Toronto Raptors Roundtable: NBA Finals keys to the series, predictions, and more

The Toronto Raptors are heading to the NBA Finals to face the Golden State Warriors. Before these two teams face off, we asked our contributors the biggest questions heading into the series.

For the first time in franchise history, the Toronto Raptors will be playing in the NBA Finals. After trailing 1-2 to the Philadelphia 76ers, after trailing 2-0 to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Raptors are finally here. Now, if they want to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy, they’ll need to defeat the dynasty Golden State Warriors.

With the most exciting matchup in franchise history coming up, we gathered our top contributors and asked them the five biggest questions heading into the NBA Finals:

What is the most important part of slowing down the Warriors offense?

Mark Birdsell

Since Kevin Durant went down with an injury, the Warriors have gone back to their old bag of tricks with the Steph Curry/Draymond Green high pick-and-roll, a play which is almost impossible to defend.

If Curry gets any space he is lights out from three-point range. If you double team Curry, Green has the ball with a 4-on-3 and can pick the defense apart. Green has a high basketball IQ and is an excellent passer, averaging 6.9 assists per game this season.

The Raptors have a number of strong individual defenders, but they will have their hands full with the Warriors high pick-and-roll.

Mike Bossetti:

Make the game a slugfest and win total shots by a decent margin. The Warriors are at their best when running and attacking defenses in transition. Toronto needs to try to slow the game down and make it as much of a halfcourt game was possible.

The two teams who have played the Warriors the best during this dynasty, the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers, have done a great job of doing exactly that. Golden State isn’t a great rebounding team, they are prone to turn the ball over, and they don’t get to the line.

If the Raptors win all three of those areas it will take a herculean effort for the Warriors to overcome it by shooting, particularly in just the halfcourt.

Go Paolo:

Controlling the pace. The Raptors were successful in stopping the Bucks because they managed to control the tempo of the game and play them at their speed. That is easier said than done against Golden State. But playing a slower more efficient offense while cutting passing lanes and forcing the Warriors into one-on-one matchups will keep them at a manageable level.

William Ricks:

Stopping Steph Curry is the most important part of the Warriors’ offense to stop. With Durant out, Curry has returned to being the scorer he was before Durant got there. He has taken 20+ shots in every game following Durant’s injury. If you trap Curry and get physical with him, they will definitely hit some struggles.