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Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse called a questionable timeout in Game 5 of the NBA Finals with his team up six points and only three minutes left in the game. The Raptors seemed to be in a groove offensively, specifically Kawhi Leonard, who had scored the teams last eight points. Leonard seemed unstoppable, and the Raptors looked like they were going to run away with the game. All momentum was on Toronto's side. It was stopped not by a Golden State Warriors timeout, but by a Raptor's one. Basketball commentator Stephen A. Smith, never one to hold back on moves he deems mistakes, blasted Nurse for the call on First Take:
"You were about to win the championship in 3 minutes, okay?! And you disrupted it!"
—@stephenasmith on Nick Nurse calling a timeout with 3:05 left in the game pic.twitter.com/5eOOkRMLjc
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 11, 2019
Smith also pointed out that when the Warriors went on their own run, Nurse didn't call a timeout to halt the momentum. The animated commentator pointed these reasons out as the cause of the Raptors game 5 loss.
While the timeout calls were certainly questionable, it's easy to bash them in retrospect when the game is over. It's possible that Nurse calls timeout, draws up a great offensive set, and the Raptors get another basket to push the lead even higher.
Regardless, Nurse will look over his decision making and regroup for Game 6. The Raptors still have two games to go, and all they need is one win. If the team fails to win either of them, they might look back on this play as the moment the series swung in momentum.
