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Canada may have jumped the gun a bit early in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night.
When the Toronto Raptors grabbed the lead over the Golden State Warriors courtesy of a Kawhi Leonard 3-pointer, Canadian media reportedly began to put on raincoats in the pressroom in preparation for a champagne celebration, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
In addition, Raptors personnel members began to rush family members near the floor, bracing for the possibility of a celebration.
Of course, the Warriors — trailing by six points with just over three minutes to play — then went on a 9-0 run fueled by 3-pointers from Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry to regain the lead that they would not relinquish in what ended up being a 106-105 victory.
With the win, the Warriors forced a Game 6 and ensured themselves of playing one final game at Oracle Arena on Thursday evening.
To be fair, preparing for a championship celebration is standard procedure. Moreover, with Leonard taking over and putting the Raptors up by six late in the game, it did look like Toronto was on its way to winning its first NBA title.
However, as Rudy Tomjanovich once said, never underestimate the heart of a champion.
With Kevin Durant and Kevon Looney both being knocked out of the game, the Warriors managed to dig deep and come away with what may have been the grittiest win over their current five-year run — extending the series and putting a whole lot of pressure on the Raptors going into Game 6.
