The Golden State Warriors will be fighting for their season as they try and even up the NBA Finals series against the Toronto Raptors. Here are three keys to victory for the team in Game 6.
Emotions will be running high as the Golden State Warriors take the court for what could be the final time this season in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. One thing’s for sure though, it will be the last time they ever do so in Oracle Arena.
The Warriors have called Oracle home for nearly 50 years and it’s been the location of some of the greatest memories in franchise history. Now, Golden State will be looking to add one more memory to its everlasting legacy.
There’s no shortage of major storylines to follow leading up to this game with the devastating injury to superstar forward Kevin Durant at the very top of the list. Durant suffered a torn Achilles during his triumphant return in Game 5 and has likely played his final game as a Warrior.
It will now be up to the rest of the Warriors team to pull their weight and win their final game at Oracle to force a winner-take-all Game 7. Can they do it? Yes, of course. This is the Warriors we’re talking about and it’s unfair to ever count them out.
But the odds will certainly be stacked against them, that’s for sure. Here are three keys to securing a victory to ensure that their championship hopes remain alive.
1. Splash Brothers
The return of Durant last game not only provided direct scoring from the 10-time NBA All-Star, but it also indirectly had an effect on the duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
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The Warriors resident “Splash Brothers” saw more open looks than in prior games as Durant drew attention from the Raptors defense and helped open up some much-needed space on the floor. But with Durant now out for good, it will be up to Curry and Thompson to make some magic happen on their own.
We certainly know they’re capable of doing so but with no room for error, the duo is going to have to play exceptionally well in Game 6. We’re talking 50-60 combined points — and even that might not be enough.
Golden State has struggled to get much going offensively from the rest of the team and it’s hard to count on any players stepping up on offensive outside of Curry and Thompson. The “Splash Brothers” put up a whopping 57 points in Game 5 but much of that could be attributed to Durant’s effect early on in the game and Toronto’s own foul trouble that forced them to give the Warriors’ shooters more space.
Unfortunately, the Warriors won’t have Durant to ease the pressure and there’s no guarantee that the Raptors get into foul trouble again. Instead, Curry and Thompson are going to have to take over the game and score enough so that Toronto has trouble keeping up.
A slow day from either would spell disaster for the Warriors and could be enough to end their season entirely. They’re definitely capable of greatness — we simply need to see that greatness in Game 6.