2019 NBA Finals Preview

We started this back in October. A 32 team chase for the biggest prize in all of basketball. the Larry O'Brien Trophy is up for grabs. We now have two teams left standing. One team is in the finals for the first time ever. The other is trying to add to its legacy and build up its dynasty. Its West Coast against East Coast. Lets get right into it.

It's the Western Conference Champion Golden State Warriors taking on the Eastern Conference Champion Toronto Raptors. Golden State is in it's fifth straight finals, after finishing the regular season with a 57-25. When the playoffs started, Golden State bounced the Los Angeles Clippers in six games, following it up with a six game win over the Houston Rockets in the second round. Golden State capped it off by sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers to reach the finals. The Toronto Raptors are playing in the finals for the first time ever, after finishing the regular season with a 58-24 record. When the playoffs started, Toronto beat the Orlando Magic in five in the opening round, the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games and closing out the Eastern Conference with a six game win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Toronto won both meetings during the regular season. This will be the first meeting in the NBA Finals between these two teams.

Here are the date and times for every game in this series:
May 30 9:00 pm Golden State Warriors vs. Toronto Raptors Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
June 2 8:00 pm Golden State Warriors vs. Toronto Raptors Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
June 5 9:00 pm Toronto Raptors vs. Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
June 7 9:00 pm Toronto Raptors vs. Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
June 10 9:00pm Golden State Warriors vs. Toronto Raptors Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
June 13 9:00pm Toronto Raptors vs. Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
June 16 8:00pm Golden State Warriors vs. Toronto Raptors Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario

Going into this series, Kawai Leonard is playing at a completely different level. Don't believe me? Ask Giannis Antetokounmpo, who Kawai outplayed in the six game win in the East Finals. It's not just Kawai, he's got some support. Pascal Siakam has really stepped his game up as the year went along. Siakan is starting to look like a two-way future All-Star. Marc Gasol remains that guy you always want on your team, can still bring something to the table every night. Kyle Lowry has chipped in as the playoffs went along. Toronto is being lead by Kawai, sure, but they also do have some of their role players stepping up and contributing when the time calls for it. From the other side of the ball, Toronto is built to give the Warriors difficulties. They have an outstanding defensive front line that features three Defensive Player of the Year award winners plus a second-place finish spread among three players. Toronto can be a handful for the Warriors to handle.

But Golden State is a balanced team, even without Kevin Durant in uniform. The champs showed in the last round against Portland that they can play without KD. But Toronto is a different animal. It's going to be a tough challenge. Steph Curry is still the best shooter in iall of basketball. He does have a fantastic support staff. Klay Thompson can still be dangerous, so can Draymond Green. Andre Iguodala can still be a strong force. Golden State is balanced, can shoot from anywhere and can play against anybody and any system. They can press the attack and do it without Kevin Durant. When, and if, KD comes back in this series, that takes the Warriors to an entirely different level.

There's not much more that can be said about Golden State that hasn't already been said. Toronto is a good team, but they're going up against the best. Its different going from the Bucks to the Warriors. Toronto may get a game or two at home but the Warriors are just too good.

Prediction: Warriors in 6!