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Golden State Warriors Projected Starting Line up
- Stephen Curry
- Klay Thompson
- Andre Iguadala
- Draymond Green
- Demarcus Cousins
[FONT=verdana]AND YOUR TORONTO RAPTORS
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[FONT=verdana]AND YOUR COACH OF THE TORONTO RAPTORS
[/FONT][FONT=verdana]TEAM NOTES[/FONT]• The Toronto Raptors return home to host the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of he 2019 NBA Finals. The Raptors have an opportunity to win their first NBA title and the first championship for a Canadian franchise in a major sports league since the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series. Toronto is 3-0 this season when it has a chance to win a playoff series at home.
• Toronto has made 10 or more three-pointers in 10 consecutive games (May 15 – Jun. 7). The Raptors are shooting .369 (137-371) from three-point range during this stretch and have a 7-3 record. Toronto’s 17 three-pointers in Game 3 at Golden State was the third-most made in an NBA Finals games, joining Cleveland (24 on June 9, 2017) and Golden State (18 on June 4, 2017). Kyle Lowry leads the team shooting .426 (29-68), followed by Fred VanVleet .471 (24-51).
• Kawhi Leonard recorded his 14th game in the post-season with 30 or more points. He led the Raptors in scoring with 30 in Game 3 at Golden State. Leonard joins Kobe Bryant (2009, 2010), LeBron James (2017, 2012) and Allen Iverson (2001) as the only players since 2000-01 to record 14 or more games with 30+ points during a playoff run. Michael Jordan (1991-92) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1994-95) are tied for the most 30-point games in the playoffs with 16 each.
• Kawhi Leonard’s 684 total points in the 2019 playoffs ranks eighth in NBA history for points scored in a single playoff season. Michael Jordan holds the NBA record with 759 points during the 1992 playoffs. SINGLE-SEASON PLAYOFF SCORING: 759 points, Michael Jordan (1992), 748 – LeBron James (2018), 725 – Hakeem Olajuwon (1995), 723 – Allen Iverson (2001), 707 – Shaquille O’Neal (2000), 697 – LeBron James (2012), 695 – Kobe Bryant (2009), 684 – Kawhi Leonard (2019).
• TOP SINGLE-GAME PLAYOFF SCORING PERFORMANCES: 50 – Vince Carter (May 11, 2005 vs. PHI); 45 – Kawhi Leonard (Apr. 27, 2019 vs. PHI); 41 – Kawhi Leonard (May 12, 2019 vs. PHI); 39 – Kawhi Leonard (May 5, 2019 at PHI); 39 – Chris Bosh (Apr. 26, 2008 vs. ORL); 39 – Vince Carter (May 18, 2001 vs. PHI).
• Kawhi Leonard is shooting .938 (45-48) at the free throw line in the Finals vs. Golden State. His 45 free throws is tied for second in NBA Finals history through four games, trailing only Jerry West (48 in 1970) and Shaquille O’Neal (45 in 2002). Leonard’s 178 free throws in the 2019 playoffs ranks fifth in NBA history, trailing only Dirk Nowitzki (205 in 2006), Dwyane Wade (202 in 2006), and Michael Jordan (183 in 1989 and 181 in 1998).
• Serge Ibaka shot 9-of-12 from the field. He is the first reserve to score 20 or more points and shoot at least 75 percent from the field in an NBA Finals game since the Detroit’s Vinnie Johnson at the Portland Trail Blazers on June 12, 1990.
• Toronto became the second team in the last 51 years to have six players appear in each of the first four games of an NBA Finals and average more than 12 points per game – Kawhi Leonard (30.8), Pascal Siakam (20.3), Kyle Lowry (13.3), Marc Gasol (13.0), Fred VanVleet (12.8) and Danny Green (10.0).The only other team that did so during that time (1969 –2019) was the Los Angeles Lakers in 1982 (Abdul-Jabbar, Norm Nixon, Jamaal Wilkes, Magic Johnson, Michael Cooper and Bob McAdoo).
• Toronto has played 10 straight playoff games against the top-two offensive teams in the NBA this season during the regular-season – Golden State and Milwaukee. The Warriors ranked first in field goal percentage (.491) and second in points (117.1), while the Bucks were third in field goal shooting (.476) and first in points (118.1). Over the last 10 games the Raptors have held both teams to a combined .428 field goal shooting percentage and 105.9 points. Toronto improved to 13-3 in the playoffs when holding opponents under .450 shooting from the field (last: Game 4 at Golden State - .449) and 11-1 when holding opponents under 100 points (last: Game 4 at Golden State - 92 points).
[FONT=verdana]MUSIC:
Hold On We're Going Home
Jurassic Park
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