The 2019 NBA Finals get underway on Thursday night as the Toronto Raptors host the Golden State Warriors in Game 1.
Golden State is bidding to become the first team to win three titles in a row since the Los Angeles Lakers achieved the feat between 2000 and 2002, while Toronto will make its first Finals appearance in franchise history.
The Warriors will be without Kevin Durant for the series opener as the reigning two-time NBA Finals MVP continues to recover from the calf strain that forced him to sit out the last five games. Durant's injury, however, is just one of the talking points of the NBA Finals.
Here's everything you need to know about the first game of the series.
When and where is Game 1?
The first game of the NBA Finals tips off at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 30 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
The venue will also host the second game of the series, before the Finals move to Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, for Game 3 and 4. If necessary, Game 5 and 7 will also be in Toronto, while a possible Game 6 will be in Oakland.
TV channel
ABC will exclusively broadcast every game of the NBA Finals, as it has done since 2003. The primary broadcast team is made up by Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson. Meanwhile, ESPN's NBA Countdown crew will consist of Michelle Beadle, Jalen Rose, Paul Pierce and Stan Van Gundy.
In Canada, coverage of the series is split between Sportsnet One and The Sports Network. Game 1 will be on the former.
Live stream
Watch ESPN will provide a live stream throughout the series and will be available on desktop and via the mobile app. Similarly, fuboTV will also offer live stream for every game of the Finals.
Odds
According to data compiled by Oddshark, the Warriors are 9/25 (-280 in moneyline terms) favorites to win the title, while the Raptors are at +230. Interestingly, however, Golden State opened the season as a 5/10 favorite, while Toronto was a 14/1 outsider.
As far as Game 1 is concerned, bookmakers have the Raptors as 1.5 point favorite, while the over/under bar is set at 213.5 points.
Form and records
The Raptors have won both their regular season meetings against the Warriors, with a 131-128 overtime win at home on November 30 and a 113-93 win in Oakland on December 13.
The Warriors, on the other hand, are fast starters in the Finals and have won Game 1 in each of their last four appearances. Crucially, however, in each of those series they held home court advantage and played Game 1 in Oakland.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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