NBA Finals Game 6 Preview: Can the Warriors pull out all the stops to force a Game 7?

We believe.

It’s the mantra that has been vivaciously coursing through the veins of this franchise for the better part of this century, who’s words still echo and ring through the halls of a stadium literally standing on its last legs.

Never since that bygone era, have those words weighed heavier than in the current dilemma the Golden State Warriors find themselves.

A 3-2 deficit is a familiar place, but this series has taken a toll unlike any playoff experience the team has had to previously endure.

Kevin Durant’s injury was as much of a spiritual blow as it was a physical one towards the Warrior’s bid for a three-peat. One look at all of the team’s responses after Game 5 would tell you everything you’d need to know about how deeply this hurt everyone and how much this organization cares about one another — from the players, to the coaches, to the front office — sports media coverage be damned.

Most outlets have been overly concerned with who to blame for Durant’s injury and most have been quick to count the Warriors out — already willing to serve Game 6 to Toronto on a silver platter.

Statistically speaking, they’re on the right side of the Vegas betting line. But when it comes to the Warriors, numbers have come to practically blur along the edges into absurdity. From the mind-boggling number of three-pointers the Splash Brothers have cashed in on a yearly basis to the season of 73 wins; from the 3-1 comeback against the Oklahoma City Thunder to the 3-2 version against the Houston Rockets; the odds and statistics have hardly been a barrier as much as they’ve been a spring board for this team — especially when the rest of the world had counted them out.

Five games in and we know what Toronto presents both offensively and defensively. This Raptors team, constructed out of miles of limb length and playmaking ability combined with a monk-like patience and resolve — the perfect antithesis to this current iteration of the Warriors — presents a hurdle that might take a little more than schematic and personnel changes to overcome.

It may just take a little bit of magic.

Whether that comes in the form of a Game 6 Klay Klassic, or another Steph gem, or even a throwback Game 7 in 2016 Draymond performance, with how banged up this team is, there may be a need for some sense of ludicrousness to ensure this series travels back to Toronto.

But if there were ever a team to bet on in conjuring up such a performance, it would have to be these Warriors. For they’ve done it time and again, no matter how many times media talking heads want to say otherwise.

The stage is set for the last game ever to be played at the hallowed grounds of Oracle. And there would be no better time to invoke the spirit of that bygone era which breathed life back into this franchise.

I believe. We believe.

Lets go Dubs!

Game Details

Who: Golden State Warriors vs Toronto Raptors (Raptors lead series 3-2)

When: Thursday, June 12, 2019 at 6:00 pm

Where: Oracle Arena — Oakland, CA

TV: ABC

Blog in the other corner: Raptors HQ

Important Notes

Draymond’s technicals

Draymond Green picked up his sixth technical of the playoffs in Game 5 and won’t be eligible to play in Game 7 should he pick up a seventh technical in Game 6 and the Warriors win. In what seems to echo the 2015-16 Finals, the team will need Green to keep his emotions in check towards the officials in order to give the Warriors a fighting chance for the remainder of the series.

Looney’s status

Kevon Looney, despite saying he wants to play in Game 6, is still listed as questionable for it. We will provide any updates the team releases in regards to his status for the game.

For those of you lucky enough to attend the game

Stay loud, proud, and standing. Give Oracle the sendoff it deserves. And for the love of god, don’t tell other people to sit down should you feel the need to rest your legs. You know who you are.