2019 NBA Finals Game 4 Recap + Game 5 Prediction
Tonight, the Toronto Raptors have the chance to achieve any franchise’s or player’s ultimate goal by securing an NBA championship title. Confident after stealing two games at Oracle Arena in Oakland and coming into game 5 with a “Just hold on, we’re going home” mentality, it seems likely that Toronto will close out the series tonight regardless if Kevin Durant makes a return to action which is still in the air, considering that he is listed as questionable as of the time of this post.
It isn’t lost on me how poetic it would be for Kevin Durant to avenge himself by coming back from being down 3-1 to win an NBA finals, but that just doesn’t seem likely against such a strong and confident Raptors team. As we saw in game 4, the return of Klay Thompson had little impact on the game overall, and almost none in slowing Toronto’s offense. Though Danny Green didn’t show up in game 4 as much as he did in game 3, other Raptors like Kawhi Leonard and Serge Ibaka gave their best effort and sustained momentum enough to put this series just out of reach for Golden State. The Warriors’ lack of depth is being exposed in this series, especially in the frontcourt. DeMarcus Cousins is still rusty, Kevon Looney’s return had little impact, and Andrew Bogut is an absolute liability defensively. The Raptors need to be given the credit that they deserve so far in this series - they are simply playing better basketball than their opponents, which is all that is being asked of them.
Instead of hedging my bet and saying that Golden State will win if Kevin Durant returns for game 5, I’m going to double down and say that the Toronto Raptors will secure the NBA title tonight even if Kevin Durant returns. Nick Nurse is demonstrating hyper-efficient coaching through the adjustments he’s willing to make, and the Warriors’ “backs-against-the-wall” mentality simply isn’t cutting it. I expect Jurassic Park to erupt with excitement this evening, and Kawhi Leonard, now certified dynasty-killer (see Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs Finals in 2014), taking home another finals MVP.
Prediction: TOR 109, GSW 102