Looney is back despite broken collarbone

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney will be back for Game 4. He was injured in Game 2 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Looney suffered a broken collarbone in that game. Yet, head coach Steve Kerr said he’s going to give it a go.

Kevon Looney defending Kawhi Leonard against the Toronto Raptors in Game 2 of the NBA Finals (Getty Images)

It was believed when Looney went out in Game 2 that he would be lost for the rest of the season. Besides Looney — who will likely come off the bench in a limited role — Klay Thompson is returning, as well.

Thompson also suffered an injury in Game 2 in Toronto. He suffered a hamstring strain and missed Game 3 of the series on Wednesday night.

When Looney went down, the team was forced to get increased minutes from DeMarcus Cousins. He played well in Game 2, then disappeared in Game 3.

The Warriors also have Andrew Bogut, but he plays sparingly in a backup role. Looney played 10 minutes in Game 2 before being injured.

The 23-year-old Milwaukee, Wisconsin native made 80 appearances for the Warriors, including 24 starts. He averaged 6.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game in 18.5 minutes per game.

In the playoffs, he has made 18 appearances. He is averaging 7.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in 20.3 minutes per contest.

Stevens banned one-year, fined $50K

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

The NBA has banned Golden State Warriors minority owner Mark Stevens for one year. He was also fined $500,000.

“A team representative must be held to the highest possible standard and the conduct of Golden State Warriors investor Mark Stevens last night was beyond unacceptable and has no place in our league,” NBA VP of Communications Mike Bass said.

Basketball (Photo by Pixabay.com)

On Thursday, we reported that he was banned from the league. Also, the Warriors said earlier in the day that he would not attend anymore NBA Finals games.

Stevens shoved Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry when he was going for a loose ball. The incident happened with a little more than 10 minutes left in the contest.

Lowry was going after a loose ball out of bounds when the incident happened.

“Mr. Stevens’ behavior last night did not reflect the high standards that we hope to exemplify as an organization,” the Warriors said in a statement. “We’re extremely disappointed in his actions and, along with Mr. Stevens, offer our sincere apology to Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors organization for this unfortunate conduct. There is no place for such interaction between fans — or anyone — and players at an NBA game.”

Despite this decision, the Warriors say they are investigating the incident. The play happened at the 10:37 mark in the fourth quarter when Lowry was going after a loose ball.

Stevens — who is No. 962 of the wealthiest people in the world, according Forbes with a net worth of $2.3 billion — is a venture capitalist, who has owned a stake in the team since 2013. He took over the ownership stake after Vivek Ranadivé departed to become the majority owner of the Sacramento Kings.

NBA bans Warriors owner Mark Stevens

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

The NBA handed down a harsh punishment on Thursday to Golden State Warriors minority owner Mark Stevens. He has been banned from games moving forward.

It is not clear how long the ban is in place for. Earlier today, the Warriors said that Stevens would not attend anymore NBA Finals games.

Kyle Lowry is defended by Quin Cook against the Golden State Warriors (Getty Images)

“A team representative must be held to the highest possible standard and the conduct of Golden State Warriors investor Mark Stevens last night was beyond unacceptable and has no place in our league,” NBA VP of Communications Mike Bass said.

When the Warriors announced the punishment earlier on Thursday, the team said Stevens would not attend anymore NBA Finals games.

It was not clear if the Warriors, the league, or Stevens made that decision.

“Mr. Stevens’ behavior last night did not reflect the high standards that we hope to exemplify as an organization,” the Warriors said in a statement. “We’re extremely disappointed in his actions and, along with Mr. Stevens, offer our sincere apology to Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors organization for this unfortunate conduct. There is no place for such interaction between fans — or anyone — and players at an NBA game.”

Despite this decision, the Warriors say they are investigating the incident. The play happened at the 10:37 mark in the fourth quarter when Lowry was going after a loose ball.

Stevens — who is No. 962 of the wealthiest people in the world, according Forbes with a net worth of $2.3 billion — is a venture capitalist, who has owned a stake in the team since 2013. He took over the ownership stake after Vivek Ranadivé departed to become the majority owner of the Sacramento Kings.

Warriors minority owner punished after Lowry push

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

The Golden State Warriors lost in the NBA Finals on Wednesday night against the Toronto Raptors. While the Warriors lost, an incident in the contest may overshadow the contest.

At first, it was initially described as a fan. However, it’s now come to light that it was not a fan, who pushed Kyle Lowry when he fell into the stands going after a loss ball.

Kyle Lowry attempts to score while being defended by DeMarcus Cousins against the Golden State Warriors (Getty Images)

Warriors minority owner Mark Stevens has been identified as that courtside “fan.”

“Mr. Stevens’ behavior last night did not reflect the high standards that we hope to exemplify as an organization,” the Warriors said in a statement. “We’re extremely disappointed in his actions and, along with Mr. Stevens, offer our sincere apology to Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors organization for this unfortunate conduct. There is no place for such interaction between fans — or anyone — and players at an NBA game.”

Stevens will not be in attendance for anymore of the NBA Finals as a result of his actions. It’s not clear if this ruling was from the team — or the team — or Stevens himself.

Despite this decision, the Warriors say they are investigating the incident. The play happened at the 10:37 mark in the fourth quarter when Lowry was going after a loose ball.

Stevens — who is No. 962 of the wealthiest people in the world, according Forbes with a net worth of $2.3 billion — is a venture capitalist, who has owned a stake in the team since 2013. He took over the ownership stake after Vivek Ranadivé departed to become the majority owner of the Sacramento Kings.

Kyle Lowry was shaking his head after a courtside fan pushed him when he fell into the crowd. pic.twitter.com/5SwQv3hdnN

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 6, 2019

LeBron calls for "swift action" against Warriors investor Mark Stevens for pushing Kyle Lowry in Game 3 of the #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/Nm8aLPR7hF

— ESPN (@espn) June 6, 2019

After being shoved by a court-side fan, @Klow7 would like to see the NBA issue a lifetime ban. pic.twitter.com/ondjEfvN5L

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 6, 2019

"He reached over and put his hands on me for no reason then he said a couple vulgar words to me … hopefully they ban him from all NBA games ever."

—Kyle Lowry to @notthefakeSVP on a fan who pushed him after he fell into the crowd pic.twitter.com/2BdmdUahF8

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 6, 2019

Raptors defeat Warriors despite Curry’s career playoff high

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

Toronto became the first-team to defeat Golden State at home in three-years. The Raptors defeated the Warriors, 123-109, on Wednesday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.

The Raptors now lead the Best-of-7 Series 2-1 in the NBA Finals. The two teams will clash again on Friday night at Oracle.

Danny Green is defeated by Stephen Curry against the Golden State Warriors (Getty Images)

Toronto now has home court advantage in the series with the win.

The Warriors were without both Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson in this content. Thompson is expected to be back on Friday after suffering a hamstring strain on Sunday.

Durant — who may be back on Friday, as well — has been dealing with a calf injury since the Western Conference Semifinals against the Houston Rockets.

The Warriors have only lost three times at home in the playoffs since the 2016 NBA Finals. One was in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals when they were defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Their last loss at home was in a 95-92 loss to the Houston Rockets in May, 2018. The other was on Wednesday night against the Raptors.Their last loss at home was in a 95-92 loss to the Houston Rockets in May, 2018.

Kawhi Leonard led the team with 30 points. He also had seven rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks.

Leonard was one of six players in double-figures. Kyle Lowry had 23, while Pascal Siakam and Danny Green had 18 points each.

Marc Gasol had 17 and Fred VanVleet had 11.

The Raptors had 17 bench points. VanVleet led the bench with his aforementioned 11 points. He also had three rebounds, two assists, and three steals.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 47 points. This was the most points he ever scored in a playoff game.

Curry also had seven rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.

In addition, with Curry’s performance, he became the all-time leader in most 30-point games in NBA Finals in team history with nine. He passed Ricky Barry, who had eight.

He was one of three players in double-digits, as Draymond Green had 17 and Andre Iguodala had 11.

The Warriors had 26 bench points. Quinn Cook led the bench with nine points. He also had one rebound, two assists, and one steal.

The Raptors made 17 three-pointers in Game 3, tied for the most by any team on the road in Finals history. pic.twitter.com/qvbhBeiFPN

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 6, 2019

The Raptors are the 2nd team over the last 20 years to have all 5 starters score at least 15 points in a Finals game.

They join the Spurs, who did in Game 5 of the 2013 Finals. pic.twitter.com/nBSmmCk9CH

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 6, 2019

The Raptors take Game 3!

Toronto scored 123 points, the most the Warriors have allowed at home in the NBA Finals under Steve Kerr.

The Raptors also got 106 points from their Starting 5, the most in any playoff game in their franchise history. pic.twitter.com/UWKgCZPZbz

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 6, 2019

Warriors strike even with the Raptors with a 109-104 win

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

The Golden State Warriors scored a win in Game 2. The Warriors are now tied with the Toronto Raptors at 1-1 in the NBA Finals, as the series heads West to Oakland, California.

The Warriors won 109-105 over the Raptors on Sunday night at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. There were 20,014 fans in attendance at the game.

Klay Thompson attempts to shot against the Toronto Raptors (Getty Images)

“It was a great win. We got to go home and protect our home floor and we’ll see about all the injuries,” coach Steve Kerr said. “But I’m very proud of our team and in particular all the guys off the bench.”

Golden State gets the one game that they wanted when they fell down in Game 1. Toronto blitzed the Warriors for a win after the Western Conference champs had nine days off before Game 1.

In the third quarter, the Warriors showed that they were still the Warriors. They overcame a deficit to take the lead. This helped them secure enough of a lead to off off the Raptors late in the contest.

With the Warriors up up two points, Andre Iguodala made a game-clinching three-pointer with 5.9 seconds left.

The Raptors actually outscored the Warriors in the fourth quarter. This helped when head coach Nick Nurse with to a box and one in an attempt to take Stephen Curry out of the action.

Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney left with injuries. Golden State has already been without Kevin Durant, but he could potentially return in Game 3 or Game 4.

Curry also seemed to be under the weather, especially in the first half.

Thompson led the team with 25 points. He also had five rebounds, five assists, and one steal.

He was one of four Golden State players, who scored double-figures. Curry had 23, Draymond Green had 17, and DeMarcus Cousins had 11.

The team had 25 bench points. Quinn Cook led the bench with nine points, as he also had one rebound and one block.

Kawhi Leonard led the Raptors with 34 points. He also had 14 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block.

Leonard was one of four Toronto players, who scored in double-digits. Fred VanVleet had 17, Kyle Lowry had 13, an Pascal Siakam had 12 points.

The Raptors had 31 bench points. VanVleet led the bench with 17 points. He also had four rebounds, two assists, and three steals.

Iguodala has his biggest game in Game 6 of the Finals

June 17, 2015 1:03 AM | Written by Anthony Caruso III, Publisher

Andre Iguodala used to be the guy with the Philadelphia 76ers after Allen Iverson moved on. He would no longer be the man with the Denver Nuggets and had to be just another guy there.

A few years ago, he would sign a free agent contract with the Golden State Warriors. Now, he can forever say that he’s the Bill Russell MVP of the NBA Finals.

Andre Iguodala (Getty Images)

Iguodala came off the bench for the first time of his career this season. The former starter didn’t argue and had to know that his time was going to come to start once again.

Little did he know, it would be the final three games of the Warriors championship run. He had 25 games on Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

This was the most in any game since November 4th, 2013 against the 76ers. He had 32 points in that game against his former employer.

In the regular season, he averaged 7.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Then, in the Finals, he averaged 16.3 points and 5.8 rebounds.

Before this season, Iguodala started the first 758 games of his career.

Drought Over: Warriors crowned NBA Champs

June 17, 2015 12:26 AM | Written by Anthony Caruso III, Publisher

The Golden State Warriors are the new NBA Champions. They now follow the San Antonio Spurs, who won the championship last year.

The Western Conference dominance is back, and it could be years before it goes back to the Eastern Conference. The Warriors took home the championship following a 105-97 win at Quicken Loans Arena.

Golden State Warriors (Photo by ESPN)

They reached the mountaintop with a 4-2 series win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

There’s no doubt that this team could be something special, as they are very young. This could be one of many in the future as they are led by the Splash Brothers for the next several years.

Andre Iguodala was named the Bill Russell MVP of the NBA Finals. Yet, he only started the final three games of the series after head coach Steve Kerr decided to put Andrew Bogut on the bench.

Prior to coming into the series, the team had no NBA Finals experience. But that did not matter, as they will be taking the championship back to Oakland.

Kerr, who is a rookie head coach, is now the seventh head coach to win it in their first season. Pat Riley was the last in 1982 with the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron James, who came so close this time around, will go home without the biggest prize for the second straight year. Overall, this is the fourth time he’s lost in the Finals.

The Warriors were the best team from start to finish, and it showed. The team won 83 games in a season, which is the third most in NBA history.

They join the 1995-96 and the 1996-97 Bulls with 83 wins and the championship.

Stephen Curry, who took home his first MVP this season, also won the championship. Shaquille O’Neal was the last person to do this during the 1999-00 season.

Warriors the only team to win with small lineup

By Anthony Caruso III

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr took a huge gamble prior to Game 4. In fact, Kerr wouldn’t tell anyone about the change until tip off.

With the switch, the Warriors are the only team in NBA Finals to win a game with a starter 6’9″ or taller. Lineups were officially kept in 1970-1971.

Golden State Warriors (Getty Images)

Games 4 was the only time that they made the switch. With Andre Iguodala in the starting lineup, he would be a key factor in the Warriors blowout in Cleveland against the Cavaliers.

Kerr has not indicated whether Iggy will start again tonight. If not, Andrew Bogut will be back in the starting lineup.

Lee could be dealt to the Nets for Lopez

Sunday, June 14, 2015, 11:42 AM | Written by: Anthony Caruso III, Publisher

Golden State Warriors forward David Lee has been able to get back in their rotation during the NBA Finals. However, for months, he lost his starting position to Draymond Green.

While the NBA Finals is tied at 2 games each, Lee’s games in a Warriors jersey is numbered. According to the USA Today Sports this morning, he was almost traded at the trade deadline.

David Lee (Getty Images)

The team will hope to deal Lee in the summer time, as they look to free up cap space to re-sign Green. The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly already interested in signing Green.

Green has made less than a million dollars this season. However, he’s looking at a huge pay day in the coming months.

Lee is the only piece of the puzzle that the team would be willing to give up on, especially with his huge contract. He made $15 million this season, and is expected to make $15.4 million next year in the final year of his contract.

The former New York Knicks star could go back to the Big Apple in a proposed deal involving the Brooklyn Nets. Lee would head back to the East Coast, along with guard Brandon Rush, for Brook Lopez.

Lopez has been rumored to be traded by the Nets for a long time. In fact, his name has been talked about in traded for at least the past two years.

The deal would work under the NBA’s CBA. Plus, it would be a trade of one bad contract for another.

Lee last played in New York during the 2009-10 season.