"This Raptors team looks every bit the champion that I … and a whole bunch of people here at CBS Sports HQ and the broader NBA media world did not give credit to properly. These guys are obviously for real," said Reiter.
Still no sign of KD
Still recovering from a calf injury, Warriors star Kevin Durant was a no-show for Game 4 and is questionable to play at all during the NBA Finals. The Warriors will need to win the next three games in a row to pull off a comeback, and many commentators have said it won't be possible without Durant.
"It's really the only card the Warriors have left to play at this point," wrote Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said the Raptors team "appeared to be deeper, more athletic … healthier, obviously, and just looked like the better team" and called Durant the "last hope" for the Warriors.
But if the Raptors take Game 5, Reid Forgrave of CBS Sports argues that Durant's absence shouldn't leave an asterisk on the win.
"If the Raptors win this, in five games or in seven, with Kevin Durant on the court or without, you'll hear these types of sentences on overhyped sports debate television shows, mark my words: that the Raptors weren't really the best team in the NBA this season. That the Raptors never had to face the best version of the best team of this generation. That they somehow took a shortcut to win it all," he writes. "These sentences will be utter B.S."
Read more:
Raptors break the damaged Warriors to move to within one game of NBA title
Raptors use a third-quarter surge, and a whole lot of Serge, to move within a win of NBA crown
Raptors can't miss in NBA Finals — unlike the Warriors
The North takes over Oracle Arena
Amidst the sea of blue and gold, Raptors fans nonetheless had a strong presence at the Oracle. This became quite apparent as Warriors fans began to trickle out of the arena early, while Raptors fans stayed back and took over, chanting "One more win" and singing "O Canada."
"They were making it very, very clear that the Toronto Raptors had some company and it was their fan base. They showed up here in droves," said ESPN's Stephen A. Smith. "There's a few hundred of them in the house and they're very, very loud."
The #WeTheNorth takeover stunned local KRON4 reporter Jason Dumas, who tweeted, "Never seen nothing like it. This could be the lasting scene in Oracle."
Board man gets paid
There was much praise for Raptors small forward Kawhi Leonard once again, who scored 36 points during Game 4.
"This is Kawhi Leonard's time," wrote Jenkins in the San Francisco Chronicle. "With his deadly shooting and stifling defense, he has been a LeBron-like presence throughout this series, topped by his Game 4 masterpiece in the Raptors' 105-92 win at Oracle Arena."
At SB Nation, Kristain Winfield called Leonard "The Terminator" and wrote, "Leonard has always been a player who raises his game in the playoffs, when his team needs him most. But he's in a different stratosphere against a Warriors team that has no answer for him."
On TNT, O'Neal called Leonard the "second-best player in the league" — just behind LeBron James.
"This right here is the true definition of hard work. I love this kid, I love his demeanour. Never cries, never complains," the NBA legend said.
Tom Yun is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @thetomyun
Tom Yun is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star’s radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @thetomyun
from Sports - Sports Canada - Google News http://bit.ly/2I6dPdH
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June 08, 2019 at 09:41PM
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