NBA Finals Game 4: Leonard takes Raptors closer to championship

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The Toronto Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors 105-92 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at the Oracle Arena on Friday, claiming their second straight away victory to lead 3-1 in the series, just one win from their first championship in franchise history.

Kawhi Leonard again carried his team with a remarkable performance, dropping 36 points, 12 rebounds and four steals.

Game 5 will take place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on June 10.

Raptors look more like champion team than Warriors

Players of the Toronto Raptors congratulate each other after they defeat the Golden State Warriors 105-92 in Game 4 of the 2019 NBA Finals at the Oracle Arena, June 7, 2019. /VCG Photo

Game 4 was more difficult for Toronto than the score difference seemed. They had lost the magic touch in the first half – Leonard was the only one who scored double-digit points (14) during that period. They trailed in rebounds (25-18), assists (15-7) and fast break points (16-6). Even Leonard missed all of his five shots in the second quarter.

If they were still the Raptors from last season, the game would have been a forgone conclusion, but they are not. The team made their way to the Finals knocking out the talented Philadelphia 76ers via a buzzer beater in Game 7 and regular season No.1 team Milwaukee Bucks. The Raptors had already gone through the toughest scenario and they know they can defeat any opponent, including the Warriors.

Serge Ibaka #9 of the Toronto Raptors dunks in Game 4 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors at the Oracle Arena, June 7, 2019. /VCG Photo

Instead of panicking, Toronto continued their usual playing style: wait for mismatches, make extra passes and score with their size advantage. The third quarter became the turning point, with Toronto thrashing Golden State 37-21. Serge Ibaka and Leonard together claimed 24 points, more than the Warriors scored altogether.

You could feel the Raptors' confidence and their control of the game growing. They knew the Warriors had to at least double team Leonard on defense even when he was simply raising the ball – so there would be open teammates. They would not rush to shoot even with open chances because, first, the Warriors were fast in first-round switching; second, the Raptors are bigger and have better athleticism so finding mismatches for easy points was a better option.

Pascal Siakam (L) and Kawhi Leonard (R) of the Toronto Raptors defend Stephen Curry (C) of the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the 2019 NBA Finals at the Oracle Arena, June 7, 2019. /VCG Photo

On defense, Toronto knew how to maximize their advantage, too. They tried to make every shot Klay Thompson took difficult, and forced Stephen Curry to step back to the 3-point line where there were bigger and stronger defenders waiting to slow him down and cut his passes. As a result, the Splash Brothers were limited in their outstanding plays, and they were never able to gain momentum.

Curry fails to respond to expectations

Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors shoots a 3-pointer in Game 4 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors at the Oracle Arena, June 7, 2019. /VCG Photo

First we must pay respect to Thompson who came back while still injured, but still claimed Golden State's highest 28 points and went six for 10 from the 3-point line. He contributed more than just being a shooter – Thompson kept using his height advantage over Kyle Lowry to make pull-up mid-range shots before Toronto decided to double team him.

By contrast, Curry though scoring 27 points, should be held responsible for Friday's loss. He struggled on offense. His three-point shooting was off and he lost his aggressiveness to the rim that he had in Game 3. Moreover, Curry's off-ball movement on the court decreased by a lot, reducing his value as a distraction to the opponent's defense.

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors at the Oracle Arena, June 7, 2019. /VCG Photo

Usually fans can defend Curry by saying he's tired – he understandably was after dropping 47 points in Game 3. However, that's not an excuse for failing to lead his team to a win, especially when his team was in a desperate situation like this and Curry is among the league's premier players. He is the difference, he is the super star, Of course he has to shoulder more than others. That's his responsibility as one of the greatest players in the league's history.

Curry was not the only one to be blamed for the lost Game 4. The other three in the Warriors' starting lineup, outside of the Splash Brothers, only scored 19 points while the team's bench unit only scored 18 points. Both were far from enough to support their core players. Such disappointing performances made today's Warriors look just like the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals.

Is the series over?

The Golden State Warriors in timeout in Game 4 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors at the Oracle Arena, June 7, 2019. /VCG Photo

In the history of the NBA Finals, there has only been one instance where a team was down in a series 3-1 and came back to win the championship. This happened in 2016 when Golden State watched the Cleveland Cavaliers come back with three consecutive wins.

Even that happened for a lot of reasons: Golden State's starting center Andrew Bogut did not play since Game 5 because of injury; Draymond Green was banned from Game 5; Golden State's Harrison Barnes became a total disaster in open shooting; Curry suffered from injury; Golden State kept falling into foul trouble in the last three games; both LeBron James and Kyrie Irving dropped so many miraculous shots. So far there's no sign for any of the above in this series.

Andre Iguodala #9 and Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors defend Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors in Game 4 of the 2019 NBA Finals at the Oracle Arena, June 7, 2019. /VCG Photo

Coach Steve Kerr does have much space for adjustments. Perhaps he should reduce the time of DeMarcus Cousins on the court after another "seriously, what is he doing" game by Boogie. Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green may be rusty with their 3-pointers, but they must shoot or the Raptors will keep closing in their defense, just like they have doing in the series.

As for when, or whether Kevin Durant will come back, there is no confirmed information on that so far and even if he returns, there's still a big question mark over how much he can help.