Steve Kerr warned everyone: This was different. The Golden State Warriors coach won five championships as a player, and this was his fifth straight NBA Finals as a coach. And he said this is different from anything else you do. These are the brightest lights.
And it did feel different. The crowd was electric. Not late, not satisfied, not the rich seated in the city’s finest library: electric. The Raptors played up to it. They were up 10 at halftime, and up seven after three quarters, even with Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry struggling. The Warriors didn’t go away, though, because they are the Warriors.