NBA Finals 2019: Schedule, Format, Injury Updates for Championship Series

The Golden State Warriors are a step closer to learning the identity of their 2019 NBA Finals opponent.

After opening the Eastern Conference finals with back-to-back losses, the Toronto Raptors rallied to win three straight over the Milwaukee Bucks and now sit a victory away from the organization's first appearance in the championship round.

"This is a hell of a team," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of the Bucks, who won an NBA-high 60 games this season. "We have to play our asses off to beat them."

As the series shifts back north of the border for Saturday's Game 6, the Warriors can only sit and wait to discover their first non-LeBron James-led opponent in the final round during their current run. But they'll keep themselves plenty busy with rest and recovery, as multiple significant players are dealing with injuries.

We'll update their health situations after looking ahead at the Finals schedule.

2019 NBA Finals Schedule

While this will be the Warriors' fifth straight Finals, it will be a completely different experience.

Each of the past four trips have involved tussling with James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since neither were playoff participants this season, the Dubs have known for a while their postseason path would head in a different direction.

But the location is different for reasons beyond the absence of Northeast Ohio. This will be the first Finals in which the Warriors don't enjoy home-court advantage since both the Bucks and the Raptors (58) won more games than the Dubs (57).

So, even though the Finals matchup isn't set, the schedule is locked in for everything other than Golden State's counterpart and will play out as follows:

Game 1: Thur, May 30, Golden State at MIL/TOR, 9 p.m. ET on ABC

Game 2: Sun, June 2, Golden State at MIL/TOR, 8 p.m. ET on ABC

Game 3: Wed, June 5, MIL/TOR at Golden State, 9 p.m. ET on ABC

Game 4: Fri, June 7, MIL/TOR at Golden State, 9 p.m. ET on ABC

*Game 5: Mon, June 10, Golden State at MIL/TOR, 9 p.m. ET on ABC

*Game 6: Thur, June 13, MIL/TOR at Golden State, 9 p.m. ET on ABC

*Game 7: Sun, June 16, Golden State at MIL/TOR, 8 p.m. ET on ABC

*if necessary

Warriors' Injury Watch

Considering Golden State is coming off a conference finals sweep, it can be easy to forget this team is missing two of its top-four scorers.

DeMarcus Cousins didn't make it two games into his playoff debut before tearing his left quad. He hasn't suited up since.

Kevin Durant suffered a calf strain during Game 5 of the conference semis. While he avoided the worst fears of an Achilles tear, he's shelved nevertheless.

The Dubs updated the status of both players on Thursday, saying that while neither player has a clear return date, the team is hopeful to have each back at some point in the series:

"I feel good," Cousins told reporters. "A lot better than I was. I'm able to get up and down the court more. I'm able to play a little competition basketball."

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Cousins' availability for Game 1 will come down to conditioning. The skipper also stopped short of committing to starting Cousins once he's fully healthy, which makes sense given all the frontcourt combinations at Golden State's disposal.

The Warriors made it through last round without Durant or Cousins, but the Finals are a different type of test. The stakes are higher, the spotlight is brighter and the opposition is more formidable.

Golden State lost both regular-season matchups with Toronto. It split against Milwaukee, but the Bucks also steamrolled them 134-111 despite shooting just 9-of-35 from distance in the win.

While the Warriors could (and should) be favored against either team at less than full strength, their championship forecast grows a lot cloudier if Durant and/or Cousins can't get right.