TORONTO, Canada: Golden State star guard Stephen Curry likes how the Warriors are playing as they seek a third consecutive title starting in Thursday’s opening game of the NBA Finals against Toronto.
Chasing a fourth crown in five seasons, something no team has achieved in half a century, the Warriors enter the best-of-seven showdown with more finals experience than the Raptors, in the first final of the team’s 24-season history.
“I like the energy we’re coming in with for game one,” Curry said Wednesday. “We’ve been here before. We understand the hoopla and the pandemonium around the finals and how different things are when it comes to just the schedule and the vibe.
“We’ve seen a lot and we’ll be ready for it.”
But they aren’t dismissing the Raptors because they are newcomers to the finals.
“They have a very good team and they’re here for a reason so you can’t take them lightly just because they haven’t been here before,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. “They have our respect and we’ll come correct tomorrow.”
The Warriors are 5-0 without star forward Kevin Durant, sidelined by a right calf injury, and center DeMarcus Cousins is questionable with a torn right quadriceps muscle.
But Golden State relied on solid play from Curry — averaging 27.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists — as well as reserves and improved play from forward Draymond Green to keep their title quest on course.
“His leadership has been great,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Green. “He’s slimmer, sleeker and faster and that confidence has allowed him to be more poised on the floor.
“You’re seeing the best of Draymond right now. He’s in great condition, an unbelievably high level of play and very poised.”
Green is averaging 13.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.4 steals as well as backing up his claim to be the NBA’s best-ever defender.
“If you’re trying to do something meaningful, if you don’t have the mindset that you’re the best ever, you failed already,” Green said. “That has been my mindset since I can remember — that I am the best ever at what I do.
“That will give me a shot at being the best.”
Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard, a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, gladly bows to Green’s self-confidence.
“He should feel that way about himself,” Leonard said. “You have to come into these games confident and know what can you do on the floor. I don’t know how to just compare myself against him. I don’t really do that.
“Both bring energy to the game. We want to play defense. We want to stop the player in front of us. And that’s pretty much it.”
Having won an NBA crown and the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award in 2014 with San Antonio, Leonard has had some advice for his teammates in their NBA Finals debut.
“It’s still between the lines,” said Leonard. “You’re playing 5-on-5. We’re still playing basketball. We have a scheme. Just focus on that and don’t focus on the outside attention.”
Leonard is the playoff scoring leader at 31.2 points a game with 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists as well.
“Kawhi has played really well so you want to make it as difficult as possible on him,” Curry said. “He’s tough. He has been playing amazing this whole playoff run and really all season. He’s always at his own pace and never seems to get rushed or be in a hurry.”
Golden State figures to switch multiple players to defend Leonard.
“We have some beyond capable defenders to guard him, take on that one-on-one challenge,” Curry said. “That’s going to be important.
“We’ve had some amazing contributions from everybody on the bench. We’re going to have to play smart. Just play with confidence. We know what we’re capable of.”
Just as Curry can expect to see Leonard and plenty of other Raptors defenders.
“It just really comes to being smart and being in those situations before and knowing what’s going to happen,” Leonard said, citing years of film study and matchups.
Thompson likes rap singer Drake, a devoted Raptors fans, but will skip much of his music this week.
“If it’s one of his soft R&B songs, I’m going to skip it because I’m in kill mode right now,” Thompson said. “I’m trying to get these four games.”
Warriors seek third consecutive title while Raptors hunt for first NBA crown
Warriors seek third consecutive title while Raptors hunt for first NBA crown
- The Warriors enter the best-of-seven showdown with more finals experience than the Raptors
- But the Warriors are not dismissing the Raptors because they are newcomers to the finals
Shakib Al-Hasan shines as MI Emirates down table-toppers Desert Vipers by 4 wickets
- All-round performance helped move the team back to second in the points table
DUBAI: MI Emirates registered a composed four-wicket victory over the table toppers Desert Vipers to seal their third straight win in the DP World ILT20 Season 4 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. After a disciplined bowling performance in the first innings, MI Emirates overcame early pressure before Kieron Pollard and Shakib Al-Hasan guided the team to victory.
The Desert Vipers managed to score 124 courtesy of Dan Lawrence’s gritty 35 off 34 balls, but MI Emirates navigated a tricky chase with relative ease. With the ball, spinner Al-Hasan’s two wickets for 14 runs led the charge and kept the Vipers in check, before Zahoor Khan’s death bowling ensured the total remained below par.
In reply, MI Emirates stumbled in the powerplay and lost momentum in the middle overs, but Pollard’s 26 off 15 balls flipped the contest decisively. Even after his dismissal, Al-Hasan held firm to see the chase through, striking the winning boundary to complete a controlled four-wicket win with 15 balls to spare.
MI Emirates endured a slow powerplay as the Vipers applied sustained pressure. David Payne set the tone early, removing Jonny Bairstow (5 off 5), while Lockie Ferguson struck to dismiss Muhammad Waseem (18 off 13). They finished the powerplay with 35/2 on the board.
The batting side lost momentum through the middle overs as the Vipers bowlers tightened the screws. Nicholas Pooran (17 off 17) mounted a brief counterattack with two sixes but was trapped LBW by Lawrence. Wickets fell at regular intervals, including Tom Banton (10 off 10) being bowled by a sharp Qais Ahmad delivery.
Then, skipper Pollard swung the momentum decisively, taking Ahmad apart with a pair of sixes in the 15th over that turned the chase in MI Emirates’ favor. He was eventually dismissed by Matiullah Khan, but Al-Hasan (17* off 25) held his nerve, anchoring the finish before striking the winning boundary off Matiullah to close the chase at 124/6 in 17.3 overs.
In the first innings, the Vipers made a subdued start in the powerplay, as Chris Woakes was excellent up front, conceding just 15 runs from his three overs. Allah Ghazanfar struck the key blow by removing Max Holden (20 off 18). Fakhar Zaman (13 off 13) tried to build momentum, but the lack of boundaries and regular dots ensured the Vipers were restricted to 35/1 after six overs.
MI Emirates tightened their grip through the middle overs as Al-Hasan struck twice in a miserly spell to remove Zaman and Sam Curran (4 off 4), conceding just eight runs in two overs. Arab Gul added to the pressure by dismissing Hasan Nawaz (13 off 19), leaving the Vipers reeling after losing three wickets in as many overs and the score at 54/4 at the halfway mark of their innings.
Lawrence and Jason Roy (14 off 18) showed intent in patches, adding a cautious stand of 42 runs in 40 balls, but boundaries were scarce. Al-Hasan capped an outstanding spell, leaving the Vipers with little impetus. Khan delivered a decisive final over, finishing with two for 17, as regular wickets in the death overs ensured the Vipers were kept in check, leaving MI Emirates a manageable target of 125 to seal the chase.
Al-Hasan said: “It was a surface that suited the spinners, and the focus was on hitting the right areas consistently. I was able to do that today, which was pleasing. I’m glad it helped the team. Batting wasn’t easy on this pitch either. With so many powerful hitters in our lineup, someone needed to play the anchoring role, and I was happy to take on that responsibility to make sure we finished the chase.”
Desert Vipers stand-in skipper Curran commented: “It was another low-scoring game on a tricky surface. The pitch was slow, and facing a side like MI Emirates, who have high-quality spinners with a lot of variation, made it even tougher. Despite that, I thought our bowlers put in a strong effort. With qualification already secured, we chose to rotate the squad, and what happened to Lockie reinforces the importance of managing workloads.”
