With less than 30 seconds to play in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, the Warriors were desperately clinging to a two-point lead. The Raptors elected not to stop the clock with a foul, hoping their pressure and length would lead to a steal.
And if not for Golden State guard Shaun Livingston, they would have been right.
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Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam trapped Stephen Curry along the sideline with about 12 seconds remaining, and Curry lofted a dangerous pass in Livingston's direction. The ball avoided Kawhi Leonard's giant magnets and landed safely in Livingston's hands, and he kicked it over to a wide-open Andre Iguodala on the left wing.
Iguodala then launched the dagger that sealed the game, sending the battered Warriors back to Oakland with the series tied 1-1.
Iguodala deserves credit for making that 3-pointer and having the confidence to let it fly in that situation. But without Livingston, Iguodala's shot never happens.
When Curry tossed the ball toward the middle of the floor, Leonard responded like a great white shark seeing its prey floating in the ocean. Leonard jumped the pass as he has done so many times in his career, but Livingston refused to give up on the possession.
The live shot of Livingston's catch gives a slight glimpse of him beating Leonard to the ball, but this view from the baseline camera shows Leonard actually had the inside path.
"The way Shaun Livingston met that pass, I think that no one will write about that," Warriors forward Draymond Green said after Game 2. "We all got to joke amongst us of bad receivers and good receivers. I always call Kevin (Durant) a bad receiver. I always call Shaun a bad receiver. He turned into a Megatron tonight for that pass. It was big for us."
If Leonard does steal the pass, the Raptors are heading in the other direction with Leonard, Siakam, VanVleet and Danny Green above the 3-point line and only Draymond Green back in transition. It's a full-speed, four-on-one fast break with nine seconds to tie the game or go ahead with a 3-pointer. There are no guarantees the Raptors score in that situation, but the odds would have been in their favor.
That play only registers as one of Livingston's three assists in the Game 2 box score, but its impact could be felt throughout the rest of the series.
