RAMON ALVARADO

It’s go time. The Kawhi Leonard-led Toronto Raptors look to dethrone the back-to-back champion Golden State Warriors in this year’s NBA Finals. With home-court advantage landing in The North, a raging Kawhi and Kevin Durant’s nagging injury, the Raptors look to have a rather favorable matchup opposed to the Warriors’ past opponents.

The Golden State powerhouse has been the favorite to win the title all year and all through the playoffs. KD’s injury caused some doubt, then the Warriors made things look as easy as ever without him.

Kawhi Leonard has easily been the best player all through the playoffs. First he knocked out the 76ers with a game 7 buzzer-beater, then went on to make the likely league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo look average when it mattered most.

From the stars to the benches, there’s a lot to pay attention to in this fire and ice NBA Finals matchup between the Warriors and Raptors.

Here’s my 5 keys to the 2019 NBA Finals.

1. Siakam vs Draymond

Pascal Siakam has the length and versatility to be a nightmare for the Warriors. Even so, the most important thing for him to do in this NBA Finals is to match the scrappiness of Draymond Green.

Dray’ showed how dynamic he can be in the Western Conference Finals. Green carved and chewed the Portland Trailblazers, running the floor like an all-star point guard and continuing his all-time high level defense and tenacity.

Siakam can’t be afraid to attack Draymond when the Raptors need a bucket from someone other than Kawhi. Siakam has the post game and finishing-ability around the rim to hold his own against Draymond.

It’s also important for Siakam to crash the boards just as ferociously as Draymond in The Finals. Second chance points will be a huge factor, and if the Raptors are able to gain an advantage in that column, they’ll be able to slow down Dray’ and the Warriors even if it’s just a bit.

2. The Steph Show

Oddsmakers have Steph Curry as the -140 favorite (you’d have to bet $140 to win $100) to win the 2019 NBA Finals MVP award. It makes sense. Steph is the sure focal point of the Warriors with KD’s availability in question and the Warriors have a massive backcourt advantage.

In game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, Steph played every minute of the second half and racked up 37 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. The Warriors narrowly escaped Portland with a 119-117 win, but it also clinched Golden State’s fifth straight Finals appearance.

The Raptors will likely start the NBA Finals with Kyle Lowry covering Steph Curry, with Kawhi taking over if Steph gets the hot hand. Seems like a sound idea, but any NBA fan knows the Warriors ball-movement is multifaceted.

Steph Curry will be running through every speck of the floor to look for an opening. Toronto can’t hope for one man to stop Steph (though they do have a Kawhi), they just have to keep a body on him at all times. The Cavaliers did this effectively in previous Finals, despite the Warriors prevailing more times than not.

Steph Curry has seen just about everything a defense can show. He’s capable of exploding at any time. He can go off and make things really, really ugly for the Raptors if Lowry, Danny Green, and Kawhi can’t keep up with him.

3. The Benches

When the Warriors added Kevin Durant, people thought the Golden State bench might take a huge hit because of it, but they’ve remained one of the most reliable bunches in the NBA.

Two of the long-remaining Warrior bench staples are Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguadola. Iguadola, who replaced KD in the starting lineup once he went down, had to miss game 4 of the Portland series.

Alfonzo McKinnie took Iggy’s spot in the starting lineup and played a strong 26 minutes while contributing 12 points.

McKinnie’s game 4 contributions shows once again that Steve Kerr has all of his players ready, and the “strength in numbers” claim still holds. Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell have been in-and-out of the starting rotation, but they’ve been made big plays when needed as well.

The Raptors run a strict 8-man rotation. Norman Powell, Marc Gasol, and Fred VanVleet will likely be the three coming off the bench for the Toronto.

Powell and VanVleet will have to combine for some huge efforts to keep the Raptors afloat in the series. The Warriors seem to have the clear bench advantage.

4. Kawhi’s Support

As mentioned previously, Kawhi Leonard has easily been the best player in the NBA this postseason. He’s been cold and calculated in taking down the eastern conference defenses put in front of him.

Kawhi’s offensive game as been almost as sharp as his defense. He can get to the rim from driving or from in the post, his midrange game is deadly and he can hit the three-point shot when he needs to.

The former Finals MVP, Kawhi will get his no matter what, and the Warriors will probably let him… just as long as they’re shutting down the rest of the Raptors.

Toronto hasn’t had a consistently viable second option this postseason. They’ve had sparks and big games from Lowry, Siakam and VanVleet to get them through the east, but they have to stay consistent to beat the Warriors.

Kyle Lowry will have to play like the all-star he is and use the grit he plays with to his advantage. He has to fight for loose balls, try to pick passes and be hyper aggressive on the offensive end.

Danny Green has to hit the open looks he gets, as does Siakam. Green and Siakam find themselves open from Lowry and Kawi’s penetration throughout Raptor ballgames, they can’t hesitate to shoot when they get the chance.

Kawhi’s going to need all the help he can get.

5. Kevin Durant’s Calf

This year’s NBA Finals would probably be a lot less compelling if Kevin Durant was at full strength.

Before going down in game 5 of the Warriors’ first round series against the Clippers, Kevin Durant was receiving all the “best player in the world” praise that we’ve since seen fall onto Giannis and Kawhi.

The Warriors have been fine since Durant’s injury, going 8-2 and landing right back into the championship series. The stakes are as high as can get now, and a man capable of ripping a team’s heart out is sitting across from Golden State.

That is why Kevin Durant will be needed in this series. The Raptors have an absolute animal in Kawhi Leonard. He’s playing better than ever, and we’ve already seen what he’s capable of against the Warriors in the past.

KD’s absence gives Kawhi more free range on the defensive end in this series as well. If Durant were playing, Kawhi would be locked onto him; but without Durant, Kawhi is able to roam around Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

Kevin Durant has only been ruled out of game one of the NBA Finals, so we can see him in action very soon. If he does come back early in the series, and he’s at full health, it can be another quick NBA Finals title for the Golden State Warriors.