Shaun Livingston, as a member of the 2015 Golden State Warriors, knows better than most what the Dubs must try to do in the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors.
As a part of the 2015 Warriors, Livingston went through two separate playoff series — including the Finals — in which Golden State stumbled for three full games before learning how to make adjustments.
The Warriors fell behind the Memphis Grizzlies — and Marc Gasol — two games to one before figuring out the Grizzlies' puzzle in Game 4 and taking the series in six games. The Dubs did much the same thing in the 2015 Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, when that matchup was new and fresh.
This matchup with Toronto — because of Gasol's presence on the Raptors and, separately, LeBron James' departure both from the Eastern Conference and the Finals — can in many ways be compared to either of the Warriors' two toughest series in 2015.
Shaun Livingston could have made that comparison. Yet, he came up with another highly salient comparison: 2016 and the West Finals against Oklahoma City, in which the Warriors fell behind the Thunder 3-1 before taking the final three games to win the series in seven:
“You have to be quick and decisive against this team.”
Defensively, Shaun Livingston sees similarities between the Raptors and 2016 Oklahoma City squad. pic.twitter.com/RlX7WhVeyS
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) June 1, 2019
The length of the Raptors at every position — a central connection to the 2016 Thunder — gives them a physically imposing dynamic. Toronto's length is exposing the Warriors' lack of Kevin Durant, who was part of the 2016 Thunder but, more relevant to this discussion, is the one player on Golden State who can play (and shoot) over the top of his defender.
With Durant not yet ready to play in the series, the Warriors have to be smarter and more efficient. Shaun Livingston knows this, and this is why his remarks are so accurate as an assessment of what the Dubs have to do.
Golden State committed almost 20 turnovers in Game 1 and got torched in transition. These two realities speak to hesitant and foggy decision making against a sharper team which was ready and able to run the floor. The Raptors played with more clarity; the Warriors have to match — if not exceed — that clarity to give themselves a better chance in Game 2 on Sunday night in Canada.
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