NBA Finals 2019: Warriors vs. Raptors TV Schedule and Game 1 Live Stream

After an 82-game regular season, an exciting postseason and plenty of on- and off-court drama, we've finally arrived at the 2019 NBA Finals.

Fans hoping to not see the Golden State Warriors back in the finals are out of luck. The Warriors blew through the Western Conference bracket to make a fifth consecutive appearance. It wasn't a flawless run, but Golden State did sweep the conference finals and again appear to be a nearly unstoppable team.

Things were much trickier for the Toronto Raptors in the East. The Philadelphia 76ers took them to seven games in the semifinal round, and Toronto had to overcome a 2-0 deficit against the Milwaukee Bucks to win the Eastern Conference Finals. In their past four outings, though, the Raptors did look like a team that can challenge Golden State.

The series kicks off Thursday, and here's everything you need to know for Game 1

2019 NBA Finals Game 1

Golden State at Toronto

When: Thursday, May 30 at 9 p.m. ET

National TV: ABC

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Remaining Finals Schedule

Game 2

At Toronto, Sunday, June 2 at 8 p.m. ET

Game 3

At Golden State, Wednesday, June 5 at 9 p.m. ET

Game 4

At Golden State, Friday, June 7 at 9 p.m. ET

Game 5

At Toronto, Monday, June 10 at 9 p.m. ET (if necessary)

Game 6

At Golden State, Thursday, June 13 at 9 p.m. ET (if necessary)

Game 7

At Toronto, Sunday, June 16 at 8 p.m. ET (if necessary)

*All games televised on ABC, with live stream on WatchESPN.

Series Odds

Golden State 33-100

Toronto: 13-5

Odds according to Oddschecker.

Durant Likely Out Until Game 3

While plenty of folks out there will argue that the Warriors are a better team without Kevin Durant, he does provide an additional element to the Golden State offense. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson make it imperative to defend the perimeter, and Durant can take advantage through his lethal mid-range attack.

Unfortunately for the Warriors—and fortunately for Toronto—Durant is dealing with a calf injury that will keep him out of Game 1 at the very least.

"His next step is individual court work, so that will be the next priority over the next couple of days,'" Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Wednesday, per Marc Berman of the New York Post. "Hopefully he can wrap that up, and then he's going to have to practice."

If Durant isn't ready to practice yet, it's unlikely that he will be available for Game 2 on Sunday. It's more likely that the Warriors will wait until the series moves to Golden State to try getting him on the court. That's not until Wednesday, and the Warriors will have a good idea by then of how much they need the extra firepower against Toronto.

Can Kawhi Play the Hero Against the Warriors?

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

The Raptors have a solid all-around team, but it's been the heroics of Kawhi Leonard that have lifted them to the NBA Finals. He was the best player in the series against the Milwaukee Bucks—even with Giannis Antetokounmpo playing on the other side.

Can Leonard be the best player in this series as well? He will likely have to be if the Raptors are going to have any chance of derailing Golden State's dynasty. It isn't out of the question, as Leonard is one of the best two-way players in the league. One longtime NBA coach even believes he compares to the great Michael Jordan.

"[Leonard] is the most like Jordan that we've seen," Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said, pr Michael Shapiro of SI.com. "There's a lot of great players. LeBron is phenomenal. KD is phenomenal. Not that [Leonard] is Jordan or anything like that, but he's the most like him."

It's going to take a Jordan-like finals performance for the Raptors to knock off the juggernaut that is Golden State. Fortunately, Toronto can at least maintain hope for as long as Leonard is at 100 percent.

Toronto Must Win Early

If the Raptors are going to pull off the seemingly impossible, they have to take capitalize on having home-court advantage. They have to take advantage of the fact that Durant is potentially missing the first couple of games of the series. They cannot afford to go down 2-0 again with the series shifting back to Golden State and Durant getting healthier.

As Shaun Powell of NBA.com pointed out, Toronto devised a way to contain Antetokounmpo in the Eastern Conference Finals, but containing all of the Warriors stars with Durant on the court will be a totally different challenge.

"When pressed, the Raptors devised the proper way to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo from destroying them when it counted," Powell wrote. "Obviously, the Warriors bring more weapons, yet if Durant is limited or doesn't play, that's one less worry for Toronto."

To put it bluntly, the Raptors must win at least one of the first two games to have a chance in this series. Ideally, though, they need to take both early games in Toronto. Otherwise, this becomes a best-of-five series with the Warriors holding the home-court advantage and possibly getting Durant back for the stretch run.