
Acceptance of what is, and of what must be, is an important life skill. The Dub Nation is getting a chance to practice ours today, after our shorthanded team dropped Game 3 of the NBA Finals to the Toronto Raptors.
Kevin Durant remains sidelined almost a month after suffering a “mild calf sprain.” Kevon Looney sustained a season-ending rib injury in Game 2. And Klay Thompson, who tweaked his hamstring the other day, was listed as questionable right up to gametime. “I don’t see myself not playing,” quoth the Klay; but alas, he is a basketball player, not a doctor or a soothsayer. He ended up sitting on the bench, in uniform but inactive, as his team went down double-digits early and never really threatened afterward.
This despite a heroic performance from Steph Curry, who poured in a career-playoff-high 47 points to go with 8 rebounds and 7 assists. But No One Does It Alone — Steph desperately needed some help on offense, and none was forthcoming; only Draymond Green (17) and Andre Iguodala (11) reached double figures.
This loss cannot be blamed entirely on the injuries. The guys who did play committed a bunch of sloppy turnovers, missed open shots, and repeatedly failed to find the Raptors’ shooters. And the Raps, to their credit, took advantage; every time the Warriors started to close the gap, Kawhi Leonard or Danny Green or Pascal Siakam or Kyle Lowry or Fred VanVleet opened it up again.
The crowd at Voodoo Two, the Nola bar where we were watching, was overwhelmingly pro-Raptors. Even the one guy in Warriors regalia was not particularly friendly; it may have been more fashion statement than statement of loyalty. I knew that Warriors haterism had become quite fashionable of late, but I was not quite prepared for the reality of it, and felt quite out of place in my bright yellow Strength in Numbers t-shirt — more and more so as my team’s chances swirled slowly down the drain.
So that happened. There is no cause for panic; the W’s have been down in playoff series before, and according to ESPN,
The good news for Golden State is that Thompson is expected to play Friday, and the Warriors are cautiously optimistic that Durant will also make his return for Game 4 at Oracle Arena.
So let us put on a happy face and go about out business, secure in the knowledge that a brighter future awaits.