The Toronto Raptors will play their first Finals of the NBA as new champions of the Eastern Conference, after eliminating (4-2) tonight the Milwaukee Bucks in the best of seven series, and they will do so against the Golden State Warriors, who revalidated the title in the West.
The Raptors, who came as a surprise by coming back from a 0-2 deficit in the series with four consecutive wins, against the team that had achieved the best record in the regular season, will now face the current two-time champions of the NBA, who dispute their fifth consecutive Finals and will seek their fourth title, the third in a row.
Although the Raptors won the regular season series 2-0 between the two teams and will not have the home court advantage, in the world of Las Vegas betting, the Warriors reach the Finals as the big favorites to revalidate the title.
The Westgate superbook in Las Vegas has the Warriors’ chances of winning the title again at -275, while the Raptors have the second best odds, but placed at +400.
The Warriors started the playoffs at -200, but the odds have since increased in their favor after they swept the Trail Blazers 4-0 in the Western Conference Finals.
The Raptors were also not favorites in the duel against the Bucks and with star forward Kawhi Leonard, who plays his first season with the Toronto team, they went from less to more until they achieved their greatest sporting success in franchise history that had never reached the Finals of the NBA.
The Raptors, in 2016, already played the Eastern Conference finals, but lost them to the Cleveland Cavaliers when they had the legendary forward LeBron James.
The Toronto team also makes history by being the first Canadian to contest the title of the NBA.
Once again, the Raptors came from behind and after coming back from a 15-point deficit, they sentenced in the fourth period of the sixth game with a 29-18 run and a final score of 100-94.
Leonard, who contributed a double-double of 27 points and 17 rebounds, was once again the great figure of the Raptors and the winner of the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
While the great defeated was the Greek power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who could not maintain the same level of superstar that he had during the regular season and that allowed the Bucks to finish with the best record in the league (60-22) .
After starting the series with a 2-0 lead, the Bucks fell apart from the resurgence of Leonard who contributed 36 points in Game 3 and point guard Kyle Lowry responded with another decisive 25 in Game 4.
With the series tied at 2-2, the Bucks could have resurfaced in Game 5, which they played on their field at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, but they also sank as their reserves only contributed 15 points to 35 of the Raptors, including the 21 of the point guard Fred VanVleet, who has become the winning factor of the series.
The Bucks once again had the opportunity to have forced the seventh game and had all the elements in their favor until the fourth period when again they could not maintain their offensive consistency nor their defensive concentration in front of the figure of Leonard, who already has in his credit is the league title he won in 2014 with the San Antonio Spurs.
Leonard, who wanted to be traded by his own decision and the Spurs sent them to the Raptors, dominated in all facets of the game during the playoffs, with decisive baskets and a great defense like the one he did in the fourth period of the sixth game, in addition to be the leader that motivates the rest of their peers to be better.
Now the new challenge for the Raptors with Leonard, Lowry, and veteran Spanish center Marc Gasol, his mid-season acquisition, who will play his first Finals of the season. NBAIt will be to overcome the team that represents the new dynasty of the best basketball in the world.
The Warriors, despite having the losses of forward Kevin Durant since the fifth game of the semifinals against the Houston Rockets, and that of center DeMarcus Cousins, since the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers, emerged unstoppable with their best old version of before the two All-Stars arrived.
Although the Warriors struggled against the Clippers, especially at their Oracle Arena field, against the Rockets and Trail Blazers, their core formed by point guard Stephen Curry, power forward Draymond Green and guards Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala, They returned to play their best basketball.