Raptors back to Golden State — and Curry might be, too
It’s been just shy of nine months since the Raptors stunned the sporting world by winning the NBA title in Oakland. Pascal Siakam thinks about those moments often, and will do so again on Thursday, when Toronto and the Golden State Warriors meet for the first time since June.
“You don’t really realize what you did until sometimes you sit back and think about it,” Siakam said after scoring 33 points in a win over Phoenix on Tuesday.
“It’s incredible what we did and I think most of the time when things aren’t going well you can think back: ‘We did that and we’re capable, we have the people do it (again), we have to continue to get better,’ ” Siakam said.
Thursday’s game will pit the NBA’S all-time leaders in winning percentage against each other. Steve Kerr is at .712, Nick Nurse at .706, just ahead of Phil Jackson’s .704 mark. Nurse is looking forward to the game, even if two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry makes his anticipated return to action after four months of injury rehab.
“Well, I think it’s going to be great to go to their new arena,” Nurse said. “Rumour has it that Curry’s going to make his debut, or whatever it is, re-debut. I would imagine they will be energized and the place will be excited and I hope we can get some rest and figure out a defence to stop him.”
The game won’t be at rickety-but-atmospheric old Oracle Arena. Golden State now plays at the sparkling Chase Center in San Francisco, meaning no more trips across the bridge to Oakland.
While Siakam and others will be reflecting, they also want to keep things rolling after the Phoenix victory snapped a three-game skid. “It was awesome,” but we’re on to a new season,” Kyle Lowry said.
There’s also a decent chance that one or more of the injured brigade (Fred Vanvleet, Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol, with
Gasol probably being least likely), returns to the lineup.
“There’s a lot of history there but at the end of the day it’s a regular-season game,” Siakam said.
Even if Curry, who has the second-highest career scoring average against Toronto, plays, this will be quite a different group than the proud champions of the past.
Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston are long gone. Klay Thompson is out for the season and big men Draymond Green and Kevon Looney both missed Tuesday’s game and might not play. Summer acquisition D’angelo Russell is also gone, with Canadian Andrew Wiggins looking revitalized now that he’s with a winning organization with an elite head coach.
Wiggins, who notched his first triple-double against Toronto earlier this season while still with Minnesota, handed out 10 assists on Tuesday, one off the career mark he set against the Raptors. He has scored at least 22 points in five of his nine games with the Warriors. The short-handed team might stink (the Warriors have the worst record in the NBA), with losses in seven of those outings, but Wiggins has looked good, shooting 46.5 per cent from the field, while averaging 1.7 steals and 1.6 blocks. Kerr was singing his praises after the 10-assist outing, speculating wistfully about a day when Wiggins is handling the ball, creating opportunities for Curry and Thompson.
So much has changed since last June. But that doesn’t mean Thursday’s Toronto-golden State reunion won’t be a fun one.