toronto its first lead of the game, 48-46.
It’s extraordinary that the Raptors could start the game so poorly and rebound to win 105-92 and take a 3-1 stranglehold on the series heading back to Toronto for Monday.
Both teams got off to shockingly bad shooting starts. But the Raptors were really horrible and, watching this disaster unfold, you would not bet on the final outcome at this point.
The Warriors led by as many as 13 points and Toronto was behind 25-17 after the opening 12 minutes. The Warriors had Klay Thompson back after missing the previous game with a hamstring injury, and Kevon Looney had returned, too.
If it were not for Leonard, this game would have been over right then and there. Leonard carried the Raptors with 14 points in the opening 12 minutes. Kyle Lowry had two and Pascal Siakam had one. Danny Green was out of sync, shooting 0-for-4 from the field. This did not look good.
As a team, the Raptors were shooting 28.6%, while the Warriors were cruising along at 50%.
But the Raptors chipped away and they pulled to within four points at halftime, trailing 46-42. Still, there were troubling signs. Leonard had no points in the second quarter on 0-of-4 shooting. As a team, the Raptors shot only 39.1%.
Everything turned in the third quarter, mostly because of Leonard, who settled into a rhythm, scoring 17 points in that quarter on 5-of-8 shooting. And the emergence of Serge Ibaka as an offensive and defensive force put Toronto on a winning course.
The third quarter had always been Golden State’s period of brilliance. Yet Toronto decided this was going to be their time. Leonard was only part of the story.
Toronto played Fred VanVleet almost the whole third quarter to keep the pace going at a high level, and gave Ibaka big minutes to guard the net. Toronto won that quarter 37-21 on 52% shooting, while the Warriors sagged to 35% shooting.
In the end, Leonard led Toronto with a game-high 36 points, and three other Raptors were in double figures: Ibaka had 20 points, Pascal Siakam scored 19 and Lowry had 10.
After a career playoff high of 47 points in Game 3, Golden State’s brilliant Steph Curry was pretty much bottled up, although he had 27 points while Thompson had another strong game with 28.
For Toronto, Leonard again got the Raptors out of a dark shooting place. Overall, he shot 11 of 22 from the field, including a game-high 12 rebounds, while Ibaka shot 9-of-12 with four rebounds and two blocks.
It was another miserable night for Danny Green, who was 1-for-8 (12.5%) and three points, but the Raptors as a team overcame his offensive lapses. There is a word for that. It’s called resilience.
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 07: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors handles the ball on offense against the Golden State Warriors in the second half during Game Four of the 2019 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 07,2019 in Oakland, California.
The Raptors have treated this whole series with a laser focus. They say they never look ahead too far. They don’t celebrate wildly after victories. They are all business. It will be difficult to carry themselves with such poise on Monday with the championship trophy in the house.
It now seems all but guaranteed that the Raptors will earn their place in history as the first team outside the United States to win an NBA championship after 24 years of existence, and Leonard is on pace to win his second NBA Finals most valuable player award after winning one with San Antonio in 2014. Here is a list of NBA MVP winners.
The city of Toronto and the entire country will be going berserk on Monday, and there may be more nervous moments for the Raptor faithful. But this Toronto team seems to court disaster and then find ways to claw themselves out.
