Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Raptors 1 Win Away from Title. Will They Face Warriors' Durant?
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
June 10, 2019

Share

TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors can win their first championship and end Golden State’s quest for three in a row with one more victory.
The Raptors can do it Monday night in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, when Kevin Durant could play for the first time in the series .
Warriors coach Steve Kerr says Durant went through their full morning shootaround Monday and said his ability to play would be determined before the game. Durant, the two-time NBA Finals MVP, has been sidelined more than a month with a strained calf.
Durant spent about 25 minutes on the court before leaving toward the end of the Warriors’ shootaround session for continued treatment.
“He went through full shootaround and went back to get treatment,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We’ll list him game-time decision, but it looked good and we’ll see where it all goes.”
Golden State sure could use Durant after Toronto won both games at Oracle Arena to take a 3-1 lead. That deficit has been overcome only once in the NBA Finals, when Cleveland did it against the Warriors in 2016.

‘If we have him out there, he’ll be a threat’

Durant did not say anything as he walked past a horde of media to get toward the Warriors’ locker room.
Kerr was asked if he had any reservations about Durant’s ability if he is ultimately cleared to play in Game 5 of the finals.
“You worry about the conditioning,” Kerr said. “The skill, obviously, is undeniable and he’s a guy who can get a shot off anytime he wants. He’s been in similar situations with us where he’s had long layoffs. He’s Kevin Durant. If we have him out there, he’ll be a threat. We know that.”
On potentially the biggest night ever for Canadian basketball, the NBA announced there would be no singer for the Canadian national anthem, instead inviting all fans in the arena and across the nation to join in the singing of it.
Canada is in the throes of Raptors Fever. From Halifax on the east coast to Vancouver out west and all places in between, the excitement is beyond palpable. Hockey season is still going on, but in Canada, more people are watching the NBA than the NHL right now — and the viewership numbers on Monday night are expected to set another record.

The Craze Is Crossing Cultures

“3 down, 1 to go,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on Twitter. “Bring it home, Raptors.”


Here’s a far-from-complete list of places where “Let’s Go Raptors” chants have broken out in the last couple of days:
At a Blue Jays baseball game in Toronto, the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, on an Air Canada flight heading into Toronto, and among spectators at the PGA’s Canadian Open in nearby Hamilton, Ontario. After Rory McIlroy won that tournament, he drew cheers as he waved and wore a red Raptors jersey bearing Kyle Lowry’s name and number 7.
“Raptors in five!” McIlroy yelled.
The craze is crossing cultures, too. Before the National Ballet of Canada performed in Toronto Friday, the same night as Game 4 of the finals, the Raptors logo and “We the North” slogan were projected on the theatre curtain while the crowd took their seats. Performers in that show even taped a “Let’s Go Raptors” message and sent it to the team as the finals were getting started.
After the Raptors won Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead, two of the fans who had been cheering in Jurassic Park — the place where Raptors fans gather near the arena in downtown Toronto to watch games on big screens — immediately started the line for Monday’s Game 5.

Blue Jays Were Last Canadian Champs of a Major Sport

Angie Taylor, 33, and Tyler Seaton, 31, were more than prepared. They told The Canadian Press they had a tent, a portable grill, and some groceries to get them through Game 5.
“I understand where they’re coming from,” Lowry said. “We want them to be excited. We want them to be happy. We want them to be energetic. But we still got work to do.”

“I understand where they’re coming from. We want them to be excited. We want them to be happy. We want them to be energetic. But we still got work to do.”Kyle Lowry 
One more Raptors victory over Golden State would give Toronto its first major sports championship since baseball’s Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. That second Blue Jays victory came a few months after the Montreal Canadiens lifted the 1993 Stanley Cup. No Canadian-based team has won a championship in baseball, basketball or hockey in the years since, although Toronto FC of Major League Soccer did win the MLS Cup at home in December 2017.
Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard said the team is very aware of the countrywide support.
“I think we have been embracing it this whole time,” Leonard said. “Just enjoying the support and the energy that they’re bringing to the team.”

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Musk, Vivek Will Form Outside Group to Advise White House on Government Efficiency

DON'T MISS

Fate of Clovis Trustee Race Still Up in the Air. So Are Clovis, Sanger School Bond Measures.

DON'T MISS

Richardson Widens Lead Over Bonakdar in Nail-Biting Race for Fresno City Council

DON'T MISS

What to Know About John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Pick for CIA Director

DON'T MISS

Here Are the People Trump Has Picked for Key Positions So Far

DON'T MISS

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

DON'T MISS

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

DON'T MISS

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

DON'T MISS

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

UP NEXT

49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan Says Players’ Sideline Spat Has Been ‘Squashed’

UP NEXT

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Will Have Season-Ending Surgery on Torn Hamstring

UP NEXT

Rams’ Offensive Woes Resurface in Loss to Dolphins, Snapping Win Streak

UP NEXT

John Robinson, Successful Football Coach at USC and With the LA Rams, Has Died at 89

UP NEXT

Lakers’ Anthony Davis Sidelined by Eye Injury After Blocking Dunk Attempt

UP NEXT

Curry Scores 36, OKC Loses Holmgren to Hip Injury in Warriors’ Win Over Thunder

UP NEXT

CeeDee Lamb Throws Shade After Losing the Ball in the Sun as Jerry Jones Bristles Over Curtains

UP NEXT

Rookie Jared Verse Is a Battering Ram, Sacking QBs and Talking Trash for LA

UP NEXT

Justin Herbert Has TDs Passing and Rushing as Chargers Beat Titans for 3rd Straight Win

UP NEXT

Moody Shrugs Off 3 Missed FGs to Kick 49ers Past Buccaneers in McCaffrey’s Season Debut

What to Know About John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Pick for CIA Director

6 hours ago

Here Are the People Trump Has Picked for Key Positions So Far

6 hours ago

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

6 hours ago

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

7 hours ago

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

7 hours ago

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

7 hours ago

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

7 hours ago

US Says It Will Not Limit Israel Arms Transfers After Some Improvements in Flow of Aid to Gaza

7 hours ago

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

8 hours ago

Tulare Gang Member Gets Life Without Parole for 2022 Murders

9 hours ago

Trump Says Musk, Vivek Will Form Outside Group to Advise White House on Government Efficiency

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new “D...

5 hours ago

5 hours ago

Trump Says Musk, Vivek Will Form Outside Group to Advise White House on Government Efficiency

5 hours ago

Fate of Clovis Trustee Race Still Up in the Air. So Are Clovis, Sanger School Bond Measures.

6 hours ago

Richardson Widens Lead Over Bonakdar in Nail-Biting Race for Fresno City Council

6 hours ago

What to Know About John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Pick for CIA Director

6 hours ago

Here Are the People Trump Has Picked for Key Positions So Far

6 hours ago

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

A Fresno County man has been indicted on mail fraud charges for allegedly submitting over $300,000 in falsified disability claims using stolen identities. (GV Wire File)
7 hours ago

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

Pete Hegseth walks to an elevator for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York, Dec. 15, 2016. (AP File)
7 hours ago

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

Search

Send this to a friend