The Randoms: Nurse-ing a Loss

It was a wild Game 6 in Toronto, Monday, and it saw a seemingly brutal injury to Kevin Durant. His calf
“popped” in his right lower leg. Bob Myers was crying after the game when delivering the news that “it’s an achilles injury,” and we all are fearing the worst. You have to respect Myers when he said the following.

This Bob Myers presser…wow. "If you have to, you can blame me."

— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) June 11, 2019

I respect that attitude in an era when few want to take ownership of anything. Credit to the Warriors who overcame the injury and gutted out a win when down six with three minutes left.

Enabling that victory was Nick Nurse who took one of the worst timeouts in NBA history at the 3:05 when the the Warriors were absolutely reeling and the Raptors were on a 17-5 run and up six. Kawhi was unstoppable. And Nurse took not one, but two consecutive timeouts. It allowed the Raptors to regroup, change their defense, and get back in the game. After the game, the Canadian press all called attention to it, but were far too polite to grill Nick Nurse on a decision that cost Toronto the game and could well cost them the season. He was the opposite of Bob Myers tonight.

You absolutely cannot let a team as savvy as the Warriors off the mat. This was Atlanta in Super Bowl LI level bad.

Compounding this incompetence was a total mismanagement of the clock by the Raptors down the stretch. Down 1, after a very close basket interference call and then a moving screen call against Cousins, the Raptors had the ball with 15 seconds left. Instead of going for a quick score and then trusting their defense, they ran the clock down as if the game was tied. It made no sense, because if they’d missed, the Raptors could’ve still fouled with a chance to tie after two free throws. Here’s the play. Yikes.

Karmicly, the Raps fans might not have deserved to win this one after their team cheered as KD was limping off the court, but I enjoyed David Wood’s unique take on the events.

Also, not a single fan base wouldn’t have cheered or reacted like Toronto. People are dicks. Have less faith in humanity. #NBAFinals2019

— DJW (@nothingwood) June 11, 2019

I don’t 100% agree with him, but he does speak to the gladiatorial nature of sports. It can bring out the worst in people. Credit to the Toronto players who told their fans to cool it.

Also exiting the game: Kevon Looney who aggrivated his “right 1st costal cartilage non-displaced fracture injury.” He was another guy who was supposedly not at risk of further injuring himself by playing, but left the game after further injuring himself. Did Golden State borrow the Celtics’ training staff?

It was a weird game: nine turnovers in the first half for the Warriors, 15 in the game, and it could’ve easily been 20. In a make or miss league, it all came down to shooting, as the Warriors went 20-42 from three while the Raps went 8-32. KD’s 11 points in 12 minutes were crucial, and he lead both teams in plus/minus. Why? Because three shooters spacing the floor: one on the ball, and one on each side of the three point arc makes an offense so much harder to defend because defenses can commit to the overloaded side when there are just two great shooters. The Warriors’ lack of shooters with length when KD is out lets Toronto play their matchup zone with impunity.

Shooting is everything in the NBA now, and it’s why I want the Cavs to have a four or five-out capable offense at all times. It’s why Tristan Thompson needs to go somewhere else. It’s why I hope Larry Nance has locked himself in a gym and is working on his three ball all summer.

Also strange? Demarcus Cousins owning Serge Ibaka for four minutes in the first half and Quinn Cook owning Norman Powell in the second. The problem with Cousins is he is a very slow shooter, and he’s um, rubenesque and out of shape. He can only play 3-4 minutes at a time.

I’ve mentioned that I’m torn on this series, but I’ll admit. I didn’t want the Raptors to win tonight. I didn’t want it to be “too easy.” As this graph shows, it certainly wasn’t.

Amazing #NBAFinals game! Great shot-making by Kawhi, Steph, & Klay down the stretch. Some questionable plays by both teams in final moments, but can't ask for much more back-and-forth excitement than that! pic.twitter.com/lTSZkvKPMD

— Alok Pattani (@AlokPattani) June 11, 2019

I also just wanted a little bit more basketball. But now I’m terrified of what Ten Thosman Maniacs noted in the comment section, “Good lord they’re going to take 3-1 away from us.” So here’s hoping Kawhi doesn’t let Lowry shoot down the stretch next game.