NBA Finals: Warriors-Raptors x-factors and a prediction

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NBA Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Ahead of the 2019 NBA Finals between the Warriors and Raptors, we take a look at some x-factors and a prediction

The 2019 NBA Finals are finally here. After a crazy, event-filled first few rounds we are left with the final two teams.

One of these teams is a surprise to no one as the Golden State Warriors are now competing in their fifth consecutive NBA finals, good enough for the second-longest streak by any team in NBA history (only Bill Russell’s Celtics have more consecutive finals appearances).

On the other side of the bracket, most were expecting the Milwaukee Bucks to be the team representing the east in the finals but after an epic conference finals showdown, Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors emerged on top, making their first-ever NBA Finals appearance as a franchise.

So with the stage now set, which team has the edge? Let’s dive deep and make a case for each squad and also highlight the biggest x-factors in this series…

*You can also check out the latest episode of the “Around the Arc” podcast where I dive even deeper into the 2019 NBA finals (below)!