The Golden State Warriors have dominated the NBA for the last five years, winning three out of four NBA titles, and if the bookmakers are correct, they are heading for the first hat-trick of the franchise’s history, and the fourth since it was moved to the west coast in 1962.
The Warriors begin their Finals series against the Toronto Raptors on May 27 with home advantage and they are heavy favourites to win the seven-game contest. According to BetCris, the Warriors are as short as -290 to win the series, with the Raptors available at odds of +237. And it is hard to argue with those odds, given the sheer resilience that the Warriors have shown this season, which combined with their talent advantage, has made them irresistible in the play-offs.
It has been a bumpy ride though for Warriors fans, as a well-publicised falling out between Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, the issue of Durant’s expiring contract, and a series of injuries to key players, have all conspired to make their road to the play-offs a bumpy one. And yet, despite all that, they still topped the Western Conference, and improved as the play-offs went on, dispatching their old rivals Houston, then sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers 4-0 in the Western Conference Final.
There’s no doubt that their toughest challenge is yet to come. Toronto Raptors were destroyed by Lebron last year, but they went and got Kawhi Leonard and while everyone was talking about the Celtics and the Bucks and the 76ers, the Raptors just ground their way to the play-offs, with Danny Green, Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka complementing Kawhi’s greatness. Toronto went through Philadelphia and Milwaukee en route to the final, and, to add a little intrigue to this already-fascinating match-up, they won both of their regular season encounters with the Warriors.
Another fact that might give the Raptors hope is the relative decline in the quality of the Warriors’ defence. For the first time in five years, they’ve conceded more points per 100 possessions than the post-season average, and that will a weakness that Kawhi and co will aim to exploit.
But the challenge for Toronto is even bigger. So far, they’ve been up against teams that can, at best, match Kawhi one-on-one. Golden State will be able to throw Green, Andre Iguedola and even Klay Thompson into the fight against Toronto’s star, and he will be tested like he’s never been tested before. Meanwhile, Kyle Lowry will be charged with stopping Steff Curry, which is about as tough a defensive ask as you can think of for a point guard.
Toronto will make it hard for their opponents, and if Durant isn’t fit for the opening couple of games, they may be able to sneak an advantage. But it’s hard to argue with the bookmakers on this one. Unless Golden State suffer an unprecedented melt-down, the Championship is there’s for the taking.
