Title: Beat writer series preview: Do the Raptors have enough to end the Warriors’ championship streak?
Date: May 28, 2019
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I went back-and-forth with a writer from The Athletic Bay Area to preview the Raptors-Warriors NBA Finals.
The Warriors waited nearly a week to find out who they’d be lining up across from in their fifth consecutive NBA Finals. For a while, it looked like they would draw the potential MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the league-best Milwaukee Bucks. A 2-0 series lead quickly eroded, though, and the Toronto Raptors won four in a row to clinch their first-ever chance to play for a championship.
The series figures to be an exciting one. Over the Warriors’ dominant run, the Raptors have often played them tight, even winning both meetings this season. Regular season games are what they are, of course, but the Raptors spent the last three rounds making a case that they’re the league’s best defense. The Warriors, meanwhile, have a pair of key pieces sidelined for the time being, although that’s unlocked a retro gear to their elite offense. The Warriors are the favorites, because of course they are. This doesn’t feel like the lock it seemed at the start of the season as the Warriors set out for a rare four-in-five stretch of titles.
The Athletic will have an army of beat and national reporters in Toronto and Oakland, taking you through all the ins and outs of a series that’s rife with questions, storylines and ancillary rake-matics. Today, Blake Murphy of The Athletic Toronto and Anthony Slater of The Athletic Bay Area take you through some of the key plot-points and matchups for the 2019 NBA Finals.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 