This is the NBA Finals game 1 matchup between Toronto Raptors vs Golden State Warriors, in Scotiabank arena, the home of the Raptors. This should be an exciting NBA series, so please review our thoughts, here below.
Toronto Raptors
Toronto is after a hard-fought series against Milwaukee. Raptors managed to come back as they came through 2-0 deficit and won 4 games straight. This is 1st franchise finals and this is a great accomplishment, however, there is still a lot of work to do.
Toronto’s been playing very well past a couple of games. They are not afraid to move the basketball which products many assists. Also, Raptors are very tough defensively, they play smart and physical D which drives their opponents crazy. Their bench players started playing some good basketball. This is very good for them as almost all playoffs long Kawhi was getting it done alone. Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry made some key plays in this game 6 against the Bucks and it led Toronto to the victory. They need the same kind of intensity in this series if they want to win.
However, there is one problem for the Raptors. Leonard was playing many minutes and it took 6 games for them to take over Milwaukee. Toronto got only 4 days rest before the game 1 of the finals. This could be crucial for the long-term as the Warriors are coming rested. Toronto might not have enough fire-power to beat the Warriors.
Raptors do not have any major injuries.
Golden State Warriors
Warriors are after sweeping Blazers. Surprisingly, but since Kevin Durant got injured, Warriors have won 6 games in a row. They are looking forward to winning this series and win the 3rd straight championship.
So Golden State got rid of Portland quickly and this is really important in the playoffs. As Eastern Conference Finals took 6 games, Warriors got 9 days’ rest. Warriors needed this rest because they have 2 injured players and other players could completely heal their minor injuries. I expect Warriors to play very good, up-tempo basketball.
So far Golden State is rolling through the playoffs. They are 12-4 in the postseason and did not have any tougher series. The reason for that is that firepower that Warriors have. They have 2 all-time shooters in Klay Thompson and Steph Curry and defensive player of the year in Draymond Green. Steph is a great leader that always looks for his teammates and finds them. Draymond shows his work on the defensive end. With his vocal and physical skills, he is built for this kind of role. Following that, we see a great team with fantastic chemistry. This is a recipe to win championships.
Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins are still injured.
Golden State’s playoffs leaders: Stephen Curry (27.3ppg, 5.6apg, 6.9rpg), Klay Thompson (19.1ppg, 3.9rpg, 1.5stlpg), Draymond Green (13.6ppg, 9.9rpg, 8.2apg).
Toronto Raptors vs Golden State Warriors H2H
This is a very interesting matchup. I feel like I saw this earlier. Toronto very reminds me of 2011 NBA champions Dallas Mavericks.
2011 Mavs — played against a superteam Miami Heat with 3 all-stars in LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. Won both regular season series against them. Were underdogs to win the championship. Had one go-to guy in Dirk Nowitzki. A bunch of veteran players around Dirk.
2019 Raptors — are going to play against a superteam with 3 all-stars in Steph Curry, Klay Thompon, and Kevin Durant. Won both regular season series against them. Are underdogs to win the championship. Has one go-to guy in Kawhi Leonard. A bunch of veteran players around Kawhi.
Why am I saying this? Because I think that the Raptors are capable to pull off an upset. Leonard is having a historical playoff run, starts getting help from his teammates and also they have home-court advantage. I still predict Warriors in 6 games, but I think that Raptors are a great team and will go for the throat every time they are on the court.
Article image is taken from https://tipofthetower.com/2019/05/28/toronto-raptors-can-beat-golden-state-warriors-nba-finals/4/