OAKLAND, Calif. — You can never really know ahead of time when the winds in the NBA are about to shift. The Miami Heat seemed in the midst of a dynasty until the San Antonio Spurs showed, slowly, that it was at its end. The Los Angeles Lakers came upon the end of Kobe Bryant’s prime years unceremoniously against the Dallas Mavericks. The league changes slowly in the big picture and swiftly in the moment.



The Golden State Warriors have been thought to be in the middle of one of the most untouchable stretches in modern history. On Friday, that, too, was thrown into question earlier than the league may have anticipated. The Toronto Raptors took a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals with a 105-92 win in Game 4, and while the Warriors can still complete a historic comeback, they are for the first time underdogs, their backs decidedly against the wall.



If a change in wind is difficult to anticipate, Kawhi Leonard is the vane. After he hit back-to-back 3s sandwiched...