After one of the most entertaining seasons in recent NBA history, the stage is finally set. The Toronto Raptors will attempt to dethrone the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals.
So far, this postseason has been one filled with “firsts”. This was the first time since 2005 that the playoffs haven’t include LeBron, snapping his eight-year Finals streak as well. It’s also the first time since 2014 that Golden State won’t face Cleveland in the Finals.
Toronto will also be making their first Finals appearance, capping off a dramatic and impressive playoff run.
Once the hype settles, there’s one question that will be on everyone’s mind: do the Raptors have a legitimate chance against the reigning champs?
Let’s start by breaking down both teams’ paths to the Finals.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors started the regular season with hopes set high and with a roster somehow even more menacing than previous years. The reigning back-to-back champions were aiming for a three-peat, trying to become only the sixth team to ever do it. After signing an injured “Boogie” Cousins in the offseason, Golden State entered the season as heavy favorites for the title.
Contrary to almost everyone’s expectations, the Warriors didn’t actually dominate this season.
This isn’t to say they weren’t a great team during. In fact, they still finished first in the West with a record of 57-25 and were statistically the top offensive team in the NBA. The other side of the floor was a different narrative.
Golden State finished the season ninth in defensive rating. While that isn’t awful, it’s definitely lower than expected for a team deemed by many to be the greatest ever. The Warriors had finished in the top two in that stat the past two years, so a ninth-place finish sticks out like a sore thumb. The squad routinely gave up large leads and big runs, something quite foreign to the superteam.
Of course, the Warriors do have a reason for their “struggles”. Two-time MVP Steph Curry and Draymond Green missed 13 games and 16 games respectively. DeMarcus Cousins missed half of the season too, although he hadn’t previously played a minute for the squad.
Drama found it’s way into the Golden State locker room during the season as well; another problem they had been able to avoid in previous years.
Just when the league thought Golden State was vulnerable, they reminded everyone who they were. The Warriors won 10 of their last 13 games of the regular season, grabbed the first seed, and scheduled a date with the LA Clippers in the first round of the playoffs.
Although the Clippers put up a vicious fight, snagging two wins from the Warriors, Golden State still dominated the series. This came at a cost, however, as DeMarcus Cousins went down in Game 2 with a quad injury.
In a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals, the Warriors faced the Houston Rockets in the second round. The reigning champs won the first two games, but Houston won the next two, tying it up and making the series interesting. But, of course, Golden State prevailed, taking the next two games and winning the series 4-2. Unfortunately for the Warriors, they ended up losing Kevin Durant in Game 5 to injury.
Entering the WCF without two of their starters, many people had the Warriors being upset by the Trail Blazers. However, once again, Golden State proved to everyone that they’re the best team in the world, as they somehow played even better without KD. A quick 4-0 sweep sent Portland home and punched the Golden State Warriors a ticket to their fifth straight NBA Finals.
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors began their road to the Finals by trading away their beloved All-Star DeMar DeRozan in the largest and most controversial move in franchise history. While fans mourned the loss of DeMar, they eventually realized the possibilities of this season. A top-three player in the world, in a LeBron-less East, could only mean good things.
“Good things” ended up being an understatement.
Toronto started the season on fire, holding the top spot in the East for the majority of the first half of the year. Kawhi Leonard dominated in games between his “load management,” but it was obvious that last year’s injury was still bothering him, either physically or mentally.
The Raptors soon slowed down, as injuries and load management took a slight toll on their win production. A mid-season injury to Jonas Valanciunas kept him out for 26 games, and his loss took a slender but still apparent hit to their win toll.
A mid-season trade sent JV, along with Delon Wright and CJ Miles, to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Marc Gasol. While many people originally thought the trade to heavily favor the Grizzlies, the Spaniard soon proved everyone wrong. Although his offensive production wasn’t what it once was, Marc propelled Toronto to one of the best passing teams in the league.
After the regular season concluded, the Toronto Raptors found themselves in second place in the East with a 58-24 record. The squad appeared to be a Finals contender, with newcomer Kawhi Leonard finishing the best season of his career.
Unfortunate news was released just days before the playoffs tipped off that Raptors’ defensive prodigy OG Anunoby had an emergency appendectomy, and he’d miss at least a month. Although Anunoby played a key part in their bench and defensive lineups, the Raptors were confident they could succeed without him.
That confidence soon paid off.
The Raptors faced off against the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs. Orlando absolutely shocked the entire basketball world when they upset the home Raptors in Game 1, taking a series lead. This was a much-needed wake-up call for Toronto, as they couldn’t afford to go down 0-2 at home.
Toronto quickly polished off the Magic after their loss, beating Orlando in five games.
The second round saw Toronto matching up against the talented Philadelphia 76ers. The whole series was a battle, and a Game 7 was needed to decide the victors.
As everyone and their mother saw, Kawhi Leonard hit one of the greatest shots in NBA history, nailing a buzzer-beater at the end of the fourth quarter to lift the Raptors over the 76ers.
Toronto now had only one obstacle in between them and their first Finals appearance in franchise history – the first seeded Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks came out quick, taking a commanding 2-0 lead over the Raptors at home. With their backs against the ropes, Toronto knew the odds were stacked against them. In fact, only 7% of teams in NBA history have ever overcome an 0-2 deficit. The Raptors soon joined that small group of teams.
With the support of a whole country, the Raptors were able to take both games at home, tying up the series 2-2. It was now a best-of-three series, and the Raptors had a virtual “must-win” heading back to Milwaukee. From there on, they made quick work of the Bucks, winning the next two games and taking the series 4-2.
Along with the series win came Toronto’s first ever shot at the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
NBA Finals
Two very distinct narratives will surround the 2019 NBA Finals. Will the Warriors complete the sixth three-peat ever? Or, will Toronto finally win a ring and convince Kawhi to re-sign?
Coming into the series, the Golden State Warriors are the clear favorites. While they’re down two All-Stars for at least a couple games, the team has played simply extraordinary without them. Steph Curry is back to his MVP form, and Draymond Green was leading the playoffs in blocks and assists last series. Three teams have attempted to crack the Warriors seemingly impenetrable system, and those teams only stole four games combined.
The Golden State Warriors may be too good to stop.
They thrive off of unselfishness. Steph Curry’s gravity has been one of the team’s most valuable weapons, as teams will pay an unreal (but justifiable) amount of attention to him off-ball. This allows for other shooters, like Klay Thompson, to find open shots. While Steph is arguably the most dangerous player on the floor at all times, his willingness/ability to attract attention away from the ball gives the Warriors a huge edge against every team they play.
The Toronto Raptors will need to show up every single game to stand a chance against the Warriors. Against a team so offensively gifted, they can’t afford to have any “off days”. That being said, if any team from the East could dethrone Golden State, I believe it’s Toronto.
Danny Green’s shooting slump has been widely publicized, but the Raptors were fortunate not to need him in the Milwaukee series. They won’t be so fortunate this series.
Green will be a huge X-factor for the Raptors. When the Warriors are hot, they can’t be stopped with defense. The only way to beat them is to match and exceed them offensively. Danny Green is one of the league’s top 3-and-D players, and his shooting will play a large part in the outcome of the series.
When the Warriors reach full strength, they’ll be virtually unbeatable. Although Kawhi Leonard is playing like the best player in the world right now, it’s doubtful that he could lift the Raptors over a healthy Golden State.
That being said, Golden State may not reach full strength during this series. Boogie and KD are likely to return, but it’s unlikely they’ll be 100% or even close to that. Add on the rust from sitting for a large chunk of time, and both players may not add a significant amount of help to Golden State.
The key for the Raptors will be to strike early while KD is injured. Toronto has home court advantage, and they’ll need to use it to have a chance in this series. If Toronto can play how they’ve played the past four games, with the addition of a hungry Danny Green, they may have a shot at taking the series.