In Game 4, the Warriors amassed 19 total turnovers en route to losing a game many expected them to win. The Toronto Raptors stole both games in Oracle Arena, and head back north with a commanding series lead.
The Raptors' defense has been stout all series long. It has frustrated and confused the defending champs, albeit without the services of Kevin Durant. The Raptors have used their length, double-teaming, switching, and great hustle to force the Warriors into a muddled half-court slog.
In Game 4, the Warriors' 19 turnovers killed their chances at pulling even in the series. But even while piling on the turnovers, the Warriors actually won the points-off-turnover battle 14-10, and had 32 fast break points to the Raptors' 19. On paper at least, it seemed like the turnovers were offset a bit. But because of so many wasted possessions, a Warriors' offense that thrives in space was constricted and choked until it slowed to a halt.
And while some of those turnovers were merely careless blunders from the Warriors, it was the Raptors' defense that had its fingerprints on the game all night long. Let's dive in:
DeMarcus Cousins had a horrid start to the game with three turnovers right out of the gates. This first one came as the Raptors doubled Klay Thompson, and Klay did a good job just to avoid the jump-ball. He somehow found Cousins, and with no one in front of him, Cousins put the ball on the deck. Notice how Pascal Siakam stayed low to protect the rim and, whether he was aware of it or not, stopped the pass to a cutting Andre Iguodala behind him.
Cousins putting the ball on the floor was not a threat to the Raptors, but a cutting Klay Thompson was. Also notice that Siakam didn't step up when Cousins drove, but when Cousins dished to Klay in the paint, Kyle Lowry, Danny Green, and Kawhi Leonard all converged. The ball was poked away in the traffic jam, and Danny Green had the steal.
Cousins' second turnover came on the very next possession. Boogie had the steal on defense, and dribbled it up the floor himself. He can play that point forward position and can make plays, as evidenced by his Game 2 playmaking that contributed to a Warriors' win. But while Cousins usually just dribbles up unimpeded, here, Kyle Lowry put unexpected pressure, and Danny Green poked the ball away from behind. This was just a smart play by Lowry taking advantage of Cousins, who doesn't typically have great handles, and stopping any chance at Cousins making plays and getting in a rhythm.
There's a similar theme in Cousins' third turnover in the first few minutes of the game. Left with so much space, and with the Raptors denying Stephen Curry and Thompson any perimeter passes, Cousins put the ball on the floor again. And again, the results weren't good. His injuries had clearly left him without the quickness or lift of his pre-injury, All-Star self. Marc Gasol moved his feet nicely to stay in front, and Danny Green bumped down to help for good measure. Cousins didn't have the hands or handles to make a play, and it resulted in yet another steal.
On this pick-and-roll with Kevon Looney, Curry was met by Marc Gasol at the level of the screen, not allowing any space. Curry sensed Fred VanVleet fighting over the top of the screen to come trap, and Steph instinctively threw it back high to Looney. But the errant pass was nearly stolen before Looney corralled it in. Then, with space, Looney put the ball on the floor and tried to make a play, but dribbled it out of bounds in the process. Looney is rarely called upon to make plays in this Warriors' offense, and the Raptors will thank their lucky stars every time Looney tries to dribble-drive from the perimeter.
The Raptors switched this Shaun Livingston-Steph Curry pick-and-roll, and Kawhi Leonard ended up on Curry on the perimeter. Curry used a quick change of pace to get right by Leonard and into the paint. Serge Ibaka came to help, coming off of Looney, and Danny Green started to bump down. Curry recognized Looney was open, but the momentum from his drive just forced the bad pass at Looney's feet.
This is a pass Steph can typically make–dumping it down to a big man after drawing defenders. But this is why the Raptors put all of their attention on Steph. Make him put the ball on the floor, give it up, or have to make tough plays. And while he's fully capable of doing so, he just had a sloppy pass here.
Here, Draymond caught Kyle Lowry off guard by driving to the rim. Draymond typically looked to pass from the perimeter, but with so much attention on the weak side with Curry coming off of a screen by Andrew Bogut, Draymond took advantage and drove. Gasol stepped up to meet him, but a rolling Bogut had a two-on-one for the Warriors. And typically, Draymond excels in these situations, always making the right play to either finish with the floater or lob it to the big man.
But for some reason, Draymond got caught in the middle, seemingly throwing up both a shot and a lob which Bogut couldn't control. Another play typically executed well by the Warriors' veterans that just went awry.
A weak side screen by Curry here got Thompson switched onto the smaller VanVleet. VanVleet tried to front Thompson to deny the pass, but it gave Klay position down low. Cousins started to throw it to Klay, but Gasol was all over the play, just snatching the ball away. And even if Cousins had tried to throw it down low, take a look at Kawhi starting to bump down in the paint. The Raptors were on top of their defensive rotations, and the Warriors just didn't have the playmaking to keep up.
Speaking of playmaking, with the Raptors again hugging up on Curry and Thompson, Draymond decided to just drive with all the space he had. Notice the theme here in these clips–a lot of Warriors' forwards and centers are given tons of space to operate, and the Raptors are daring them to put the ball on the floor and make plays. But the lack of secondary playmakers has killed the Warriors, and it's evidenced again here.
Draymond drove, and Siakam moved his feet to stay in front. There was poor spacing down low, as Alfonzo McKinnie was in the very spot Draymond was trying to drive to. McKinnie noticed too late and started moving to the weak side corner. But because of the poor spacing, Ibaka was able to leave McKinnie and step up to Draymond. Without an open shot or a lane, Draymond had no choice but to try to draw contact, and ended up just losing the ball. And earning a technical foul on top of it. Big momentum changers like these stopped the Warriors from going on their patented third quarter runs.
Also look at Steph's body language after the play. Even he knew that a Draymond drive trying to draw contact wasn't a preferable option on offense. But with role players not making shots, and Curry and Thompson having little room to operate, there wasn't much of a choice.
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Finally, with two minutes left and the Warriors down 12, they needed a bucket to have even the smallest sliver of hope. Curry came over to Draymond as if he was going to set a screen, then slipped it. But he also ran into Siakam in the process, taking him out of the play briefly. Draymond drove on Danny Green, and was met by Gasol in the paint. Gasol just plain ignored Bogut to patrol the rim. Bogut, meanwhile, was screening Lowry on the weak side for Iguodala in the corner.
With Gasol lurking in the paint, Draymond lofted it up to a presumably-open Iguodala. But a soft pass mixed with an aware, heads-up play by Lowry caused yet another turnover, and effectively ended any chance the Warriors had at a late comeback.
Turnovers plagued the Warriors all night long, right from the opening tip. The Raptors' suffocating defense on shooters forced other Warriors to make plays, and they just couldn't. That, mixed with some uncanny sloppiness and carelessness, lost the game for them. And while the Raptors couldn't always capitalize, scoring only 10 points off of turnovers, these turnovers are momentum-killers, and, especially at home, the Warriors love to ride momentum to go on runs.
With no momentum, a lack of playmaking, and silly mistakes, the Warriors have dug themselves into a deep, deep hole in this series. And unless something drastic changes, the Raptors' strong defense is well on its way to earning Toronto its first title in franchise history.
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