Golden State Warriors: Top 10 moments of the 2018-19 NBA season
6. Game 5 Finals victory keeps their season alive
Against the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals, the Warriors failed to protect home-court advantage in Games 3 and 4, resulting in a 3-1 series deficit. Game 5 took them north of the border to Scotiabank Arena, where their season was on the line and the odds certainly not in their favor.
A glimmer of hope was provided in the form of Kevin Durant, who after over a month-long absence made his return to the court. He would score 11 points in about 12 minutes and looked like the player to push Golden State over the top. Whatever good vibes may have been present in the Bay Area quickly evaporated once KD went down, left the court and was eventually diagnosed with a ruptured right Achilles.
The Dubs had played a considerable stretch of games without arguably their best player, but having him return only to fall victim to injury once again was an emotional rollercoaster. Instead of wilting into the offseason as losers of the title, they regrouped and put forth another classic showing on the biggest stage.
Golden State was led once again by its backcourt, which combined for 57 points on the night along with 12 3-point makes. It was Klay Thompson who knocked down two big shots late in the fourth, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with under a minute to play.
Overall, the Warriors would knock down 20 shots from beyond the arc, the second-most in Finals history. This was a bit of a coming-out party for a team that previously struggled against Toronto’s length, having shot just 31.5 percent from 3 in the previous two games.
For as hot as the Dubs were from downtown, the Raptors still had the ball in the final seconds with the chance to win the championship.
It was a perfectly timed double-team by Andre Iguodala that forced the ball out of Kawhi Leonard‘s hands. The ball was then rotated to Kyle Lowry in the corner, whose last-second look was met by the fingertips of Draymond Green to secure the victory for the Warriors.
The Dubs would go on to lose the series the very next game, but the way in which Golden State rebounded from heartbreak to steal Game 5 was a sight to behold. No one would’ve been shocked had the Dubs conceded defeat, but they lived to see another day by rediscovering their touch from beyond the arc.