On Thursday, the Toronto Raptors dominated the Golden State Warriors 118-109 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Pascal Siakam went off for 32 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks while Kawhi Leonard finished with 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. As well as Stephen Curry played (34 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists), he didn't get the help he needed and now his team finds themselves in a must win situation in Game 2, which tips off Sunday night in Toronto at 8:00 PM EST on ABC.
Going into this series, I said the Raptors had to defend Jurassic Park like their lives depended on it and so far they are doing just that. Granted it's only been one game, but their performance in Game 1 was very impressive. Especially when you consider the fact that they came in as two point favorites. If they are able to take a 2-0 series lead and defend Jurassic Park once again, they'll be in the driver's seat to win this series.
I hate to call games "must win" this early on in a series, but this game really does feel like one the Warriors have to get. If they go down 0-2, I don't see them winning four straight games to win the series, which means that a Game 7 is the best case scenario that they can hope for. In Game 7, you always have to pick the home team. Even if the road team is as good as the Warriors.
If the Warriors want to avoid an 0-2 hole, they first need to take much better care of the ball. In Game 1, they turned the ball over 16 times, allowing the Raptors to get out in transition. If they are as sloppy with the ball in Game 2 as they were in Game 1, they will not come out victorious.
Secondly, Stephen Curry needs to get more help. Draymond Green (10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists) and Klay Thompson (21 points and 5 rebounds) played well, but they were the only players that helped out. Andre Iguodala was quiet, Kevon Looney didn't do much, and DeMarcus Cousins was a big dud. Someone else on this Warriors team needs to step up to give Curry, Green, and Thompson the help they need.
Third, the Warriors have to do a much better job on Siakam, who ate them for lunch in Game 1. The Warriors didn't seem to know how good Siakam was, but now they can consider themselves warned. If he has a big outing in Game 2, I don't see how the Warriors win. Especially since Leonard can be expected to be more productive.
The bottom line here is the Warriors have to win Game 2 on Sunday. They cannot go down 0-2 and expect to win this series even if Kevin Durant does return for Game 3 and beyond. The Raptors are too good.
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