Toronto grabs it
Thursday night was a historic day for the Toronto Raptors, who became NBA champion after a last and decisive win over Golden State in Oakland, 114-110 for the visitors, for the last game at Oracle Arena. This is the first time in the history of the NBA that the title goes to a non-US team. The first time, so, that a Canadian franchise grasps the Larry O’Brien trophy. What a premiere for coach Nick Nurse and his staff!
Raptors took the Finals series 4-2 with three victories away, a really valuable performance when you know that Warriors are practically unbeatable at home. Thursday’s last victory was acquired in the last minutes after a tight game (111-110 for Toronto 8 seconds before the final buzzer) where Golden State lost Klay Thompson, another hard blow after Kevin Durant’s injury in game 5.
The last attempt from Curry from a long distance was unsuccessful and the Raptors were never rejoined, they even added up the last points by Kawhi Leonard who was awarded MVP of the Finals for the second time after 2014 (as a San Antonio player then). With 22 points, a bit less than his usual standards in these Finals, the former Spur was a heavy contributor to Toronto’s first coronation. Cameroonian forward Pascal Siakam (26 points, 10 rebounds), Spanish Congolese center Serge Ibaka (15 points) and point guard Kyle Lowry (26 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists) also showed the way for the first NBA ring in their career.
After three titles out of the last four seasons, it is probably the end of an era for Golden State, who will still be performant in the next few years with elements like Curry (21 points), Thompson (30 points) and American Nigerian Iguodala (22 points), but whose squad may be somehow modified this summer: DeMarcus Cousins will leave, and Durant’s and Thompson’s cases have not been solved yet, even though the board wants to keep them, but still, the Californians will have to do without two big players in their starting lineup at least for many long months because of their serious injuries during these playoffs. Credible solutions will have to be found to replace them without losing too much quality (meaning spending a lot of money, which can be an issue if Warriors plan to give the maximum amount to Durant and Thompson, what money will be left?) in order to remain competitive.
Raptors are far from such considerations. Time to celebrate now!
By Guillaume Mahot
Sources: www.google.fr, www.lequipe.fr
Africa Global News Publication
