Toronto, Wednesday @PeopleSport11
While the Golden State Warriors try to cement their legacy as the NBA’s greatest dynasty in half a century, the upstart Toronto Raptors made history just reaching the NBA Finals.
Thursday’s opener in the best-of-seven championship showdown will be the first NBA Finals game played outside the United States, the Canadian contest coming in the same city where the first league game was played in 1946.
Three-point sharpshooter Stephen Curry attempts to lead the injury-hit Warriors to their third consecutive NBA title, a feat last achieved by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002, and Golden State could become the first team to win four crowns in five seasons since the 1969 Boston Celtics.
“Four more wins defines your season and brings you a championship,” Curry said. “We have to stay locked in. Blocking their path is a Raptors team powered by Kawhi Leonard, obtained in a trade with San Antonio last July. He has sparked a squad that was ousted by Cleveland in the playoffs each of the past three years, creating a breakthrough campaign.
“They are the champions. We’ve got to go in with mental focus and accept the challenge,” Leonard said. “We’re in the finals and we’re not done yet.”
Godlen State’s five consecutive NBA Finals appearances is the second-best run in history trailing only Boston’s epic run from 1957-66. “It hasn’t been done for a reason. It’s really difficult,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. – AFP
