The NBA Finals are Starting Tonight !

The NBA finals are about to start tonight. It is the peak of the season for all basketball fans across the globe.

On one side we have the most dominant team of today, the Golden State Warriors chasing their third title in a row, fourth in the previous five years.

Across the table are the Toronto Raptors, the challengers who are after their first ever trophy. In his first season in Canada, the fantastic Kawhi Leonard who is the best two-way player in the league led this team all the way up here.

Who will come out as the winner? Both sides are hoping that it would be them.

“We’ve been there before, and we’ve experienced a lot, and this is, I think, something we’re capable of doing,” said Steph Curry regarding the whole series and the fact that GSW doesn’t have a home-court advantage.

Steve Kerr has a similar view on the situation, saying that his team knows how to handle things away from home.

“I think we have always been good on the road, but starting on the road presents a different challenge,” Kerr said.

His Warriors have been 27-14 this season on the road, by far the best in the Western Conference, and tying the first place in league with the Bucks. The Raptors were right behind with 26-15.

When looking at the head-to-head matches during this season, Toronto has the edge as they won both games. The first one at the Scotiabank Arena saw overtime, but Kawhi and the guys managed to come out as winners, 131-128. The second clash in Oakland was Raptors’ one-sided domination in which they demolished the hosts with 113-93.

Raptors opened the series against the Bucks and the Magic with losses, and by doing the same against the Warriors, the Eastern conference champions would be in serious trouble.

“Well, it would be nice not to face a series deficit; that’s for sure,” Nurse said, also adding that when comparing the Warriors now and during the regular part of the season, he is pretty sure that the champs will be much better now.

“A better team playing harder,” Nurse said. “I think both teams playing harder and playing better.”

Warriors will be without Durant and Cousins, which would be a tremendous blow for any team in the league, but for now, it is not for Steve Kerr’s crew. With Steph Curry who averaged 36.5 points 8.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists against the Blazers, Draymond Green whose confidence is steaming before the matchup, and waken Klay Thompson, the Warriors are looking impeccable.

They just switched their mindset to the “73-9 season” and continued to roll when Durant and Cousins picked up injuries. And, as much as that sounds ludacris, they are playing even better.

The ultimate test for that claim will be Kawhi and his teammates. Golden State might be the best team in the playoffs, but the Raptors have the best player without any doubts. Kawhi is not only delivering clutch shots, and scoring 31.2 points per game, but is also shooting 50.7 from the field and averaging 8.8 boards.

His defense. Well, that is something we don’t have to explain. When Nurse decided to switch Kawhi on Giannis in the Eastern Conference finals, the situation on the court and in the entire series changed dramatically. We all saw how he demolished his confidence, harassing him on both ends of the floor.

Those dunks over the Greek Freak are the ultimate confirmation for such a claim.

The above-mentioned situation with the home court advantage could be very important in this series. Drake and the rest of the Raptors’ fans are anxious to create a hostile welcome for the champs.

Game 1 starts tonight, at 9 pm local time.