After game one of the NBA Finals, knee jerk reactions indicated that the Golden State Warriors wouldn’t be able to win Finals games or beat the Toronto Raptors without Kevin Durant, that Steve Kerr giving DeMarcus Cousins so much playing time in his first game back from serious injury was a lapse in judgment, Andre was too badly hurt to make plays and the Warriors’ bench was too ineffective and lacking in defensive intensity to revitalize the true spirit of Strength In Numbers.
It turns out that those reactions and many of us underestimated the heart of a champion and the Warriors’ toughness, and now Golden State has stolen home court advantage with their 109-104 win at Toronto, though they are contending with multiple injuries as the series shifts to Oracle for game three.