Nurse: Late timeout was to provide Raptors a relaxation
Tim BontempsESPN
TORONTO — When Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse referred to as timeout with Three minutes, 5 seconds remaining and his crew main 103-97, it felt like the start of a championship celebration north of the border.
Toronto had simply gotten 10 straight factors from Kawhi Leonard to blow up into the lead after trailing for the reason that first quarter, and appeared nicely on its option to successful the primary title for the town in additional than 20 years.
However then, instantly, it wasn’t.
The Golden State Warriors ripped off three straight Three-pointers — first by Klay Thompson, then Stephen Curry after which Thompson once more — to storm again into the lead, and the Raptors missed a number of possibilities to tie or take the lead within the closing minute, falling 106-105 on Monday evening in Recreation 5 of the NBA Finals.
Golden State now will get an opportunity to push this collection to a seventh sport when these groups meet once more Thursday evening within the final sport at Oracle Enviornment, whereas Toronto can be hoping to assert that elusive closing win to clinch the title.
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“We simply got here throughout and simply determined to provide these guys a relaxation,” Nurse mentioned of the timeout. “[We] simply thought we may use the additional power push.”
In a rule that was instituted final season, groups can have solely two timeouts within the ultimate three minutes within the fourth quarter. Any further timeouts are misplaced, inflicting many coaches to name one in precisely the identical spot Nurse did Monday evening.
On this case, the Raptors discovered themselves with all of the momentum and shutting in on a championship. After it, issues fell aside.
“At the moment I felt that he most likely needed to get us some relaxation,” Leonard mentioned. “You by no means know. I imply, if we’d have gained the sport, we would not be speaking about it.”
The Raptors didn’t win the sport — and in notably ugly style.
Toronto missed 5 of its closing six photographs within the final three minutes — together with three Three-pointers — and dedicated one expensive turnover that led to Curry’s game-tying Three with 1:22 remaining. Golden State, in the meantime, bought the photographs it wanted to take the lead, after which a season-saving block by Draymond Inexperienced on Kyle Lowry’s potential championship-winning Three-pointer on the buzzer.
“It felt nice out of my hand,” Lowry mentioned. “He bought a chunk of it. That is what nice defenders do. He bought a chunk of it and we’ll proceed to have a look at it and see how we may be higher for the subsequent sport.”
Leonard, who was double-teamed on the play, defined his resolution to not take the ultimate shot.
“Nicely, I imply two guys got here up on me, I do not know if I may have gotten a shot off,” he mentioned. “It is onerous. Should you bought two guys on high of you, it’s important to attempt to discover the proper play. We ended up getting a shot within the nook, however it simply did not go off fast sufficient.”
It was a wierd finish to a wierd sport, one which noticed all of the air taken out of the world early within the second quarter when Kevin Durant planted his proper foot and fell in a heap, finally strolling off the courtroom with what was later identified as an Achilles harm.
When it occurred, it appeared some followers had been cheering Durant happening — one thing Lowry and different members of the Raptors instantly started telling them to not do. After the sport, Warriors coach Steve Kerr thanked the Raptors for doing that.
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“I believe that I do not suppose the followers knew the importance of the harm,” Lowry mentioned. “They type of simply seen he went down. On this league we’re all brothers. On the finish of the day, we’re all brothers and it is a small brotherhood and also you by no means wish to see a competitor like him go down. You do not know what the circumstances are.
“And for me it was simply, pay attention, we do not need something to ever occur like that. We do not know what’s this or that. So I simply type of — we do not need that kind of stuff. And it did not change a lot emotionally. It was simply after he went down he went down, and we bought on and completed the sport.”
That end turned out to be nothing like what anybody anticipated, nevertheless, when Leonard ripped off these 10 straight factors to energy Toronto in entrance. Scotiabank Enviornment — to not point out the tens of 1000’s of followers outdoors it, and throughout the nation that had congregated at numerous “Jurassic Parks” to observe it — erupted, and it felt just like the Raptors had been destined to recover from the end line and win the title.
The Warriors, although, reminded the world why they’ve gained two titles in a row, three of the previous 4 and made it to 5 straight NBA Finals, by taking Toronto’s greatest shot and coming proper again on the Raptors.
“I believe that at the moment, up six with three minutes to go doesn’t suggest an entire lot,” Nurse mentioned.
“You bought to maintain taking part in and getting good photographs and preserve guarding. We’ve been a extremely good close-game crew this yr, each ends of the ground. We actually guarded within the second half; we held them to 22 every quarter, and I felt good at that time.
“[We] simply wanted to make a pair extra performs.”