Raptors put Eastern Conference win in the rearview with sights set on the Warriors

Marc Gasol took to the podium on Monday afternoon and immediately passed on a chance to reflect on what it means to have made the NBA Finals for the first time in his 11 seasons in the league.

“I’m not trying to reflect on it yet, to be honest,” Gasol said. “I’m not looking back. I’m looking forward and looking to the Warriors. I’m not looking back on what happened or what not. Just live in the moment.”

If the city and the fanbase have a happy to be here mentality, the Raptors as a group certainly didn’t express any of those sentiments less than 48 hours after winning the Eastern Conference Finals. Nick Nurse said he took Sunday off, allowed himself a day to soak in the win and relax, fell asleep at 8:30pm and went back to work on Monday, going through a lengthy film session to introduce them to their next opponent.

“This will be a whole other project,” Nurse said of the challenge that lies ahead. “It’s a different team that plays a different way.”

The Golden State Warriors don’t need any formal introduction. They are the two-time defending NBA champions and are making their fifth consecutive Finals appearance. During this run, they’ve lost one playoff series. That would be the 3-1 comeback by the Cavs in the 2016 NBA Finals. Even with Kevin Durant out for at least Game 1 of this series, the Warriors present an entirely different set of challenges than the Raptors have faced in the postseason. Toronto knows their defense will have to continue to perform at an elite level to have a chance in this series.

“Every game we play presents a different challenge,” Gasol said. “And there are wrinkles [to the defense], a lot of those wrinkles are new to us, not as players, but as a team. How we approach those new challenges is what defines you. Every time we’ve hit a challenge, something that was thrown at us, we’ve reacted pretty good.”

Against the Magic, the Raptors rebounded from a Game 1 loss and a late game defensive miscommunication between Gasol and Kawhi Leonard and won the next four games. Against the Sixers, the Raptors trailed 2-1 but rallied to win the series in seven. Against the Bucks, Toronto overcame a 2-0 deficit and won four straight against a Milwaukee team that had lost consecutive games just once all season heading into the series. The Raptors are a resilient team, and they know it will be important to continue their defensive identity in the Finals.

“It’s about mindset and trusting the guy next to you,” Gasol said. “Trusting your voice, trusting where you’re at on the floor. Mentally, nobody got down [against Milwaukee]. Everybody played one possession at a time, even though things weren’t going well for us at times, we grinded it out.”

Kyle Lowry listed several factors that have contributed to Toronto’s success on the defensive end. “The ability to change on the fly,” Lowry said, “and being really disciplined and committing to what we want to do.”

They’ll need to carry the connectivity and adaptability over to this series starting on Thursday.

News and notes:

Chill guy: Even though it’s Nick Nurse’s first season as an NBA head coach, he has plenty of history with Lowry as an assistant coach on Dwane Casey’s staff. Lowry was asked on Monday whether Nurse has changed this approach this season. “He’s stayed the same way in the sense of how he’s laid back and how he lets everything happen,” Lowry said. “He’s shown his fiery side when he’s needed to. It’s only been a couple times this year, only like one or two times. He’s very chill and laid back, if he starts screaming too much, he loses his voice and he can’t do it so much.” Hopefully, the Fisherman’s Friend sponsorship is paying off.

Shoot your shot: Danny Green says everyone has been texting him about his shooting slump in the postseason. “It’s hard not to think about it because everybody in the world is telling you don’t think about it,” Green said. “There’s nobody more frustrated or more critical of themselves than the player that’s actually going through it. I know fans are all like, ‘Come on, Danny.’ I want to make shots. Trust me, I’m trying.”

OG: Nurse provided a quick injury update on OG Anunoby. He’s starting to participate in contact drills but is 10 days away from returning to game action. This would put him on track for a potential return in Game 4 or Game 5 of the series.

Warriors injury update: On Monday, Steve Kerr confirmed Kevin Durant’s status for Game 1. He will be out on Thursday, while DeMarcus Cousins is listed as questionable.

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