Pascal Siakam goes off as the Raptors take game 1 of the NBA Finals!
Tonight, was game 1 of the NBA Finals, and for the first time during this Warriors Finals era the Warriors did not start the series off on their home court. Tonight’s game was played in Toronto, and the Raptors made sure that they did not disappoint their fans. The Raptors played an impressive game 1, being that this was their first time ever in the Finals. This Raptors team didn’t seem nervous at all. They attacked this Warriors team from the beginning of the game until the end.
Raptors star, Kawhi Leonard played another solid game, but it was Forward, Pascal Siakam that torched this Warriors team tonight. Siakam finished the game with 32 points and shot 14-17 from the field. Not only was Siakam a menace on the offensive end, but on the defensive end as well. Siakam was able to grab 5 defensive rebounds, block 2 shots, and come up with 1 steal. Center, Marc Gasol was a huge factor is this game as well. Although Gasol scored 23 points, Gasol’s defense is what stood out tonight in game 1. Gasol finished the game with 1 block, 2 steals and did a good job of guarding pick and roll actions. Gasol didn’t give the Warriors any space to shoot the ball.
This Raptors team was locked in on defense tonight, and really made this Warriors team work. The Warriors best offense came from second chance points. The Warriors are going to get open shots. They’re one of the best offensive teams in the league if not the best, however the Raptors made it a point to limit their open looks and make everything difficult. The Raptors showed different defensive looks, rotated well, pressured the ball, and contested mostly everything which is partly why they were able to win this game. Offensively, the Raptors played a sound game as well. The Raptors were able to get out in transition, they took care of the ball, took good shots and everyone played a part in the offense. This is the type of play that the Raptors are going to need if they want to defeat this Warriors team.
However, this Warriors team seemed a bit off. They’ve had some time to rest and it showed. Especially on defense. In the first half, the Warriors looked like a team that hasn’t played in a while, but they did a better job in the second half. The Warriors didn’t play their best game, meanwhile the Raptors played one of their best games of the playoffs and were able to win by only 9. Game 2 is where we should see both teams at their best. With that being said, this win was not only a great win for the Raptors, but this was great win for Canada! This win should give the Raptors momentum moving forward.
