There will be stars all over the court in the 2019 NBA Finals.
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. They’ll be playing for their third straight title and fourth in the last five seasons.
Warriors star Kevin Durant has been out since straining his calf in Golden State's Game 5 win over the Rockets. He will not play in the opener but could return during the series against Toronto. Golden State center DeMarcus Cousins is also questionable for Game 1.
Stephen Curry has taken his game to another level with Durant sidelined. 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. They easily defeated the Magic and followed that by topping the 76ers and Bucks in seven and six games, respectively.
Kawhi Leonard has been fantastic for Toronto all season and especially in the postseason. He's scoring 31.2 points and grabbing 8.8 rebounds in 18 playoff games this year.
The 2019 NBA Finals by the numbers
Warriors team stats
Warriors team leaders
* Team leaders among qualified players. ** Led NBA.
Raptors team stats
Raptors team leaders
* Team leaders among qualified players.
Fast Facts
— 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.
— Toronto entered the season as one of only seven NBA teams to never play for a championship. That number has now been reduced to six.
— 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. Leonard has already accomplished the feat 11 times with the Raptors this season.
— Curry holds plenty of postseason 3-point records. He has made 447 3-pointers in the playoffs, 62 more than any player ever. He has also knocked down 98 3-pointers in the finals, 12 more than any other player in history.
— Backup Raptors guard Fred VanVleet struggled early in the playoffs but has since reached double-digit scoring totals in three consecutive games and is shooting 82.4% from 3-point range (17-for-25) during that time frame. VanVleet was just 5 for 33 on attempts from behind the arc over his first 15 playoff games this postseason.
All stats provided by OptaLarry. Follow them on Twitter here.
Comments
SHARE