TORONTO (AP) — Kyle Lowry had never been to an NBA Finals game. This was the deal he made with himself: He wasn’t going…
TORONTO (AP) — Kyle Lowry had never been to an NBA Finals game.
This was the deal he made with himself: He wasn’t going to see the NBA’s biggest stage until he earned the right to be there as a player. So he never made a trip to see his peers play for the title that he has coveted for 13 years.
That’s why on Thursday night, the Toronto point guard took a little look around at what he’s been missing.
„It was pretty cool,“ Lowry said. „It was pretty good.“
And it was most definitely worth the wait.
Lowry has now been to the NBA Finals — and knows what winning a game in the title series is like, too. The longest-tenured Raptors player had a solid stat line — seven points, six rebounds and nine assists — as Toronto topped Golden State 118-109 in Game 1 of the title series, ending the Warriors‘ streak of 12 straight opening-game-of-a-series victories.
„I think that one of the best things about this team is that you don’t have to put a burden of 20 to 25 points on him,“ Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. „Because he’s going to defend, he’s going to lead the team, he’s going to make those tough plays. He just instinctually does that game after game after game.“
Often a lightning rod for criticism in Toronto’s past playoff flameouts, Lowry has quarterbacked brilliantly in these playoffs.
