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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At the end of regulation on Saturday night at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, the crowd went wild. Why?

Well, they saw their hometown Toronto Raptors win Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals by a 100-94 final in a back-and-forth contest and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Kawhi Leonard, who was acquired last summer in a risky move by Raptors president Masai Ujiri, came through with a huge game once again to send Toronto into pandemonium.

Leonard scored 27 points and gathered 17 rebounds to lead his team to their fourth consecutive victory in the series.

Few gave the Raptors a chance after falling down 2-0 to the #1 seeded Bucks after the first two games of the conference finals. However, a scrappy, energetic team led by one of the NBA’s biggest stars was able to completely turn the series around.

Milwaukee, led by MVP frontrunner Giannis Antetokounmpo, was proven to be just too young and inexperienced to get past the resolve of the NBA’s only Canadian franchise.

The Toronto Raptors’ reward for winning the series is a date with the back-to-back champion Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. The series will begin on Thursday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland.

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After only losing 1 game in their first two playoff series, the Bucks find themselves in an unfamiliar position after the Toronto Raptors’ Game 4 win.

The Raptors took advantage of a strong night from their bench and the Milwaukee Bucks’ defensive fragility to win 120-102 in Toronto and even the Eastern Conference Finals at two games apiece.

Six players, including 3 bench players, finished with 13 or more points for Toronto, constituting a balanced team attack. Kyle Lowry, Toronto’s starting point guard, led the team with 25 points.

The real difference maker in this game was the Raptors’ bench production. Unheralded players such as Norman Powell, Serge Ibaka, and Fred VanVleet played lots of minutes on Tuesday night and provided energy and scoring off of the bench.

The Bucks were unable to take advantage of 30 Khris Middleton points and 25 from Giannis Antetokounmpo, putting them in a completely unfamiliar situation.

Milwaukee now has the chance to turn the series back in their favor in Game 5 at home. The Raptors will look to win their third consecutive game and head back to Toronto in Game 6 with a chance to clinch the series on their home court.

The next game will take place on Friday.

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It was a bittersweet Game 5 victory for the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.

The Dubs beat the Rockets 104-99 at home with the series tied at two games apiece, giving them a crucial 3-2 advantage going into Game 6 in Houston. With that being said, however, one of their superstars went down with an injury during the course of the game that could alter the entire composition of the series.

Kevin Durant, who scored 22 points before exiting, left late in the third quarter after a non-contact calf injury. After shooting a jumper over Iman Shumpert, Durant collapsed to the ground, clutching his leg.

Durant’s injury was described as a “calf strain” by the Warriors, but he is set to undergo an MRI to further examine the injury and to determine how long he’ll be out.

Klay Thompson stepped up in Durant’s absence, scoring 27 points to lead Golden State. He hit 5 of 10 three pointers and made crucial shots down the stretch to seal the Warriors’ victory.

James Harden led Houston with 31 points in his team’s loss.

Game 6 will be held at the Toyota Center on Friday night.

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Despite a surprising Boston Celtics win in Game 1 of the series, the Milwaukee Bucks have now won three consecutive games in the series with their 113-101 win on Tuesday night.

The Bucks now hold a 3-1 advantage in the series, and could move onto the Eastern Conference Finals with a win in Game 5.

On Tuesday night in Boston, the Celtics once again had no answer for MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks forward scored 39 points, leading his team to a crucial victory and giving control of the series to Milwaukee.

Antetokounmpo had a brilliantly efficient performance, taking only 22 shots from the field and scoring 39 points. The Greek superstar also collected 16 rebounds in a monster double-double performance.

Kyrie Irving led Boston with 23 points and 10 assists, but had an off shooting night once again. The point guard made only 1 of 7 shots from beyond the arc and finished 7-22 from the field.

Milwaukee will have a chance to wrap up the series on Thursday night in front of what will be an energized crowd at the Fiserv Forum.

If they win, they would qualify for the conference finals for the first time since 2001.

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Two teams facing 2-1 series deficits in the NBA conference semi-finals tied up their respective series with wins on Sunday.

The Toronto Raptors started off the day by beating the Philadelphia 76ers on their home court by a 101-96 margin.

A close game throughout was dominated by Kawhi Leonard, whose monster 39 point, 14 rebound performance pushed Toronto over the top. He made a clutch three-pointer with a minute remaining to give the Raptors a lead that they would never relinquish.

The series will move back to Canada on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, out west, the Denver Nuggets picked up a road win in Portland to tie up their series with the Blazers in another tight game. Denver triumphed by a 116-112 final.

Point guard Jamaal Murray led the Nuggets’ scoring attack with 34 crucial points. Center Nikola Jokic also did his part, scoring 21 points and gathering 12 rebounds and 11 assists.

This series will move back to the Pepsi Center on Tuesday, where Game 5 will give its winner a crucial 3-2 series edge.

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After losing Game 1 in Toronto, the Philadelphia 76ers have stormed ahead to win two consecutive games in the Eastern Conference semi-finals and take a 2-1 series lead over the Toronto Raptors.

Philadelphia returned home and blew out the Raptors by a 116-95 final score at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night.

The Sixers were fueled by a rowdy and raucous crowd that created a hostile environment for Toronto.

Center Joel Embiid had a monster performance for Philadelphia, scoring 33 points and grabbing 10 rebounds on the night. The Raptors’ Marc Gasol just couldn’t contain him inside of the paint, and Sixers fans showered Embiid with “MVP!” chants all night long.

All of Philadelphia’s starting 5 finished with double-digit points on the night. As per usual, Jimmy Butler was the number two option behind Embiid, chipping in 22 points of his own along with 9 boards and 9 assists.

Kawhii Leonard had another excellent game for the Raptors, also scoring 33, but it simply wasn’t enough to overcome an excellent team performance by the 76ers.

The series will continue with Game 4 on Saturday night in Philly.

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After suffering a surprising Game 1 loss against the 4th-seeded Boston Celtics, the Milwaukee Bucks got back on track with a Game 2 win at home by a 123-102 margin.

Three Bucks players scored 20 or more points to lead the East’s top team in the regular season to an important victory, setting them up to travel to Boston with the series tied at 1 game apiece.

As per usual, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks on Tuesday night. The MVP candidate scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in only 31 minutes of action. It was a classic Giannis game.

Khris Middleton chipped in 28 for the Bucks, and point guard Eric Bledsoe scored 21 points of his own.

Another key to Milwaukee’s victory was shutting down Kyrie Irving, who had a big game in the first matchup of the series. The Celtics point guard couldn’t even break double-digits, scoring only 9 points in Game 2.

No Celtics player broke the 20-point mark.

Game 3 will shift to the TD Garden in Boston and will take place on Friday night in a crucial game.

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The Denver Nuggets grabbed the crucial first game of their series against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night with a 121-113 win on their home court.

Despite going to seven games in their first series against the San Antonio Spurs and playing on less rest than the Blazers, the Nuggets didn’t seem to suffer any ill effects in the series opener at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

It wasn’t easy for the Nuggets, who had to withstand yet another scoring barrage from Damian Lillard. Portland’s point guard had another phenomenal game, scoring 39 points on only 21 attempts from the field.

The Nuggets’ answer to Lillard was center Nikola Jokic, who controlled the paint all night. The 23-year-old scored 37 points and gathered 9 rebounds in a dominant performance that led his team to the win.

Denver also got strong performances out of point guard Jamal Murray, who chipped in 23 points and 8 assists, and power forward Paul Millsap, who scored 19 points of his own.

The second game of the series will take place in Denver on Wednesday night.

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The Milwaukee Bucks might have been considered the favorite heading into the Eastern Conference semi-final series against the Boston Celtics, but the #4 seed took the first game of the series in a blowout win on Sunday.

Boston beat the Bucks 112-90 in Game 1 of the series at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee to take a 1-0 early advantage in the high-octane matchup.

The Celtics’ win was their fifth consecutive victory to open the playoffs after they swept the Indiana Pacers 4-0 in the first round.

Milwaukee had a rough day shooting, making only 31 of 89 shot attempts from the field, one of their worst performances of the season. The Celtics were able to slow down the Bucks’ offense and MVP frontrunner Giannis Antetokounmpo to the tune of a 7-21 shooting performance and only 24 points.

Point guard Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with a stellar 26 point and 11 assist game. Al Horford and Jayson Tatum each chipped in with solid performances of their own, adding 20 and 19 points, respectively.

Boston was considered to be an underdog going into this matchup, but their win in Game 1 gives them an advantage going forward.

Game 2 of the series will be played on Tuesday night.

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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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At the end of regulation on Saturday night at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, the crowd went wild. Why?

Well, they saw their hometown Toronto Raptors win Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals by a 100-94 final in a back-and-forth contest and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Kawhi Leonard, who was acquired last summer in a risky move by Raptors president Masai Ujiri, came through with a huge game once again to send Toronto into pandemonium.

Leonard scored 27 points and gathered 17 rebounds to lead his team to their fourth consecutive victory in the series.

Few gave the Raptors a chance after falling down 2-0 to the #1 seeded Bucks after the first two games of the conference finals. However, a scrappy, energetic team led by one of the NBA’s biggest stars was able to completely turn the series around.

Milwaukee, led by MVP frontrunner Giannis Antetokounmpo, was proven to be just too young and inexperienced to get past the resolve of the NBA’s only Canadian franchise.

The Toronto Raptors’ reward for winning the series is a date with the back-to-back champion Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. The series will begin on Thursday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland.

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After only losing 1 game in their first two playoff series, the Bucks find themselves in an unfamiliar position after the Toronto Raptors’ Game 4 win.

The Raptors took advantage of a strong night from their bench and the Milwaukee Bucks’ defensive fragility to win 120-102 in Toronto and even the Eastern Conference Finals at two games apiece.

Six players, including 3 bench players, finished with 13 or more points for Toronto, constituting a balanced team attack. Kyle Lowry, Toronto’s starting point guard, led the team with 25 points.

The real difference maker in this game was the Raptors’ bench production. Unheralded players such as Norman Powell, Serge Ibaka, and Fred VanVleet played lots of minutes on Tuesday night and provided energy and scoring off of the bench.

The Bucks were unable to take advantage of 30 Khris Middleton points and 25 from Giannis Antetokounmpo, putting them in a completely unfamiliar situation.

Milwaukee now has the chance to turn the series back in their favor in Game 5 at home. The Raptors will look to win their third consecutive game and head back to Toronto in Game 6 with a chance to clinch the series on their home court.

The next game will take place on Friday.

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It was a bittersweet Game 5 victory for the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.

The Dubs beat the Rockets 104-99 at home with the series tied at two games apiece, giving them a crucial 3-2 advantage going into Game 6 in Houston. With that being said, however, one of their superstars went down with an injury during the course of the game that could alter the entire composition of the series.

Kevin Durant, who scored 22 points before exiting, left late in the third quarter after a non-contact calf injury. After shooting a jumper over Iman Shumpert, Durant collapsed to the ground, clutching his leg.

Durant’s injury was described as a “calf strain” by the Warriors, but he is set to undergo an MRI to further examine the injury and to determine how long he’ll be out.

Klay Thompson stepped up in Durant’s absence, scoring 27 points to lead Golden State. He hit 5 of 10 three pointers and made crucial shots down the stretch to seal the Warriors’ victory.

James Harden led Houston with 31 points in his team’s loss.

Game 6 will be held at the Toyota Center on Friday night.

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Despite a surprising Boston Celtics win in Game 1 of the series, the Milwaukee Bucks have now won three consecutive games in the series with their 113-101 win on Tuesday night.

The Bucks now hold a 3-1 advantage in the series, and could move onto the Eastern Conference Finals with a win in Game 5.

On Tuesday night in Boston, the Celtics once again had no answer for MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks forward scored 39 points, leading his team to a crucial victory and giving control of the series to Milwaukee.

Antetokounmpo had a brilliantly efficient performance, taking only 22 shots from the field and scoring 39 points. The Greek superstar also collected 16 rebounds in a monster double-double performance.

Kyrie Irving led Boston with 23 points and 10 assists, but had an off shooting night once again. The point guard made only 1 of 7 shots from beyond the arc and finished 7-22 from the field.

Milwaukee will have a chance to wrap up the series on Thursday night in front of what will be an energized crowd at the Fiserv Forum.

If they win, they would qualify for the conference finals for the first time since 2001.

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Two teams facing 2-1 series deficits in the NBA conference semi-finals tied up their respective series with wins on Sunday.

The Toronto Raptors started off the day by beating the Philadelphia 76ers on their home court by a 101-96 margin.

A close game throughout was dominated by Kawhi Leonard, whose monster 39 point, 14 rebound performance pushed Toronto over the top. He made a clutch three-pointer with a minute remaining to give the Raptors a lead that they would never relinquish.

The series will move back to Canada on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, out west, the Denver Nuggets picked up a road win in Portland to tie up their series with the Blazers in another tight game. Denver triumphed by a 116-112 final.

Point guard Jamaal Murray led the Nuggets’ scoring attack with 34 crucial points. Center Nikola Jokic also did his part, scoring 21 points and gathering 12 rebounds and 11 assists.

This series will move back to the Pepsi Center on Tuesday, where Game 5 will give its winner a crucial 3-2 series edge.

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After losing Game 1 in Toronto, the Philadelphia 76ers have stormed ahead to win two consecutive games in the Eastern Conference semi-finals and take a 2-1 series lead over the Toronto Raptors.

Philadelphia returned home and blew out the Raptors by a 116-95 final score at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night.

The Sixers were fueled by a rowdy and raucous crowd that created a hostile environment for Toronto.

Center Joel Embiid had a monster performance for Philadelphia, scoring 33 points and grabbing 10 rebounds on the night. The Raptors’ Marc Gasol just couldn’t contain him inside of the paint, and Sixers fans showered Embiid with “MVP!” chants all night long.

All of Philadelphia’s starting 5 finished with double-digit points on the night. As per usual, Jimmy Butler was the number two option behind Embiid, chipping in 22 points of his own along with 9 boards and 9 assists.

Kawhii Leonard had another excellent game for the Raptors, also scoring 33, but it simply wasn’t enough to overcome an excellent team performance by the 76ers.

The series will continue with Game 4 on Saturday night in Philly.

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After suffering a surprising Game 1 loss against the 4th-seeded Boston Celtics, the Milwaukee Bucks got back on track with a Game 2 win at home by a 123-102 margin.

Three Bucks players scored 20 or more points to lead the East’s top team in the regular season to an important victory, setting them up to travel to Boston with the series tied at 1 game apiece.

As per usual, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks on Tuesday night. The MVP candidate scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in only 31 minutes of action. It was a classic Giannis game.

Khris Middleton chipped in 28 for the Bucks, and point guard Eric Bledsoe scored 21 points of his own.

Another key to Milwaukee’s victory was shutting down Kyrie Irving, who had a big game in the first matchup of the series. The Celtics point guard couldn’t even break double-digits, scoring only 9 points in Game 2.

No Celtics player broke the 20-point mark.

Game 3 will shift to the TD Garden in Boston and will take place on Friday night in a crucial game.

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The Denver Nuggets grabbed the crucial first game of their series against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night with a 121-113 win on their home court.

Despite going to seven games in their first series against the San Antonio Spurs and playing on less rest than the Blazers, the Nuggets didn’t seem to suffer any ill effects in the series opener at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

It wasn’t easy for the Nuggets, who had to withstand yet another scoring barrage from Damian Lillard. Portland’s point guard had another phenomenal game, scoring 39 points on only 21 attempts from the field.

The Nuggets’ answer to Lillard was center Nikola Jokic, who controlled the paint all night. The 23-year-old scored 37 points and gathered 9 rebounds in a dominant performance that led his team to the win.

Denver also got strong performances out of point guard Jamal Murray, who chipped in 23 points and 8 assists, and power forward Paul Millsap, who scored 19 points of his own.

The second game of the series will take place in Denver on Wednesday night.

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The Milwaukee Bucks might have been considered the favorite heading into the Eastern Conference semi-final series against the Boston Celtics, but the #4 seed took the first game of the series in a blowout win on Sunday.

Boston beat the Bucks 112-90 in Game 1 of the series at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee to take a 1-0 early advantage in the high-octane matchup.

The Celtics’ win was their fifth consecutive victory to open the playoffs after they swept the Indiana Pacers 4-0 in the first round.

Milwaukee had a rough day shooting, making only 31 of 89 shot attempts from the field, one of their worst performances of the season. The Celtics were able to slow down the Bucks’ offense and MVP frontrunner Giannis Antetokounmpo to the tune of a 7-21 shooting performance and only 24 points.

Point guard Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with a stellar 26 point and 11 assist game. Al Horford and Jayson Tatum each chipped in with solid performances of their own, adding 20 and 19 points, respectively.

Boston was considered to be an underdog going into this matchup, but their win in Game 1 gives them an advantage going forward.

Game 2 of the series will be played on Tuesday night.

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