The Golden State Warriors are participating in their fifth-straight NBA Finals and, for the first time during the streak, they aren’t facing the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Yes, for the first four seasons of this streak, Golden State faced off with LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
Facing the same opponent can grow stale and the Warriors are definitely happy to face a new opponent in the Toronto Raptors: a team reaching this stage for the first time in its franchise’s history.
Backup Warriors point guard Shaun Livingston already expressed that he’s happy the team doesn’t have to go to Cleveland again. And coach Steve Kerr is ready for a breath of fresh air as well.
Kerr said he and his staff presented the game plan to the players Monday morning before practice and there was a freshness to preparing for a new opponent:
That was the exception. This is more the rule. You’re not supposed to play the same team every year. That was a special era, a special rivalry.
It was definitely special in The Bay where the Warriors took three of the four meetings with the Cavaliers in the Finals and probably should have won all four after the infamous 3-1 blown lead in 2016.
Golden State swept the Cavs in 2018.
The Warriors will now prepare for a new challenge in Kawhi Leonard, a terrific player in his own right. His play has been fantastic this postseason, leading Toronto to this point. With Kevin Durant still hobbled and already announced as out for Game 1, Golden State will need other guys to step up and fill the void as usual.
