The Toronto Raptors are going where they have never gone before. The NBA Finals.
Pinch me. I mean, is this really happening? Did the Raptors just storm back from a 2-0 hole in the Eastern Conference Final against the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks and hang four-straight L’s on Giannis Antetokounmpo and his mates?
Yes, yes they did. Led by MVP Kawhi Leonard’s 27 points and 17 rebounds, Toronto put the Bucks to bed in Game 6 on Saturday night in front of a raucous crowd inside, and outside, Scotiabank Arena.
For the first time in the franchise’s 24-year history, the Raptors are going to be playing for a championship. Standing in their way is two-time defending champion Golden State, the gold standard of the National Basketball Association and a team that is making its fifth consecutive appearance in the Finals. The Boston Celtics (1957-66) are the only other team in league history to achieve that feat.
WATCH: Raptors hoist Eastern Conference championship trophy after defeated Bucks in 6 games
With Game 1 of the series not scheduled to start until Thursday night in Toronto, there is plenty of time to make a prediction on how this best-of-7 is going to unfold.
NBA Finals schedule (all times ET)
- Game 1 – Thursday, May 30 at Toronto – 9 p.m.
- Game 2 – Sunday, June 2 at Toronto – 8 p.m.
- Game 3 – Wednesday, June 5 at Golden State – 9 p.m.
- Game 4 – Friday, June 7 at Golden State – 9 p.m.
- Game 5 – Monday, June 10 at Toronto – 9 p.m. (if necessary)
- Game 6 – Thursday, June 13 at Golden State – 9 p.m. (if necessary)
- Game 7 – Sunday, June 16 at Toronto – 8 p.m. (if necessary)
There is a multitude of questions that we will be discussing over the next few days around the water cooler, chief among them is the status of Warriors superstar Kevin Durant. Golden State has won all five of their games (including a four-game sweep of Portland in the West Final) since KD went down with a calf strain. Can the Warriors beat the Raptors without Durant?
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There is no sign that Leonard’s dominance on both sides of the court is going to fade but will his supporting cast — Kyle Lowry et al. (including rookie head coach Nick Nurse) — be able to handle the biggest spotlight of their careers? A lack of secondary scoring has been Toronto’s Achilles heel in their playoff losses this spring. Against G-State, all the Raps have to be on point.
Lastly, throw out the regular season head-to-head matchups between Toronto and Golden State because they mean diddley squat right now. The Raptors won both games (130-128 OT on Nov. 29, 2018 and 113-93 on Dec. 12, 2018) but Warriors stars Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins didn’t play in the first game and Leonard didn’t play in the rematch. Plus, they haven’t seen each other in more than five months.
Before the opening tip-off arrives on Thursday, I am going to pinpoint the NBA Finals X-factors, the marquee matchups, and I’ll predict which team will raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy. It should, hopefully, be a fun couple of weeks.
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