The Toronto Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors 114-110 in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals to secure the franchise’s first ever championship. Forward Kawhi Leonard — who was named Finals MVP for the second time in his career — contributed to the Raptors’ victory with 22 point, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Point guard Kyle Lowry and forward Paskal Siakam each had 26 points to lead the team in scoring. Backup point guard Fred Van Vleet added 22 points and a number of clutch baskets towards the end of the game.
Golden State was led by shooting guard Klay Thompson with 30 points before he went down with a knee injury in the third quarter and did not return. The Warriors were already without forward Kevin Durant, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in Game 5. Point guard Stephen Curry added 21 points for the losing team, while Warriors forward Draymond Green had a triple-double with 11 points, 19 rebounds and 13 assists.
Toronto’s win came in the last ever NBA game to be played at Oracle Arena as the Warriors are set to move into a new home arena starting next season.
First of all, I’m happy for the Toronto Raptors franchise and its fans (except Drake… I hate Drake) for winning their first championship. I’ve talked so much slander about them all these years and I believe thr slander was warranted because they were a good team that kept choking at the biggest stage every year. Well, maybe this guy named LeBron James had something to do with that, but still. They won it all this year after I said they won’t even make it past the Conference Finals. Kudos to them.
Shouts to Laker legends Jodie Meeks, Jeremy Lin, and Marc Gasol for finally getting a ring! They deserve it.
As a Laker fan, though, this raises a lot of questions regarding Kawhi. Every non-casual NBA fan knows he is going to be a free agent come July 1st, and the Lakers are among the teams that are strongly considered to be the one that gets Kawhi’s services next season and beyond. Will this championship convince him to stay in Toronto and pursue more rings for the Raptors? Or will Kawhi say “You’re welcome, Toronto, now it’s time for me to move on to glamour town” and sign with the Lakers (or… ugh… the Clippers) in the league’s second biggest market Los Angeles?
I know it’s kind of selfish to be talking about the Lakers when it’s supposed to be a day where the Raptors are celebrated by the basketball world. But again, I’m a Lakers fan, I’m not as invested in other teams as I am with the purple and gold. Canadians can go celebrate all they want, they deserve it.
The next couple of weeks are going to be interesting. The 2019 NBA Draft is exactly seven days from now, which means a new crop of young budding stars are about to enter the league, but also some of the big trades happen on thay day. Will the Anthony Davis one (hopefully to the Lakers) happen then?
The deadline for opting in/out of player/team options is also something to look out for as this will affect the team’s plans in free agency.
Then there’s the actual free agency itself, beginning July 1st (actually the NBA moved it a few hours earlier, so free agency actually begins before midnight of July 1st Eastern Time). The Lakers have cap space to sign a max free agent. Who will they use it on? Is it going to be Kawhi? Will they actually sign a max free agent to pair with LeBron (and possibly AD)? So many questions that need answering.
So if you think basketball coverage ends with the NBA Finals, you’re wrong. This cycle never ends. See you in July!
patrickkennan.com 