Warriors vs. Raptors Game 1 TV Schedule, Live-Stream Guide for 2019 NBA Finals
And then there were two.
Only the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors are still standing after the 82-game regular season and three playoff rounds shaved off 28 of the Association's 30 teams.
The last two combatants will start their championship series Thursday night.
After laying out the contest's schedule and streaming particulars, we'll look at the latest buzz around the teams.
Date: Thursday, May 30
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Toronto's Scotiabank Arena
TV: ABC
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Kevin Durant Travels to Toronto
It says a lot about the Golden State Warriors that they're without the two-time defending Finals MVP and somehow not on the verge of widespread panic.
Then again, the Warriors were champions before Kevin Durant arrived in 2016, and they've displayed plenty of championship behavior since losing him to a calf strain in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Still, Golden State is most dangerous when at full strength. The team is not whole now, but it might be closer to it than expected. Despite some early uncertainty, Durant traveled with the team to Toronto, and while he's been ruled out for Game 1, his presence suggests a possibility he could be ready for Sunday's Game 2.
"We'll see where it goes from here," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters Monday. "This is where the fact that there's a lot of days in between games during the Finals helps us, so we'll see."
Prior to the injury, Durant was playing some of the best basketball of his career. He'd gone for at least 33 points in seven of the previous eight games, averaging 38.8 points on 51.5 percent shooting (43.3 percent from three), 5.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
The Warriors have shown they can win without him, but no team is better without a 7-foot mismatch.
Staying on the injury front, DeMarcus Cousins continues to work his way back from a torn quad suffered in the opening round. He hasn't been ruled out for Thursday's opener, but he also hasn't played in almost two months. With no grace period to build up his conditioning or work on finding his rhythm, there's no telling what (if any) role he can play this round.
Raptors' Strategy: 'Don't Be Lazy'
While this iteration of the Raptors might be new, it's still experienced for this matchup.
Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard played the Warriors in the playoffs when both were San Antonio Spurs. Marc Gasol went toe-to-toe with Golden State on the Memphis Grizzlies. Serge Ibaka faced the Dubs as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
That might not be the same thing as sharing the experience together, but it still shows this group what will be required of it.
"The fact we already know how great they are—not good, great—that helps," Ibaka told reporters. "That helps us to be prepared mentally, and then watch tape to try to figure out what to do."
It can often seem like there isn't much an opponent can do against the Dubs, and to an extent, that's true.
For one, when Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are striping their long-range looks and Draymond Green is unleashing his controlled chaos, teams are more or less at Golden State's mercy. But the other part of this is that the formula for disrupting the Dubs is simple.
"Just don't be lazy against them," Ibaka said. "The way they play, they try to make you fall asleep out there. [...] They just keep moving. It's nonstop. [Steph] and Klay and Draymond, the way they push the ball out there, it's one of those teams where you have to be focused for 48 minutes."
It's worth noting that while Green, Leonard, Gasol and Ibaka might have caught glimpses of how to take down the Warriors, none beat this version. Green and Leonard are the only ones to have a postseason series win against them, but that came all the way back in 2013, well before they blossomed into world-beaters.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
