Warriors have plenty of respect for Raptors team 'here for a reason'
TORONTO — The Golden State Warriors have a resume that demands your attention.
Beginning Thursday, they will compete for the Larry O’Brien Trophy for a fifth straight time and look to hoist it for a third consecutive season and fourth in five years. Since the NBA/ABA merger, the Los Angeles Lakers contested eight out of 10 finals between 1980 and 1989 and won five titles in that span. Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls won six titles in eight years and Tim Duncan’s San Antonio Spurs won five championships over a 15-year stretch including a golden period of three in five.
That’s the class they will join by winning another title in 2019, usurping everyone else including the great Kobe and Shaq Laker teams.
The Toronto Raptors as a franchise boast no such championship pedigree. Yes, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green can claim they’ve reached the summit, but Serge Ibaka has one Finals appearance to speak of while everyone else will be making their debut.
Yet, when those most responsible for this era of dominance took their respective turns at the podium, they showed nothing but respect for a team they believe has put in the work to get here.
“They have a very good team, and they're here for a reason,” Klay Thompson said. “So you can't take them lightly just because they haven't been here before. They have our respect and we'll come correct tomorrow.”
Toronto is 8-2 on its home floor in these playoffs and has gone 66-16 at home over the past two regular seasons. The Raptors beat the Warriors in both their regular season meetings this season, and even though there are plenty of caveats that can be rightfully added to both games, Steph Curry is well aware of the fact they’ve been in and around the upper echelon of the league for some time now.
“Probably last four years, honestly, they have been knocking on the door,” Curry said. “You always keep up with what's going on in the other conference through every playoff run, and obviously this year's the year they got over the hump.”
Thompson singled out the difference an MVP-caliber player in Kawhi Leonard can make, but also reserved praise for Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet. He highlighted the Cameroonian’s scoring ability around the rim and as a modern-day power forward being “the type of guy you want in that four spot.”
What was perhaps most fascinating about the Warriors’ respect for the Raptors is how much of it stems from Toronto’s leader and floor general, Kyle Lowry. To a man, they all heaped heavy praise for Lowry’s bulldog mentality and seemed genuinely happy to see him finally make his first Finals appearance.
“He's tough and scrappy and just a very high-IQ basketball player,” Curry said. “He always seems to be in the mix, whether he's taking a charge or getting a loose ball or getting a steal or knocking down a big shot. I know he's heard a lot of noise throughout these playoff runs here in Toronto trying to get over the hump and whatnot, but he's just a very solid basketball player that knows how to play the game and knows how to impact it.
“You just have to know where he is at all times. You have to match his energy because you know that will be there, especially at home. That's going to be fun. Guys like that bring the best out of you, for sure.”
In 16 games against Curry, Lowry is averaging 17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.9 steals. Their biggest duel came on Dec. 5, 2015, when Curry’s 44 points outdid Lowry’s 41 in an entertaining 112-109 victory for the Warriors in Toronto. Most recently, Lowry led the Raptors — in the absence of Leonard — to their first win at Oracle Arena since Feb. 8, 2004 and finishing with 23 points, 12 assists, five rebounds and three steals in a 113-93 victory.
While Leonard is certainly the best player on the Raptors, Lowry will be the determining factor in whether or not Toronto is able to pull off the upset. He is the Raptors’ heartbeat, and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is well aware of the threat he presents.
“He's tough. That's the thing that jumps out at you when you watch Kyle is he's a leader and he's tough, physically and mentally,” Kerr said. “I think he's in a perfect role where he can lead without having to be the best player. They have the continuity now of having this team around him, and then you add Kawhi, the superstar.
“Now I think Kyle can be in the perfect role for himself and for his team, which is point guard, leader. He can step up and have big games when he has to, but he's not relied on for that scoring night-in and night-out. So it seems to me he's really thrived this year with Kawhi next to him.”
Draymond Green won an Olympic gold medal playing alongside Lowry in Brazil and the two share quite a few similarities. Both are known for their hard-nosed play, their ability to make a difference within the margins, and their high level understanding of the game that makes their teammates so much better.
“I got mad respect for Kyle, a friend, first off,” Green said. “In college, a guy who got it out of the mud. He wasn't always an All-Star. He wasn't always a starter. But he got it out of the mud and he's where he's at today. He's faced a lot of doubt. He's been criticized a ton, this year and previous years before, but yet he's still standing and he's here in this moment and it's well deserved.”
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