Golden State Warriors: Game 2 victory “strength in numbers” at its finest

The Golden State Warriors mantra since day one of their incredible dynasty has been “strength in numbers.” Never did that slogan seem truer than in their Game 2 victory over the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 NBA Finals.

To some, the Golden State Warriors are the evil dynasty that has ruled over the NBA for far too long. Some consider them to be a virtual all-star team that relies on its superstars to get the job done.

“They don’t play team basketball,” their critics have cried out. “They’re a super team.” Some claim that they play selfish basketball while others simply scoff at the talent in their starting lineup.

But for nearly five years now, the Warriors have been defined by three simple words. Three words that have become as synonymous with the franchise as the individual players that make up the team itself.

Strength in numbers.

That isn’t just a cute tagline. It isn’t a merchandising slogan. At its core, it is a cultural philosophy that has engulfed the Warriors organization for close to half a decade.

And there was no greater representation of the “strength in numbers” motto than in the team’s most recent postseason triumph.

Entering Game 2 of the 2019 NBA Finals trailing 1-0 to the Toronto Raptors, the Warriors desperately needed a victory to even up the series ahead of their return to Oakland in Game 3. But Toronto wasn’t going to make things easy for them — and neither was fate.

Already without Kevin Durant as they’ve been for weeks now and entering the game with a hobbled DeMarcus Cousins starting his first game since returning from a torn quad suffered early in the playoffs, the Warriors ran into some more unexpected injury troubles.

First, it was standout reserve Kevon Looney who exited the game in the first quarter after a hard fall defending a Kawhi Leonard drive. Looney wouldn’t return to the game after being diagnosed with a chest contusion, an injury that could keep him out of Game 3.

But when one man went down, another had to step up.

This time it was the forgotten big man of the Warriors rotation, Andrew Bogut. Bogut stepped in and scored six points in seven minutes playing valuable reserve minutes that would usually have gone to Looney.

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This was even more crucial than usual as the team’s starting center, Cousins, was still being eased back into playing time after playing just eight minutes in Game 1. But once Looney went down, Cousins stepped up as well playing 28 minutes and recording a double-double in the process.

The former Sacramento Kings center finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists as he came through clutch with some impressive play in the fourth quarter.

But Looney wasn’t the only key Warriors player to go down.

Star shooting guard Klay Thompson left the game in the fourth quarter after appearing to injure his left hamstring on an awkward fall. Thompson had been a crucial part of Golden State’s success in this game and losing him with just under eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter could have spelled disaster.

Fortunately, the backcourt duo of Quinn Cook and Shaun Livingston stepped up and got the job done. Cook was fresh off of swishing three-pointers on consecutive possessions while the veteran Livingston was able to draw a couple of fouls and play solid defense.

But perhaps no one exemplified the Warriors fighting spirit more than Andre Iguodala.

Already banged up with a leg injury entering the game, Iguodala took a hard shot to the head on a Marc Gasol screen late in the second quarter. He would briefly exit but returned for the second half and more importantly the fourth quarter.

With the Warriors leading by two and time ticking down, Iguodala found himself standing wide open at the three-point line with not a soul around him. And this wasn’t by mistake either.

After Stephen Curry nearly turned the ball over, Livingston found a wide open Iguodala on the wing. But instead of going to guard him, four Raptors players converged underneath the basket anticipating a miss.

But who could blame them?

Iguodala entered the night having shot 0-for-11 from three-point range in his previous four games. Prior to that shot, the 2015 Finals MVP had missed 13 of his last 14 attempts from long range.

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But all he needed was one to fall. With the entire Raptors team betting against him, Iguodala sunk the 27-foot jumper as the final dagger in an attempted Raptors comeback.

It wasn’t Curry who sealed the deal and it literally couldn’t have been Thompson or Durant. Draymond Green didn’t send the fans home happy and neither did Cousins who watched helplessly from underneath the basket.

It was Andre Iguodala.

When Looney went down, Bogut and Cousins stepped up their games. When Thompson hobbled off, it was Cook and Livingston who picked up the slack. And with Durant still out nursing his calf injury, Iguodala was the man who came through.

That is the true definition of “strength in numbers” and that is how the Warriors have managed to remain on top for so long.

So while the haters and the naysayers will continue to cry “all-star team” and “super team,” we will only continue to cry out three words of our own.

Strength in numbers.