The real deal
Warriors-Raps showdown a mighty intriguing potential playoff preview
The Raptors have been pining for the basketball spotlight for what seems like an eternity, often feeling left out when national carriers relegate the team to the worst time slots in the post-season.
It all changes Thursday night when the Golden State Warriors come to town for their first and only visit during the regular season.
With the Raptors playing so well under rookie head coach Nick Nurse and a legitimate superstar in Kawhi Leonard, who has yet, it should be noted, to hit his stride following last season’s truncated year in San Antonio, the hype around the team hasn’t been this high since the days of Vinsanity.
TNT will show the game in the U.S. when all eyes in the basketball world will be glued to this week-day tip.
“They’re going to be a great test for us,” Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson told reporters in the Bay Area. “Who knows? It might be a preview of June. They got something really special up there in Canada right now.”
Golden State left the Bay area late Wednesday morning Pacific time and were scheduled to practise at the Raptors’ former practice site at Scotiabank Arena, the same night the Leafs were playing host to the Sharks.
Thompson is bang on in his assessment on how Thursday’s tip might be an NBA finals preview.
There’s depth and versatility on the Raptors’ roster, a true go-to guy in crunch time, which hasn’t been the case with the Raptors since the days of Vince Carter, but the jury is still out on Leonard, despite his extensive resume with the Spurs.
In time, Leonard, no doubt, will round into form where he’s not dribbling the ball off his feet and into the courtside seats in money time or missing pull-up jumpers from the wing with a game on the line.
His defensive presence, length and ability to create his own shot makes Leonard unique.
The Warriors, of course, have their own stable of unique players.
Kevin Durant, when all is said and done, will be remembered in basketball history as one of the greatest scorers the game has ever seen.
When Leonard played the Warriors in Game 1 of the 2017 West final, he landed on Zaza Pachulia’s foot, a controversial play that cost Leonard the balance of the game and series with an ankle injury.
San Antonio led at the time of Leonard’s setback.
So unique is Leonard’s defensive versatility that he can defend the likes of a Durant.
When the Raptors visited Los Angeles earlier this month, Leonard sat out the game with a foot injury, depriving fans the chance of watching Leonard go toe-to-toe with LeBron James.
The Leonard-Durant is just as compelling, especially in the context of the events surrounding the SpursWarriors series.
Either way, this is big-time basketball, one of those rare occasions that creates a buzz and attention.
With LeBron moving to the Western Conference, his Lakers will come to town only once, a one-and-done scenario because no one in their right mind believes the Lakers have any shot to play for a title.
Once the Warriors get their act together, and Golden State does enter the night having won three in a row after dropping four straight, there’s no team capable of beating them in a best-of-seven series.
Houston had its chance this past spring, but the Rockets couldn’t hit threes to save their lives after they had the Warriors on the ropes.
The East remains a fourteam race with the Raptors at the top, a collection that features Boston, Philly, Milwaukee with Indiana as the wild card.
Despite their franchiserecord start, the Raptors can always shoot better and rebound better.
The missing link may involve a bench scorer who can go off at any moment.
Unless they completely implode, the Warriors are the team to beat, the two-time defending champs who would have reeled off four titles in succession had Draymond Green not been suspended in Golden State’s series versus Cleveland in 2016.
For now, the Raptors are the team to beat in the East.
And it’s why Thursday’s matchup has created so much attention.
The tip marks the first of a five-game road swing for the Warriors, who wrap up their trip in Milwaukee with a date against the Bucks on Dec. 7.
When they return home for a mini two-game homestand, the Warriors will play host to the Raptors on Dec. 12.
If there is to be another meeting it won’t arrive until June when the spotlight and intensity will be even greater.
Before they head to the Bay Area to close out their season series, the Raptors will be back in L.A., only this time their opponent will be the Clippers.
Leonard has not played in back-to-back sets.