NBA Finals Articles - Page 55

The NBA Finals are one of the brightest stages in all of sports. Two of the most talented teams in the league face off for the most coveted prize in basketball, the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Legacies are made, dynasties are born, and the high level of competition has brought out the best in some of […]

Michael Jordan’s success in the NBA Finals may be the most indisputable argument for why he’s the greatest hooper in history. Jordan’s Bulls went six-for-six in the Finals, and Jordan averaged 33.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game in 35 games — while never playing a Game 7. Beyond the numbers, […]

Going into the 2011 playoffs, the third-seeded Dallas Mavericks had a bit of an underdog feeling about them. Despite winning 57 games that season, the franchise had never won a championship. They faced the more experienced Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs ahead of them, not to mention a brand new Big 3 in […]

LeBron James admitted he was forced to look past the physical aspect of the game to channel greatness. Championless after his first year with the Miami Heat, James was mightly close to his first Larry O’Brien trophy, only to lose the last three games of the NBA Finals to the Mavs and be forced to […]

In true competitive spirit, Kevin Durant says he was going to return to the 2019 NBA Finals to help his Golden State Warriors teammates “no matter what,” despite the fact that he was recovering from a calf injury at that time. Durant’s decision to play in Game 5 was a fateful one, however, as he […]

Klay Thompson was at the peak of his professional career at a time of need in the NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors, who had the dire need to get Kevin Durant back against the Toronto Raptors, were clinging to every bit of hope — requiring Thompson to be at his very best, something he […]

As part of a recent brainstorming of predictions, the experts and analysts at ESPN named the Los Angeles Clippers as their favorite to win the 2019-20 NBA Finals. The Clippers played well last season. In fact, their 48-34 overall record earned a No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Unfortunately, though, L.A. was defeated […]

Stephen Curry hasn’t been haunted by this most recent loss in the NBA Finals after tasting defeat at the hands of the Toronto Raptors only a few weeks ago. The Golden State Warriors star told Adam Caparell of Complex that he’s more looking forward to next season than dwelling over what could have been had […]

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri has been accused by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office of shoving and striking an officer in the face after he was stopped from coming onto the court to join the team’s celebration when they won the NBA championship at Oracle Arena. One witness had already said the police’s accusations on […]

On Tuesday, Toronto Raptors center Serge Ibaka asked superstar teammate Kawhi Leonard what junk food he was looking forward to enjoying now that the season was over. Leonard responded with his now trademark deadpan bemusement. pic.twitter.com/NKBybK4IlL — Serge Ibaka (@sergeibaka) June 19, 2019 The Raptors are NBA Champions for the first time in franchise history, […]

Rap artist Meek Mill isn’t fazed despite the fact that he apparently lost $200,000 on an NBA Finals bet. That’s right. Meek threw down a giant bag of cash on the Warriors in this year’s NBA Finals. And though Golden State was favored to win, it was the Toronto Raptors who came away with their […]

The Golden State Warriors took a small gesture of sportsmanship by congratulating the newly-crowned NBA champions Toronto Raptors in bringing their city an NBA title for the first time in their 24-year franchise history. The Warriors took a full-page ad in Monday’s edition of The Toronto Star, one that shows a post-Game 6 hug between […]

One of the most defining qualities of the 2018-19 NBA champion Toronto Raptors pertained to their ability to incorporate role players and get big performances from the bench when called upon. Never was this more true than in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, when backup point guard Fred VanVleet scored 22 points and almost single-handedly […]

The 2019 NBA Finals felt a little bit different because it did not feature LeBron James. The four-time NBA Most Valuable Player missed the finals for the first time in eight seasons after the Los Angeles Lakers failed to advance to the playoffs. But even without James, who is arguably the most popular player in […]

A hurt Klay Thompson was aching to go back to action, making a heroic return from the bowels of Oracle Arena to shoot the two free throws that would allow him to come back to the game if he was deemed a go. He wasn’t. Yet all the Golden State Warriors swingman worried about was […]

Speaking to the media after capturing his second NBA Championship and Finals MVP trophy, Kawhi Leonard talked about coming to the Toronto Raptors this past summer. “I texted Kyle the day I got traded and told him let’s go do something special,” Kawhi said, “Let’s make this thing work out.” Together, Kawhi and Kyle did […]

Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry has heard his fair share of criticism over the years, with much of that criticism coming from his own Raptors fans for his lack of playoff success. But now, Lowry is an NBA champion, and in the deciding Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors on […]

The Golden State Warriors added another name to their injury report in Thursday night’s loss to the Raptors, as Klay Thompson went down with an ACL injury in the third quarter. The Warriors held a three point lead, 83-80, and the game had been tight for most of the night. A Stephen Curry steal sent […]

Throwing back the clock less than 48 hours ago, Klay Thompson had vouched for an injured Kevin Durant, calling him more than just a Splash Brother after the injured forward ruptured his Achilles tendon when hoping to return from a month-long calf injury. Thompson also posted an inspirational Instagram message prior to Game 6, vowing […]

Stephen Curry has lived with regret about the decisions he made in a pivotal Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Three years late at this same stage, the Golden State Warriors star has none when it comes to how this recent series against the Toronto Raptors ended. Curry missed a pivotal […]

The recently concluded NBA Finals series between the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors was definitely one for the books, and according to Ben Cafardo of ESPN, Thursday night’s epic Game 6 battle outperformed any of the four games from the 2018 Finals: 🔼2019 #NBAPlayoffs on ABC & ESPN finished UP from both 2018 & […]

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Friday morning that they will pursue a misdemeanor complaint against Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri for the battery of a police officer after an altercation following Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, according to USA TODAY Sports. Ujiri had been accused of shoving […]

It’s always special when a team wins a championship, but when it’s the first time a team has ever won a title, the fans usually get a little more excited. Footage of Toronto taken after the Raptors’ championship victory over the Golden State Warriors shows just how much the city loves its team, and just […]

Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob is proud of the effort his team put out there through the course of this deep playoff run, aware that they were a play or two away from giving themselves a second wind against the Toronto Raptors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. The Warriors closed the deficit […]

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson went down clutching his left knee late in the third quarter of their intense battle in Game 6. Toronto Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard admitted in the post-game press conference that he was legitimately concerned about Thompson when he injured his knee. He added that while they were worried about […]

The Golden State Warriors handled plenty of injury blows in their quest for a three-peat, but this week has been nothing but a nightmare for owner Joe Lacob, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times. In the past week, the Warriors saw 12 minutes of Kevin Durant before he ruptured his Achilles, ending […]

The Golden State Warriors embarked in their 2019 postseason campaign aiming for the elusive three-peat, but wound up hobbling to the finish line, losing their shot at a pivotal Game 7, a third straight title, and now with a pile of bodies left to mend. Game 6 of the NBA Finals — the last ever […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is now part of an elite group of coaches who have won the NBA title in their first year in the league. What makes the 51-year-old’s tale even more amazing is the type of humble beginnings Nurse had as he embarked on his career as a basketball coach: In […]

Three years in the league, three times a champion. While the Toronto Raptors — with the exception of Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green — raised one finger to celebrate the franchise’s first-ever NBA championship, only reserve guard Patrick McCaw was able to put up three: Pat McCaw was the only player tonight to secure a 3-peat […]

The Toronto Raptors managed to secure their first championship in franchise history after closing out the Golden State Warriors in six games. It seems forward Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam also managed to etch out their names in the record books alongside Chicago Bulls legends Michal Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Both Leonard and Siakam served […]

During the chaos of the Toronto Raptors capturing their first NBA championship, an incident appears to have occurred involving the police and Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri. Authorities are looking into allegations that Ujiri and a sheriff’s deputy were involved in an “altercation” following the Raptors’ 114-110 victory over the Golden State Warriors: […]

The Toronto Raptors claimed their first NBA championship on Thursday night when they defeated the Golden State Warriors in a game that lived up to the hype. But while the game was exciting and came down to the wire, it was once again mired by injury, as Klay Thompson suffered a torn ACL during the […]

The Toronto Raptors managed to pull off the unthinkable by defeating the Golden State Warriors to secure their first championship in franchise history. It appears the Larry O’Brien Trophy is not the only thing forward Kawhi Leonard will be sharing with point guard Kyle Lowry. Both players did what they needed to in order to […]

Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard is notorious for his stoic personality. However, even he could not contain his emotions after pulling off an upset over the Golden State Warriors in six games. Leonard’s lack of emotion has been one of the most intriguing talking points throughout the 2018-19 NBA season. It seems he finally found […]

Ten years after Pau Gasol won his first NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009, Marc Gasol won his first NBA title with the Toronto Raptors. The Gasol family has already left a Hall of Fame-level imprint on the NBA and international basketball, but that shimmering legacy just became exponentially greater after Marc […]

Toronto Raptors fans are ecstatic after the franchise won their first ever NBA championship, but none so more than the team’s ambassador and self-proclaimed super fan Drake. The Raptors beat the undermanned Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, with Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and eventual Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard […]

Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri has guaranteed more championships. This was what Ujiri told TSN Raptors beat reporter Josh Lewenberg in the aftermath of Toronto’s first NBA championship on June 13. Masai: "I said we will win in Toronto and we won in Toronto and we'll win some more, guaranteed." — Josh […]

Right after losing the NBA Finals to the Toronto Raptors, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr confirmed that star forward Kevin Durant — who will be a free agent in the summer — will miss all of the 2019-2020 season with an Achilles tear. Per Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Steve Kerr seems not […]

Is the so-called “Paul Pierce Curse” finally over? With the Toronto Raptors’ emphatic victory in the 2019 NBA Finals, Paul Pierce certainly thinks so. Paul reminded fans about his pre-NBA Finals predictions on Twitter on June 13. “The Truth” nailed it: he predicted the Raptors will win in six games. Plus, he also predicted Kawhi […]