Stew Baker
Pretty much a regular
Is there enough love for Toronto now? The "elite" team who now is everybody's darling? The team whose backers moved the line from the opener of G.S. -1 to Tor. -2 juiced?
A sizable portion of this move is the reaction to Iguodala coming down on his left leg after a rebound attempt, and limping away late in the 4th qtr. A lot of this reaction though looks like hysteria. My impression after reading the available info and quotes is that Iggy will be serviceable in Gm. 2 AT THE VERY LEAST. Granted, I'm putting a lot of weight on my impression, but I'm calling it like I see it.
Another factor contributing to the move, I believe, was Durant being officially confirmed out for game 2. However, anybody paying attention practically knew that anyway. Golden State held out the possibility that he would play in Gm. 3, but this was not a favorite. They were (and still are) targeting his return for Gm. 4. So, a lot points to the move on this game being an overreaction, which lends some value to Golden State. Then, a lot of the prosperity Toronto enjoyed in Gm. 1 resulted from their success double and triple teaming Curry. The adjustments made to this will swing the value more to Golden State. Also, Cousins will be a little better, now with some playing time under his belt and with the practices which will follow, and he'll see a few more, and better minutes.
I could be wrong, but I don't think Siakam is going to hit 78% of his shots in Gm. 2. And hey, as CTG member javin alluded to in another post, its very plausible that Golden State, whose offense relies on shooting and ball movement, would have been adversely affected by their 9 days off going into Gm. 1, They won't be subject. in Gm. 2, to the rust they may have been feeling in Gm. 1.
Little things add up. I think its an error to judge a matchup on the basis of one game with its own unique set of circumstances. I have to go against the sentiment here. I think there's enough in favor of Golden State to merit a play at +2 -05. And while you're at it, throw a little on the series at -120.
A sizable portion of this move is the reaction to Iguodala coming down on his left leg after a rebound attempt, and limping away late in the 4th qtr. A lot of this reaction though looks like hysteria. My impression after reading the available info and quotes is that Iggy will be serviceable in Gm. 2 AT THE VERY LEAST. Granted, I'm putting a lot of weight on my impression, but I'm calling it like I see it.
Another factor contributing to the move, I believe, was Durant being officially confirmed out for game 2. However, anybody paying attention practically knew that anyway. Golden State held out the possibility that he would play in Gm. 3, but this was not a favorite. They were (and still are) targeting his return for Gm. 4. So, a lot points to the move on this game being an overreaction, which lends some value to Golden State. Then, a lot of the prosperity Toronto enjoyed in Gm. 1 resulted from their success double and triple teaming Curry. The adjustments made to this will swing the value more to Golden State. Also, Cousins will be a little better, now with some playing time under his belt and with the practices which will follow, and he'll see a few more, and better minutes.
I could be wrong, but I don't think Siakam is going to hit 78% of his shots in Gm. 2. And hey, as CTG member javin alluded to in another post, its very plausible that Golden State, whose offense relies on shooting and ball movement, would have been adversely affected by their 9 days off going into Gm. 1, They won't be subject. in Gm. 2, to the rust they may have been feeling in Gm. 1.
Little things add up. I think its an error to judge a matchup on the basis of one game with its own unique set of circumstances. I have to go against the sentiment here. I think there's enough in favor of Golden State to merit a play at +2 -05. And while you're at it, throw a little on the series at -120.
