They have outscored opponents by a respectable 5.7 points per 100 possessions in 63 minutes together, which is reflective of a team that erased big deficits in three of four games against Portland. (AP), NBA report backs referees, says Jimmy Butler was fouled on late plays, Enter A Name, Wait 9 Seconds, Brace Yourself, Ira Winderman: NBA's bubble basketball lessons should endure beyond Finals, Craziest KO ever?

They played 34 minutes together against the Warriors in the regular season and outscored them by 13. He has also knocked down 98 3-pointers in the finals, 12 more than any other player in history. Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! — Curry holds plenty of postseason 3-point records. The Raptors, on the other hand, reached the finals for the first time in franchise history. They easily defeated the Magic and followed that by topping the 76ers and Bucks in seven and six games, respectively. If the series gets extended, the Warriors may get the lineup of Curry, Thompson, Durant, Green and Cousins we all imagined. There is still not timetable for his return, but he has reportedly been progressing toward clearance for contact. Raptors coach Nick Nurse’s rotation could get a boost from OG Anunoby, whose emergency appendectomy has thus far cost him the entirety of the playoffs. Summary and statistics for the 2017 NBA Finals - Cavaliers vs. Warriors Leonard is the best player on the court, Siakam meets the moment in the biggest stage yet for his rising stardom, the officials let the Raptors bump Curry off his spot, and everyone on Toronto defends like hell. The Warriors even closed out the Blazers in Game 4 without Andre Iguodala, who was enjoying his annual playoff resurgence and unlocks all varieties of versatile lineups for coach Steve Kerr. Stephen Curry vs. his Finals narrative: Curry is a two-time league MVP, but the knock against him has been his perceived ineffectiveness in the Finals. More importantly, the Warriors still have Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the triumvirate that delivered the first championship in 2015 and won a record 73 regular-season games together in 2016. Green vs. adjustments: You can have the brutish guards to manhandle Curry and the long-armed wings to contend with Durant, Thompson and Iguodala, as the Raptors do with Leonard, Green and Siakam, but rarely does anyone have an answer for Green, especially when he is playing like this. There are reasons why every team is searching for the next Draymond Green and why nobody can find him — because he is one of a kind. Knowledge. That might be the long and short of how the Raptors have gotten here. Follow @brohrbach, Kawhi Leonard has a chance to be the best player in the NBA Finals again. Most folks would give the Raptors a depth advantage against most anyone, including the top-heavy Warriors, but that has not always been the case in the playoffs. By … Follow them on Twitter here.

The absence of Durant created some urgency for these Warriors, and everyone has done well to respond, right on down to a bench that once seemed like a weakness.
— Leonard and James are the only players since 2014-15 to have 10 or more playoff games with at least 30 points in a single year. They’ll be playing for their third straight title and fourth in the last five seasons. — The Raptors are the first Eastern Conference team since the 2010 Celtics to reach the NBA Finals without LeBron James on their roster.

James left the East when he signed a four-year, $153.3 million contract with the Lakers last July. (AP), Stephen Curry is still in search of his first Finals MVP. Lowry, Siakam, Ibaka and Green were all solid each time out, and the Raptors were without Gasol, who would not be acquired via trade for another few months. Jonas Jerebko scored 20 points in 33 minutes off the bench.

* Team leaders among qualified players.

They have outscored opponents by an average of five points per 100 possessions over 440 minutes in these playoffs, regardless of who else is on the court with them.

(AP), Will Kevin Durant return to dominate the NBA Finals for a third straight season? Kawhi Leonard has been fantastic for Toronto all season and especially in the postseason. The result was an outlying 113-93 loss to the undermanned Raps at Oracle Arena. A throwback game or two from Iguodala and Shaun Livingston, a few handfuls of extra possessions courtesy of Looney and some accurate sniping from Jerebko, Quinn Cook and Alfonzo McKinnie ought to be enough to keep Curry, Thompson and Green cooking, so long as they can keep Leonard from pouring water on their party. — Toronto entered the season as one of only seven NBA teams to never play for a championship. As good as Green has been, he is still a subpar shooter, and you have to wonder if Nurse will let Gasol try his hand at sagging off of him at one end and punishing him in the post on the other.

Given Leonard’s production in his lone game against the Warriors this season (37 points on 14-of-24 shooting) and his pre-ankle injury performance the last time he faced the champs in a playoff game, there is reason to believe the Raptors can play even better against Golden State’s full complement. Yet, the San Antonio Spurs led Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference finals 78-55 when Zaza Pachulia stepped under Leonard’s ankle and ended his season. The Warriors and Raptors played twice in a two-week span between Thanksgiving and Christmas, with Toronto taking both games — an overtime victory at home and a 20-point blowout in Oakland without Leonard— but the Warriors were almost unrecognizable when compared with what we have seen from them in the playoffs. In the series-swinging Games 3-5, Kawhi guarded Giannis for 112 possessions, holding one of the most dominating forces in the game to 21 points on 9-for-27 shooting and three assists against four turnovers. Likewise, Leonard sat the second game, when Durant was again great (37 points on 22 shots) but Curry, Thompson and Green combined for 26 points on 34 shots. Leonard has already accomplished the feat 11 times with the Raptors this season. Get team statistics for the Golden State Warriors vs. Toronto Raptors basketball game.

Kerr’s starters have been in flux with the injuries to Cousins, Durant and Iguodala. The Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors defeated the Portland Trail Blazers and Milwaukee Bucks in four- and six-game conference finals series, respectively. All stats provided by OptaLarry. The Raptors might also try hiding them elsewhere and getting length on Curry.

Toronto has one big counter to play in this series, with Ibaka looming as a more athletic center option. pic.twitter.com/KefieSE9xa. Bogut probably gets the call against fellow big and bulky veteran Gasol. He's averaging 35.8 points and shooting 41.7% from 3-point range in his last five games, which have all been Warriors wins. The Raptors, on the other hand, reached the finals for the first time in franchise history.

Iguodala took home Finals MVP honors in Golden State’s first championship run, and Durant has won the award each of the past two title seasons. The Bucks — owners of the East’s best offense during both the regular season and playoffs — scored a putrid 83 points per 100 possessions when Leonard was defending Antetokounmpo. That sample size has more than doubled in the playoffs, and they are as dominant as ever, outscoring opponents by 13.3 points per 100 possessions over 302 minutes in their first 16 playoff games together — more than twice as proficient as any of Golden State’s three most-used lineups. The Warriors topped the Clippers and Rockets in the first two rounds of the playoffs before advancing to the championship round with a sweep of the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference finals. This is Golden State’s fifth straight NBA Finals appearance — the most consecutive trips to the title series in a half-century — while Toronto is there for the first time. They have mostly thrown Ibaka and Siakam at the problem, but Green is often too quick or too strong for any coach’s counter. Golden State is holding out hope both can return “at some point” in the Finals, but they may not even need them. That number has now been reduced to six. Stephen Curry has taken his game to another level with Durant sidelined. You can count on Mordecai Brown’s right hand the number of players capable of being the top dog in a series against the Warriors, and Leonard might be as close to 2016 LeBron James as the league has. At least until a fed-up Durant returns to remind everyone he is the NBA’s alpha dog. They have gotten contributions from everyone on the 15-man roster at some point in these playoffs, starting 11 different players, and fourth-year center Kevon Looney in particular has been a revelation. The Korean Zombie, Classic Spy Photos Of The Week: Aborted Acura NSX With V10 Engine, Patriots MNF game vs. Broncos postponed due to another positive COVID-19 test, Stone grinding mill, fineness 20-3250 mesh, Report: Ian Rapoport suspended by NFL Network after sharing Manscaped ad on Instagram, Yahoo Fantasy protocols for COVID-19 impacted games and players this NFL season, the last time he faced the champs in a playoff game.

4 - Here are four stats on @StephenCurry30's playoff career ahead of the #NBAFinals. With him playing alongside Lowry, Green, Leonard and Siakam, the Raptors were plus-28 in 36 playoff minutes heading into Game 6 of the East finals. His ability to defend all five positions at an elite level and run the offense in either transition or the halfcourt is unmatched in the NBA. ** Led NBA.

The Raptors have stuck with the same starting lineup throughout the playoffs and really ever since Nurse supplanted Ibaka in the starting lineup with Gasol in March. That is not the landslide margin we have come to expect from the Warriors, but with two of the greatest shooters in NBA history and a peak-looking Green, Golden State has looked downright unstoppable in their five games since Durant suffered his injury. By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy. If they don’t, the Warriors can still get by with some help from their battled-tested role players.

Have a tip? That doesn’t even account for the fact that Leonard took on the burden of primarily defending Antetokounmpo after the Raptors lost the first two games to Milwaukee.
He will not play in the opener but could return during the series against Toronto. Still, a Finals MVP would add to his legacy, and the Warriors may need every bit of his legend if Durant fails to return.


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