By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Golden State Warriors found out their NBA Finals opponent on Saturday evening when the Toronto Raptors finished the Eastern Conference Finals with the 100-94 home victory. The Canadian team nailed the best-of-seven series, 4-2, despite starting with two consecutive defeats at the Fiserv Forum.
Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 27 points, tallied 17 boards and seven assists as well. Serge Ibaka contributed to the Game 6 win with nine points and three rebounds off the bench. Spaniard center Marc Gasol also went through to the NBA Finals notching six points, three boards, two dimes, one steal and one rejection in 26 minutes.
The NBA Finals will travel outside the USA for the first time on Thursday when the Raptors host Game 1. They dug their way out of a 15-point hole to secure the “W” and will have the home-court advantage in their first ever NBA Finals. The 38-23 lead early in the second quarter and the third-quarter 15-point lead wasn’t enough for the Bucks.
Riding a 26-3 spurt they carried from the third to the fourth period, the Raptors turned Game 6 in their favor and held on until the end. Leonard, the 2014 NBA Finals MVP, sparked the 10-0 third-period run, but Pascal Siakam gave his team its first lead since the first quarter in the beginning of the fourth.
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished his MVP-caliber 2018-19 campaign with 21 points, 11 rebounds, four helpers, three blocks and a pair of steals to his name. Ersan Ilyasova had 13 points, six rebounds and one dime. Nikola Mirotic didn’t leave the bench and Pau Gasol remained sidelined.