WELCOME TO THE 2019 NBA FINALS!
It's been a long, 82 game season and then some, but we're finally here! This is what the two teams will be playing for, the Larry O'Brien trophy, named after the former NBA commissioner:
First, let us remember some of the fallen.
The basketball gods show no mercy. Amen.
Now, what everyone's been waiting for.
LET'S MEET THE CHALLENGER:
Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986) is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, producer, and entrepreneur. Drake gained recognition as an actor on the teen drama television series Degrassi: The Next Generation in the early 2000s. Intent on pursuing a career in music, he left the series in 2007 after releasing his debut mixtape, Room for Improvement.
Alright, for real…
YOUR CHALLENGERS:
For the first time in franchise history, the Toronto Raptors have made it to the NBA Finals. They entered the playoffs as the 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, winning 58 games. This is a new look squad for them, as they traded star DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. Both have been as good, or really even better than advertised. Pascal Siakam has also emerged as a key starter for them, and a shoe-in for Most Improved Player of the year. Ever present is star point guard Kyle Lowry, who never saw much playoff success with the DeRozan tandem. Additionally, veteran Marc Gasol will make his first Finals appearance after a mid-season trade to the Raptors. They are coached by rookie head coach Nick Nurse, a former assistant that helped revitalize and retool their offense to what it is now. They have the defense, the offense, the depth, the hypeman, the coaching, and the superstar to round out a really great overall team. The Raptors are actually granted home court advantage to start, which is a rarity for the Finals with the Warriors in it, so they need to make the most of it.
AND NOW, THE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS:
They don't really need any introduction. For the fifth straight year, the Golden State Warriors will be in the NBA Finals, winning it in 2015, 2017, and 2018. Now, they're going for the threepeat, something we haven't seen since the Kobe/Shaq Lakers of the early 2000's. Their team is largely the same as years prior, with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant in the starting lineup. Now, they're also joined by all-star DeMarcus Cousins. However, he is coming off an Achilles tear from last year, and with a recent torn quad, he might not play this series at all. This team might be the weakest we've seen them since they started rolling, with their bench failing to deliver and some of their starters being more streaky than usual. Of course, these are the Warriors, and people like Draymond now look as good as they've ever been. But with the trouble they faced in the first and second rounds, you can't count their opponents out. We also don't know whether KD will be active for the start of the series.
Here is the US schedule:
Here is the Canadian schedule:
Who you got? Can Kawhi and the Raptors avenge the city of Toronto in professional sports? Is the Warriors machine still too great to stop?
And remember, have fun and try not to stay too salty! Ball won't lie.
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