When the final whistle blew on Thursday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland, history was made. Not only was Game 6 of the NBA Finals the last game in the history of the stadium, but the Toronto Raptors had been crowned champions of the NBA for the first time in their franchise’s 24-year history.

The Raptors defeated the two-time reigning champion Golden State Warriors on their home court in order to claim the title.

Thursday’s game was a tense, back-and-forth affair that the Raptors never controlled. In fact, they went into the fourth and final quarter trailing Golden State by an 88-86 score.

However, they charged ahead in the fourth quarter on the backs of a dominant Kawhi Leonard, who was named Finals MVP, and the hot three-point shooting of Raptors bench guard Fred VanVleet.

Leonard was named Finals MVP after averaging 28.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. His transcendental first season in Toronto led the Raptors to heights that had never before been experienced by the team.

It was the second Finals MVP for Leonard, after he won the award in the Spurs’ 2012 championship win.

Toronto will now celebrate their title and enjoy the fruits of a fantastic season which saw them do something that was almost unimaginable just a short time ago.

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The Golden State Warriors claimed a crucial 106-105 victory over the Toronto Raptors in a do-or-die Game 5. But that doesn’t mean that all news was good news for Steve Kerr and the two-time champions.

Kevin Durant, who had been out since the Warriors’ Western Conference semi-final series against the Houston Rockets in early May, collapsed in the second quarter, clutching the same right Achilles that he had injured last month.

While no official word has been given about the exact diagnosis of his injury, sources have suggested that Golden State fears that Durant has ruptured the tendon.

Durant went down with 9:46 to go in the second quarter after having looked sharp. He had already scored 11 points on 3-5 shooting when he suffered the injury.

Durant left the arena with crutches and a walking boot on the injured leg. While his team will travel home to Oakland for Thursday night’s Game 6, Durant will head to New York for further testing and evaluation of his injury.

It remains to be seen how Durant’s injury will affect his upcoming free agency or if the Warriors rushed the forward back too soon.

In any case, despite keeping their NBA title hopes alive, it was hard for the Warriors to celebrate after Monday night’s bad news.

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The Toronto Raptors took control of Game 3 of the NBA Finals with a crucial win in Oakland on Wednesday night.

Toronto’s 123-109 win was a crucial victory that could end up defining both the series and their season.

The Warriors, who were without three important players in Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Kevan Looney, were simply left behind by the Eastern Conference Champions all night. The crowd at Oracle Arena could hardly believe that the Raptors were having their way with the two-time defending NBA Champs.

Not even Warriors point guard Steph Curry, who did his best to pull his team towards a win with a 47-point performance, could overcome the Raptors’ team attack.

All of Toronto’s starters finished with at least 17 points in the game, creating a combined offensive attack that the short-handed Warriors simply couldn’t slow down.

Kawhi Leonard, unsurprisingly, led Toronto with 30 points. He also chipped in 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

Point guard Kyle Lowry also came up big for the beasts in the East, combining 29 points with 9 assists.

The Raptors’ road win gives them a definite advantage going into the rest of the series. They will have four opportunities to win two games in order to claim the first NBA title in franchise history.

Game 4 will be held at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Friday night.

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The already-wounded Golden State Warriors are set to play on in the NBA Finals without yet another important player.

Kevon Looney, the Warriors’ backup center, is set to miss the rest of the Finals with a chest injury.

The specific injury suffered by Golden State’s young center is a costal cartilage fracture, which is a structure that connects the sternum with the rib cage.

Looney went down during the Warriors’ Game 2 win over the Raptors in Toronto and initially played through the pain. However, after a few minutes on the court, the injury became too painful and Looney retired to the bench for the rest of the matchup.

The UCLA graduate had done an effective job on both ends of the court in the Warriors’ frontcourt. He did well replacing the injured DeMarcus Cousins during much of the regular season and playoffs.

Looney’s injury means that Cousins becomes even more important for the Warriors. The star center returned from injury during Game 2 of the Finals.

Golden State will have to carry on without their young center, hoping that his absence will not affect them too severely.

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While the Golden State Warriors were thrilled to escape Toronto with a series-tying Game 2 win, their joy was tinged with concern after star shooting guard Klay Thompson was forced to leave the game early.

Thompson exited the game with 8 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter after suffering a hamstring injury. The dead-eye shooter landed awkwardly after taking a shot, injuring his hamstring.

He tried to continue in the game for a couple minutes, but eventually had to be substituted out for the remainder of the contest.

Fortunately for the Dubs, Thompson expressed confidence after Game 2 that he would be able to return and play in Game 3 on Wednesday night.

Thompson is set to undergo an MRI on his injured hamstring when the Warriors return to the Bay Area on Monday.

While the injury does not appear to be overly serious, Golden State wants to be sure that his hamstring isn’t damaged to the point where he cannot be effective on the court.

If Thompson were to miss any of the Warriors’ remaining Finals games, it would be a huge blow.

Thompson led the team with 25 points despite exiting early with injury in Game 2. On top of that, the Warriors are already without Kevin Durant, whose status for the rest of the series is up in the air.

Now, Golden State and its fans will have their fingers crossed, hoping their star shooter won’t miss any time with this hamstring injury.

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The Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors are set to do battle in the NBA Finals, which will begin on Thursday night. The Warriors, who are back-to-back winners of the title and have won 3 of the past 4 championships, will face a challenge from the upstart Raptors, who defeated the #1 seed Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Golden State is the popular choice to win, and it’s easy to see why. With a strong cast of elite talents such as Steph Curry, DeMarcus Cousins, and Klay Thompson, the Dubs can outscore any team in the league. This is without even counting Kevin Durant, whose status is up in the air for the series.

While it might be tempting to go with the Raptors and the hottest player in the league in Kawhi Leonard, I think the Golden State Warriors are set to win their third consecutive NBA Finals.

First, it’s important to take into account the weapons that Golden State has. If Durant (who has been ruled out for Game 1) is able to return, the Warriors will have three players that averaged more than 21.5 PPG during the regular season in the lineup, adding Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. In addition, the Warriors shot an absurd 49.1% from the field during the season while scoring 117.1 point per game, proving that they are an offensive juggernaut.

The Raptors simply don’t have the same scoring firepower as Golden State. Only Kawhi Leonard, who averaged 26.1 points per game, was able to break a 17 point average on the year. While they have some complimentary role players that can score in bunches like Kyle Lowry, the Warriors will have an easier time when double-teaming Leonard and leaving their unproven scorers to test their luck.

Also, it’s important to note that Golden State simply has more experience in these situations. This is the Warriors’ fifth straight Finals appearance, meaning that their players are accustomed to the high pressure situations that these games can have. For Toronto, this is uncharted territory. The franchise was established in 1995, and this is the team’s first ever trip to the NBA Finals.

I’ll bet on experience and familiarity in this case, and Golden State has a proven core of players that have handled these situations well in the past.

For these reasons, I expect the Golden State Warriors to take home the NBA Finals in 6 games. Toronto will put up a valiant fight, but the Warriors should be able to lift the Commissioner’s Trophy yet again.

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When the final whistle blew on Thursday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland, history was made. Not only was Game 6 of the NBA Finals the last game in the history of the stadium, but the Toronto Raptors had been crowned champions of the NBA for the first time in their franchise’s 24-year history.

The Raptors defeated the two-time reigning champion Golden State Warriors on their home court in order to claim the title.

Thursday’s game was a tense, back-and-forth affair that the Raptors never controlled. In fact, they went into the fourth and final quarter trailing Golden State by an 88-86 score.

However, they charged ahead in the fourth quarter on the backs of a dominant Kawhi Leonard, who was named Finals MVP, and the hot three-point shooting of Raptors bench guard Fred VanVleet.

Leonard was named Finals MVP after averaging 28.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. His transcendental first season in Toronto led the Raptors to heights that had never before been experienced by the team.

It was the second Finals MVP for Leonard, after he won the award in the Spurs’ 2012 championship win.

Toronto will now celebrate their title and enjoy the fruits of a fantastic season which saw them do something that was almost unimaginable just a short time ago.

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The Golden State Warriors claimed a crucial 106-105 victory over the Toronto Raptors in a do-or-die Game 5. But that doesn’t mean that all news was good news for Steve Kerr and the two-time champions.

Kevin Durant, who had been out since the Warriors’ Western Conference semi-final series against the Houston Rockets in early May, collapsed in the second quarter, clutching the same right Achilles that he had injured last month.

While no official word has been given about the exact diagnosis of his injury, sources have suggested that Golden State fears that Durant has ruptured the tendon.

Durant went down with 9:46 to go in the second quarter after having looked sharp. He had already scored 11 points on 3-5 shooting when he suffered the injury.

Durant left the arena with crutches and a walking boot on the injured leg. While his team will travel home to Oakland for Thursday night’s Game 6, Durant will head to New York for further testing and evaluation of his injury.

It remains to be seen how Durant’s injury will affect his upcoming free agency or if the Warriors rushed the forward back too soon.

In any case, despite keeping their NBA title hopes alive, it was hard for the Warriors to celebrate after Monday night’s bad news.

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The Toronto Raptors took control of Game 3 of the NBA Finals with a crucial win in Oakland on Wednesday night.

Toronto’s 123-109 win was a crucial victory that could end up defining both the series and their season.

The Warriors, who were without three important players in Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Kevan Looney, were simply left behind by the Eastern Conference Champions all night. The crowd at Oracle Arena could hardly believe that the Raptors were having their way with the two-time defending NBA Champs.

Not even Warriors point guard Steph Curry, who did his best to pull his team towards a win with a 47-point performance, could overcome the Raptors’ team attack.

All of Toronto’s starters finished with at least 17 points in the game, creating a combined offensive attack that the short-handed Warriors simply couldn’t slow down.

Kawhi Leonard, unsurprisingly, led Toronto with 30 points. He also chipped in 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

Point guard Kyle Lowry also came up big for the beasts in the East, combining 29 points with 9 assists.

The Raptors’ road win gives them a definite advantage going into the rest of the series. They will have four opportunities to win two games in order to claim the first NBA title in franchise history.

Game 4 will be held at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Friday night.

The post Raptors Dominate Warriors in Oakland, Take 2-1 Finals Lead appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The already-wounded Golden State Warriors are set to play on in the NBA Finals without yet another important player.

Kevon Looney, the Warriors’ backup center, is set to miss the rest of the Finals with a chest injury.

The specific injury suffered by Golden State’s young center is a costal cartilage fracture, which is a structure that connects the sternum with the rib cage.

Looney went down during the Warriors’ Game 2 win over the Raptors in Toronto and initially played through the pain. However, after a few minutes on the court, the injury became too painful and Looney retired to the bench for the rest of the matchup.

The UCLA graduate had done an effective job on both ends of the court in the Warriors’ frontcourt. He did well replacing the injured DeMarcus Cousins during much of the regular season and playoffs.

Looney’s injury means that Cousins becomes even more important for the Warriors. The star center returned from injury during Game 2 of the Finals.

Golden State will have to carry on without their young center, hoping that his absence will not affect them too severely.

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While the Golden State Warriors were thrilled to escape Toronto with a series-tying Game 2 win, their joy was tinged with concern after star shooting guard Klay Thompson was forced to leave the game early.

Thompson exited the game with 8 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter after suffering a hamstring injury. The dead-eye shooter landed awkwardly after taking a shot, injuring his hamstring.

He tried to continue in the game for a couple minutes, but eventually had to be substituted out for the remainder of the contest.

Fortunately for the Dubs, Thompson expressed confidence after Game 2 that he would be able to return and play in Game 3 on Wednesday night.

Thompson is set to undergo an MRI on his injured hamstring when the Warriors return to the Bay Area on Monday.

While the injury does not appear to be overly serious, Golden State wants to be sure that his hamstring isn’t damaged to the point where he cannot be effective on the court.

If Thompson were to miss any of the Warriors’ remaining Finals games, it would be a huge blow.

Thompson led the team with 25 points despite exiting early with injury in Game 2. On top of that, the Warriors are already without Kevin Durant, whose status for the rest of the series is up in the air.

Now, Golden State and its fans will have their fingers crossed, hoping their star shooter won’t miss any time with this hamstring injury.

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The Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors are set to do battle in the NBA Finals, which will begin on Thursday night. The Warriors, who are back-to-back winners of the title and have won 3 of the past 4 championships, will face a challenge from the upstart Raptors, who defeated the #1 seed Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Golden State is the popular choice to win, and it’s easy to see why. With a strong cast of elite talents such as Steph Curry, DeMarcus Cousins, and Klay Thompson, the Dubs can outscore any team in the league. This is without even counting Kevin Durant, whose status is up in the air for the series.

While it might be tempting to go with the Raptors and the hottest player in the league in Kawhi Leonard, I think the Golden State Warriors are set to win their third consecutive NBA Finals.

First, it’s important to take into account the weapons that Golden State has. If Durant (who has been ruled out for Game 1) is able to return, the Warriors will have three players that averaged more than 21.5 PPG during the regular season in the lineup, adding Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. In addition, the Warriors shot an absurd 49.1% from the field during the season while scoring 117.1 point per game, proving that they are an offensive juggernaut.

The Raptors simply don’t have the same scoring firepower as Golden State. Only Kawhi Leonard, who averaged 26.1 points per game, was able to break a 17 point average on the year. While they have some complimentary role players that can score in bunches like Kyle Lowry, the Warriors will have an easier time when double-teaming Leonard and leaving their unproven scorers to test their luck.

Also, it’s important to note that Golden State simply has more experience in these situations. This is the Warriors’ fifth straight Finals appearance, meaning that their players are accustomed to the high pressure situations that these games can have. For Toronto, this is uncharted territory. The franchise was established in 1995, and this is the team’s first ever trip to the NBA Finals.

I’ll bet on experience and familiarity in this case, and Golden State has a proven core of players that have handled these situations well in the past.

For these reasons, I expect the Golden State Warriors to take home the NBA Finals in 6 games. Toronto will put up a valiant fight, but the Warriors should be able to lift the Commissioner’s Trophy yet again.

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