The Best In The World

It was a finals with an ending nobody saw coming, but after a next-level performance from a quiet superstar, the steady play of a few role players and the weight of an entire city (wait—country) thrown behind a scrappy team most figured would be a second- or third-round out, the L.O.B. Now lives in Canada.

Game 1 Scotiabank Arena Raptors 118, Warriors 109

BY 2 P.M., more than seven hours before tip-off of Game 1 of the Finals, the line for Jurassic Park went around the block. Fans sat on foldout chairs and held bags full of snacks. Some were draped in Canadian or “WE THE NORTH” flags, others wore black t-shirts with the now-famous photo of Kawhi Leonard’s buzzer-beater in Game 7 of the Eastern semis. There were signs—a lot of them. One had a picture of a goat, only the face had been replaced with Leonard’s.

Feeding off the energy of the crowd at Scotiabank Arena, Toronto got the 118-109 win over Golden State in their first-ever Finals game. With several franchise legends in attendance—from Damon Stoudamire to Tracy McGrady to Chris Bosh—and Drake rocking a Dell Curry jersey, the Raptors continued to write history. They snapped the Warriors’ streak of 12 straight victories in Game 1s and got a step closer to realizing a dream that a year ago, when they were embarrassingly swept by the Cavaliers, seemed impossibly distant.

It was clear early on that the Dubs decided to key in on Leonard, who came in averaging 31.2 points and 8.8 rebounds in the playoffs. Facing double teams and a defense that collapsed quickly, he finished with 23 points on 5-14 from the field. So the supporting cast picked up the slack.

Power forward Pascal Siakam—the 2019 Most Improved Player—was the biggest factor in the game, posting 32 points (on 14-17), 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. He buried a couple threes, showed off the post moves against Draymond Green and beat the Warriors down the floor for easy transition layups. His 32 points were the most in a Finals debut since Kevin Durant (!) in 2012.