The NBA FINALS
Thursday, May 30th, 2019
The Finals
New year. Same golden standard. The Warriors are back in their 5th straight NBA finals as their voracious opponents make their first ever finals appearance… the Toronto Raptors.
Recap
The Warriors got here exactly the way I expected them to. The Clippers series was closer than I may have expected and the Blazers series was over before it even began. The Warriors key turning point in the playoffs was the loss of 2X Finals MVP, Kevin Durant who has been a vital part of this Warriors core since singing with them prior to the 2017-18 Season. However, the fall of Kevin Durant marked the rise of 2X NBA MVP Steph Curry. Since Durant’s calf strain Curry has averaged 35.8 PTS, 6.6 AST, 7.6 REB. In fact against the Blazers in the WCF, Curry passed a trio of greats (Kobe, Shaq, LeBron) for the most points scored in a sweep with 146 PTS. (The most all-time). Steph is on a tear and I don’t see the Raptors slowing him down. The only person that will slow down Chef Curry’s production is his own teammate, Kevin Durant. Friendly fire at it’s finest.
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
On the other side of the court resides the Warriors playoff nightmare. You thought 4 consecutive finals against King James was a force to reckon with? He was like the calm before the storm… and the storm (Kawhi Leonard) is coming. Leonard in his debut season with the Raptors has taken them to heights former Raptor DeMar DeRozan can only dream of. “The Klaw” has shown his opponents no mercy racking up an average of 31.2 PTS, 8.8 REB, 3.8 AST, and 1.6 STL. Let’s not forget Kawhi did hit the first ever Game 7 winner in NBA history to elevate his Raptors to the ECF for the first time since 2016, then go on to win 4 straight games against Giannis Antetokounmpo, while silencing the “Greek Freak”. A job that Kawhi made look easy.
Some notable players to look out for are Kyle Lowry and fellow guard, Fred VanVleet. Lowry began the playoffs quiet (aka putting up 0 points in the Raptors infamous Game 1 loss to the Orlando Magic to start off the 2019 playoffs). VanVleet was also struggling from beyond the arc, but both of these guards flipped the switch in the ECF against the Bucks. Lowry went on to show up when the Raptors needed him the most. Here’s a look at his numbers… something Toronto hopes to see against the defending champs. As for VanVleet, I guess having a son changed the game! VanVleet was averaging 4 PPG, 25.6 FG% while shooting 19.5% from beyond the arc. His son, Frank Jr. was born on May 20th. Since then VanVleet has been averaging 16 PPG, 68%, while shooting 82.4% from beyond the arc. If the Raptors want to stand a chance against the Warriors, VanVleet needs to give this Raptors team an extra jolt from beyond the arc.
Image via Getty/Jesse D. Garrabrant
Matchups
“Darkness Rises and the Light to Meet It”
An analogy if you will… KD is the darkness, Kawhi is the light! Ya, I get it. Kevin Durant may not be playing in his third consecutive NBA Finals, however, I’m going to shed some light on his injury and give the Warriors the benefit of the doubt. Durant will be back by Game 3! There’s one of two reasons I would love to see this. The reason that Kevin Durant is even in the conversation as being the “Top Dog” in the NBA is because of his stellar performance against LeBron James and the Cavs in not one but two consecutive Finals. To put the cherry on top, he stood out the most on a team consisting of perhaps the best defender over the last 5 seasons (Draymond Green), One of the greatest shooters/offensive juggernaut (Stephen Curry), and the arguably the most under-appreciated guard in today's game (Klay Thompson). To stand out within that select few groups of players time and time again says something. Better yet, 2 NBA Finals MVP awards speak loud enough.
Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
So Kevin Durant’s name gets tossed around in the discussion as the “most talented” for one reason and one reason only: his head to head Finals matchup against King James. Two phenomenal two-way juggernauts going at it on both ends of the court. Deja Vu much? It’s Kawhi Leonard’s turn to show up and get the ultimate recognition he deserves, by beating Durant and thwarting the Warriors of a three-peat. Something Kawhi has done before to Lebron James and the 2014 Miami Heat. James went on to depart the Heat following the Finals loss to Kawhi and the Spurs. If Kawhi was to thwart the Warriors of a three-peat could we see Durant depart the bay?! Scary…
Final Take.
I hate doing this pick. I hate it. Why? I will not find peace with myself if I bet against the defending Champs. It’s too tough betting against the Warriors, especially with their lineup. I truly believe the Raptors stand a "good enough” chance against the Warriors, but “good enough” is NOT good enough! Especially with the way Steph has played over the course of Durant’s absence, I don’t see them slowing down. On the contrary, I would choose the Raptors to win this series in 7 games, however, there is not a doubt in my mind that if the Warriors were to go down 0-2, Durant should most probably suit up for Game 3 and onwards. The Warriors going down 0-2 could be a possibility as this is the first NBA Finals that the Warriors will not have home-court advantage… just saying anything is possible!
Cary Edmondson,USA TODAY Sports)
Real talk though, here’s how I see the series playing out:
Game 1:Raptors win;1-0Game 2:Warriors win;1-1Game 3:Warriors win;2-1Game 4:Raptors win;2-2Game 5:Warriors win;3-2Game 6:Warriors win;4-2The City by the Bay will hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy for the third consecutive season and Stephen Curry will win his first ever Finals MVP.
