Six-minute monster: The Warriors' run that won Game 2
The champions cranked into overdrive with such ferocity and cold-blooded efficiency, it was as if the Toronto Raptors were unsuspectingly mugged in a dark alley after midnight.
Never mind that the Golden State Warriors implemented the theft of these NBA Finals under the bright lights of the Scotiabank Arena in front of 19,800 incredulous witnesses wearing red shirts and the stupefied daze of a crowd that just had their wallets swiped. This is what coach Steve Kerr's team does when it discovers its collective rhythm, feeding off a savage defense that clamps down with impunity, extracts turnovers and transforms them into transition artistry that douses the spirit of even the most resilient opponent.nike nfl jerseys cheap china
Golden State returns to the Bay Area having stolen home-court advantage with a 109-104 Game 2 victory. The soul-crushing 18-0 run to begin the third quarter highlighted every weapon in the Warriors' arsenal: the aforementioned crippling defense, devastating 3-point shooting and the kind of deft passing that keeps the ball moving and the defense guessing. It transformed a 59-54 halftime deficit into a commanding 72-59 lead that altered the tenor of this series.
"When we started [on that run], I was saying, 'Oh, this is good,'" Andre Iguodala said. "That's the only time I'm really happy, when I can say, 'Oh, we're doing it.' And we were doing it."
For context, understand that the Warriors trailed by 12 points in this game, on the road, and they were, again, playing without the services of Kevin Durant. They started DeMarcus Cousins, who is still working his way back from a torn quad muscle, and asked him to log 27.5 minutes. They withstood a trio of scares: when Steph Curry briefly retreated to the locker room to address flu-like symptoms or dehydration, depending on whom you asked; when Iguodala left the floor after being powdered by a stout Marc Gasol screen; and when Klay Thompson crumpled to the court after injuring his hamstring early in the fourth quarter. The hobbled Splash Brother will undergo an MRI when the team gets back to Oakland on Monday.
"Klay said he'll be fine," Kerr said after the game, "but Klay could be half-dead, and he would say he would be fine.''
With their most redoubtable players limping to the finish, the Warriors needed -- and got -- a pair of gigantic 3s from Quinn Cook to stay afloat. They needed -- and got -- some spirited cameo minutes from Andrew Bogut, who had played a grand total of 47 minutes since the start of the second round entering Sunday.china nike nfl jerseys cheap
They looked to their battered veteran, Iguodala, who was encased in ice postgame to ease the woes of multiple body parts, to seal the victory in the final seconds with a dagger 3-pointer.
