NBA Finals 2019: 3 Talking points from Golden State Warriors vs Toronto Raptors

Coming into this one, the Warriors knew very well that they'd have to outplay the Raptors on both ends of the floor in order to have a chance. In the backdrop of a shocking Game 1 loss on away soil, Curry and Co. were anything but nervous, after having seen it all across their Finals appearances in five consecutive years. And expectedly so, they willed past the surging Toronto squad and took Game 2 via a 109-104 win before heading back to Oakland for Games 3 and 4.

One of the highlights ocurred when Andre Iguodala nailed a dagger three in the dying moments of the game to seal the deal for his team in what was a tough night to go through in all aspects. This was their seventh straight game playing without the services of their leading scorer in Kevin Durant but the defending champs managed just fine. Raptors center Marc Gasol summed up Golden State's flow of basketball in Game 2 aptly,

"They moved the ball really well and were running freely, Once they run freely, everything opens up for them," said Gasol.

Let's take a look at a few key takeaways from this resilient bounce back win by the Warriors to even the series at one apiece.

#1 The Warriors exhibited a Champion's heart in a game marred by injuries

GSW possess all ingredients to go down as one of the most dominant dynasties in NBA history.

It has been proven time and again that the Warriors house tons of heart and resolve which takes over whenever talent and luck runs out on them.

To kick things off, Curry's body language did not show positive signs - the cause was later revealed by Coach Kerr to be 'dehydration' - as his team shot a miserable 8-28 to start the game. During the course of the game, backup center Kevon Looney found himself heading to the locker room due to a left chest contusion (did not return for the entire second half), followed by Klay Thompson coming down awkwardly on a three-point attempt down the stretch in the fourth as well.

Meanwhile, Iguodala had also crashed into an illegal screen set by Gasol and took some time off before returning to the court. Needless to say, Golden State kept fighting through consistent hits throughout the night. Despite the apparent hardships, the Splash Brothers led the team in scoring and made sure the job was done before they could tend to the wounded.

Much to the delight of the GSW camp, Cousins stepped up to contribute 11 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists during the 28 minutes he was on the court.

#2 Golden State's classic second-half surge has become a norm at this point

Double-digit leads at halftime don't mean anything.

The Golden State Warriors cannot be slept upon, especially in the third quarter and beyond when they come alive to play the best basketball of the game. This game was no different. Golden State went on a blazing 18-0 run to start the third and the contest was pretty much sealed shut at that point in time.

"Third quarter we didn't play well enough. We missed too many shots," Raptors guard Kyle Lowry said. "They got out in transition and got a little confidence going. We lost the game there."

After being behind by as far as 12 points in the first half, GSW dug deep to conjure one of their finest third quarter rallies ever. This has been a trademark for the Warriors for far too long now and we can attribute their long-lasting Finals success to such emphatic runs without a second thought.

"I think that when you get to this stage, our DNA shows up," Curry said.

After struggling to find his shooting rhythm initially, Curry ended up with a respectable total of 23 points while Klay led the team with 25 of his own.

#3 Kawhi Leonard bounced back strong but Siakam failed to show up

Kawhi was himself again after an underwhelming showing in Game 1.

Kawhi has had a huge hand in Toronto's five-game winning streak in the playoffs ever since going down 2-0 against the Bucks. The Raps managed to make good work of the champs in Game 1 despite a subpar scoring total (24 points) from The Klaw. However, as expected from playoff Leonard, he put together a game-high 34 points on 16 made free throws along with 14 rebounds for game 2.

Despite shooting 8-of-20 from the floor and 2-of-9 from beyond the arc, Kawhi made sure he got the line at regular intervals and kept the scoreboard ticking to keep his team afloat.

A major anomaly for the Raptors appeared in the form of Pascal Siakam who after scoring a game-winning 32 points in the previous one could only manage 12 points in this particular contest. He shot an unacceptable 5-of-18 from the field and 0-of-3 from the deep. Spicy P did have 8 boards and 5 dimes having played a game-high 41 minutes.