OAKLAND – The Warriors waited until the last possible moment to rule Klay Thompson out of Wednesday night's NBA Finals showdown. Maybe that was gamesmanship. Maybe it really took until 5:46 p.m. to decide if Thompson's ailing hamstring would be worse for Game 3's wear.
At least it kept Toronto in the dark, exactly what these injury head fakes are supposed to do.
"I didn't find out until right before tip-off," Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard said. "They told us (earlier) that he was playing tonight, and that was the mindset going out on the floor, that he was playing."
While no Raptor said so directly, no Klay was a huge relief that allowed Toronto to play by a mantra written visibly in the locker room.
"Let it rip."
The Raptors were able to play confident, aggressive and free in a 123-109 victory at Oracle Arena that sets up a 2-1 lead in this best-of-seven series.
They felt comfortable attacking a severely depleted Warriors lineup, even with Steph Curry to go off for 47 points. In significant stretches, Curry was all they had.
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That was a real possibility with Kevin Durant formally ruled out Monday, Kevon Looney already done for the series and Thompson's status up in the air.
The sharpshooter's exclusion was a pregame swing that, if we're being honest, set this outcome in motion. The Warriors won without Durant and Looney in Game 2. They never got close with Thompson joining those guys on the bench.
"When you lose an All-NBA-type player in Klay, an All-Star," Raptors guard Kyle Lowry said. "It definitely changes their team."
No Thompson certainly made life easier on Leonard and Lowry, guys Thompson typically guards on the defensive end. Those two combined for 53 points on 51-percent shooting.
Raptors guard Danny Green often draws Thompson on defense, having to chase a sharpshooter most always in motion across the court. He wasn't taxed on that end, and was able to find rhythm on the other with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting beyond the arc.
Lessons on correlation versus causation prevents us from saying definitively that Thompson's absence caused these big games, but it undoubtedly had an impact on the Raptors ability to let it rip without regret.
No Thompson was freeing in many ways, but the news came with some weight.
It turned Game 3 into a must-win of sorts for Toronto, especially with a real possibility Thompson and Durant could return posthaste.
"It was a lot of pressure," Leonard said. "If one of the main guys is not playing, they can still come out and get a win. Steph played great tonight, but the win was big. I'm happy we got it. Two wins away now, and let's see where the momentum carries us."
