Monday, June 24, 2019
Not Quite Yet!!
For those of
you who were anticipating a conclusion to the National Basketball
season, here I am on Tuesday morning, resting uncomfortably with the
results from last night's game.
Toronto as a
host city, and Canada, as a country, have certainly warmed up to the
Raptors. As they headed into the finals against the Golden State
Warriors, the interest has become frenetic. We have all seen the
overhead camera shots of the throng at “Jurassic Park”, the
nickname for the square adjacent to the arena. They began pitching
tents outside the square on Saturday, to reserve a spot for the game
last night.
Kawhi
Leonard has won the hearts of a nation. His reserved demeanor suits
us just fine. He rarely shows much emotion. He simply goes on his
way, from offence to defence, doing whatever it takes. He certainly
has been the most valuable player in The Finals, by a long shot.
But there
just was not quite enough in the tank last night to seal the deal.
Just one point short! Kyle Lowry's shot was tipped by Draymond Green;
nonetheless, as time ran out, the Raptors headed to the dressing
room, to prepare for yet another game in California.
The Raptors
still lead the series 3-2. They could close it out at the Oracle
Arena, or play a Game Seven back in Toronto. That would suit the
rabble quite nicely.
“Toronto's
Finest” went on high alert on Monday evening. All leaves were
canceled as the constabulary made plans to keep the peace, in case of
a Raptor victory. Such was not the case, and the crowds downtown in
Toronto dispersed with barely a whimper. That is just as well, as the
potential for trouble is always there with such large crowds.
It was
announced on Monday night that Kevin Durant would be starting for the
Warriors. He had not played in a month, and was recovering from a leg
injury. Raptors' coach Nurse knew that he would have to come up with
defensive options to keep the Warrior scoring at a minimum. Durant
has been the MVP of the Finals a couple of times, and was a welcome
addition to the Warrior staff. To little avail, as he did not last
until half time.
Steph Curry
was at his best against the Raptors Monday night. He shot the lights
out, as did Klay Thompson. Curry commented after the game:
“Obviously, tonight was an emotional roller coaster from start to
finish. We have another game to play on Thursday. There's no more
statements needed to be made about who we are as a team, and our
heart and our competitiveness. We want to win this, and we're going
to give this everything we've got.”
The Raptors
trailed by two points with 15 seconds left in Monday night's game.
Two points they could not muster.
The Blues
and the Bruins are putting in their morning skate in Boston. It is
all on the line now. Game Seven, for all the marbles. And may the
officiating be fair and wise, on all counts.
James Hurst
June 11,
2019
-- James Hurst 613.399.2278 sportslices.blogspot.ca
# posted by James Hurst @ 12:18 PM 
