**NBA FINALS THREAD - RAPTORS DEFY GRAVITY**

[danikerhino]

Kawhi's supporting cast will be inconsistent, Warriors take it at 6 max.

 

[dman14]

pop giving him the rundown on kawhi

 

[danikerhino]

Holy ****

Joe Budden is a ******* gossip.

 

[QU!K]

Pretty amazing the "best basketball player in the world" has shifted from Durant, Giannis and Kawhi the last three weeks.

I don’t think anyone has called Kawhi the best basketball player in the world

 

[MVP]

i didn't know they played the warriors 82 times in the regular season.

Well they were 2-0 vs them this season including a 20 point rout at Oracle without Kawhi.

 

[numbah1grimey]

Joe Budden dumb AF. He need to swallow a box of nails. 500 count, preferably

 

[Flamboyant_Luv23]

Denial is a beast

spurs have been one of the most conservative teams in all of pro sports when dealing with injuries. pops literally started the trend of resting players. are we supposed to believe uncle dennis with zero credibility because he says so?

 

[Tony $now]

Warriors in 5, 6 tops
StephVP finally gets his FMVP
Haters will cry and say their path to the finals was easy, team stacked, whatever else excuse they can think of.

 

[MVP]

Warriors not winning this series without KD returning.

 

[ahat]

Hey whatever happened to @lebronhasmorefinalsmvp ?

Wheres that guy? Tell him we the nawf

 

[hand2handking]

Kawhi Leonard’s ‘Uncle Dennis’ Speaks: ‘He’s Ready for This Moment’

https://sports.yahoo.com/kawhi-leonards-uncle-dennis-hes-ready-for-this-moment-222416017.html

OAKLAND, Calif. — Dennis Robertson, referred predominantly in NBA circles as “Uncle Dennis,” is the uncle of Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard.

Robertson is Leonard’s primary career and business strategist who generally avoids speaking publicly, similar to the two-time Defensive Player of the Year.

“We’re a humble family and we’re just enjoying the moment,” Robertson told Yahoo Sports on Sunday afternoon via phone interview. “Most people would say it’s vindication, but I’m not sure about that. But it was nice that we kept our mouths shut and just let everything play out. And for Kawhi, to take all the negative press he received and to focus on taking the East and to taking each series game by game, it’s a big deal. Making it to the Finals is a big deal. This is a team that has never been to the Finals and we’re happy about that. It feels good with what we went through last year. We have to be happy. He said it best with all the work he's put into his craft: He’s ready for this moment. What he accomplished was amazing. That’s what stars do. How he’s handled everything on and off the court is well deserved. It was nice to see him fight through all the adversity and he’s earned every minute of this.”


The 6-foot-7 forward has been the difference-maker the Raptors desperately needed, but the joy the organization is experiencing is because of the joy that was lost last season.

Leonard and Robertson have never openly addressed why the three-time All-Star requested a trade from the Spurs last offseason. For much of the 2017-18 season, Leonard battled a right quad injury and it limited him to just nine games.

Over time, the Spurs’ medical staff cleared him to play. Leonard sought a second opinion from an outside source and it was recommended that he continued rehabbing. The organization’s position caused teammates to question if Leonard had ulterior motives. That — along with constant leaks to the media detailing how frustrated the Spurs were with the ordeal — was the beginning of the end of a relationship that had otherwise been relatively healthy for six years.

Robertson revealed why it was time for Leonard to go elsewhere.

“I think it just became a lack of trust,” Robertson told Yahoo Sports. “They didn’t believe Kawhi couldn’t play and that caused a lack of trust in us and then us not believing in them. Any time a player says he’s not capable of playing, you should believe him. Why would Kawhi just stop playing all of a sudden? He’s a competitor. Sometimes you get these team doctors telling you what you can and cannot do, and Kawhi was just in too much pain to get out there. This was a serious issue. They didn’t believe him, and after that, the relationship couldn’t recover and we decided we had to move on.”

The trade request was made in June 2018 and playing near home in Los Angeles was Leonard’s main preference.

But about a month later, Masai Ujiri, the Raptors’ president of basketball operations, made a bold move, trading star guard DeMar DeRozan — the most accomplished player in the franchise’s history — in exchange for Leonard in a three-player deal.

It was a risky maneuver, swapping a star who adored Toronto for a star who isn’t a fan of cold weather.


When you are initially traded somewhere you didn’t asked to be, you don’t want to accept it,” Robertson told Yahoo Sports. “But once you get through that period, the focus then turns to giving your all and performing at a high level. It never had anything to do with the city of Toronto. It wasn’t. Toronto is a beautiful city. Kawhi has often spoke highly of Toronto. It’s a beautiful place. That was just an initial reaction, which is normal. But we’re enjoying this run and looking forward to the Finals.”

Much of the NBA Finals chatter will be about what takes place after the series because the matchup features three of the top pending free agents in Leonard, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson.

“I can’t get into other free agents and other teams, but for Kawhi, he’s going to take it one day and one game at a time,” Robertson told Yahoo Sports. “We have a championship opportunity in front of us. We’re not thinking about free agency; it’s the Warriors [right now]. Once we get through the season, we’ll turn our attention to free agency. But we’re just having fun right now. This has been a great year.”

Leonard started favoring his right leg in the conference finals against the Milwaukee Bucks, with speculation that it could be the lingering quad issue that sidelined him for most of last year. Robertson wouldn’t divulge the nature of the injury, but acknowledged he’s dealing with something.

Toronto is four wins from shocking the world. Ujiri let it be known after the Raptors were crowned the Eastern Conference champions that hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy is the primary objective.

In that same speech, he also called Leonard the best player in the game. Considering the road Leonard took to get back on the court, that’s some strong praise.

“I think if there was anybody capable of doing this, I would have said he could do it,” Robertson told Yahoo Sports. “And If there were any doubts that he wasn’t 100 percent last series, even though you could clearly see he was in pain because it was national TV, you might have thought he couldn’t get through this. But his basketball IQ is above most and he figured out a way to get through it and we feel good about where we’re at.”

 

[stanfan]

Imagine thinking regular season wins matter against a team that has been at the top for 4 years

NT be wildin

 

[de janeiro]

Well they were 2-0 vs them this season including a 20 point rout at Oracle without Kawhi.

regular season matchups are literally meaningless. theres no game planning and no motivation for players to try hard especially for these warriors. playoffs are about personnel and playing style matchups. if a team has your number you're just not gonna beat them. raptors fans should know from the past few years lol

 

[QU!K]

Even without KD, GSW has 3 All-NBA players, and are heavily favoured.

And this is coming from someone from Toronto.

 

[QU!K]

I think GSW fans have surpassed Lakers fans as most obnoxious.

Almost unbearable.

 

[de janeiro]

i sound like a huge homer rn but i'm really just waiting on anyone to give me a valid argument in basketball terms. how exactly are they going to contain the warriors ball movement and player movement schematically? like i'm really just trying to have a fun basketball discussion here.

 

[de janeiro]

I think GSW fans have surpassed Lakers fans as most obnoxious.

Almost unbearable.

i think we were being pretty objective until some raptors fans started talking mad trash lol

 

[QU!K]

i think we were being pretty objective until some raptors fans started talking mad trash lol

Who?

 

[QU!K]

Objectively no one forsaw the Pistons beating the 3peat Lakers

Objectively no one forsaw GSW giving up a 3-1 lead

Objectively most people wrote off Raptors against the Sixers

Objectively no one saw the Raptors coming back 2-0 against the bucks

The game isn’t always predictable

 

[Lovetohate3000]

This will be the best defense and team warriors have faced in the finals or playoffs.
Lowry green and kawhi are all excellent defenders.. The raptors have decent depth too.
Cousins is back, and he hurts them more then he helps them, especially defensively. This isn't 2k, the team with the most all stars doesn't win. It's about total team and matchups.

Warriors defense hasn't been good at all. Warriors are going to struggle and need kd if they want to win.

 

[hand2handking]

 

[100027]

Kawhi is about to be that new guy who everyone projects their own thoughts and feelings on. Happened with Westbrook a few years ago when Durant left.

"Men nowadays are soft but Kawhi is a real tough guy"
"Everyone wants to be flashy but Kawhi, he's soft spoken and humble"
"NBA players don't play defense but Kawhi, he plays defense"
"Basketball players now are soft because they come from easy backgrounds but Kawhi is a real G"
"NBA players all want to be friends with each other but Kawhi, he doesn't have any friends"

All kinds of dumbasses like Joe Budden trying to project their own prejudices and insecurities on some poor dude . Talking about Embiid is scared to make jokes because his dad is in prison, how does that even make any sense? Idiot Newark old head logic.

Just wait for it, it's going to be everywhere.

 

[de janeiro]

Objectively no one forsaw the Pistons beating the 3peat Lakers

Objectively no one forsaw GSW giving up a 3-1 lead

Objectively most people wrote off Raptors against the Sixers

Objectively no one saw the Raptors coming back 2-0 against the bucks

The game isn’t always predictable

i was too young for the 2004 finals.

i knew we were in big trouble once we lost game 5 in 2016. and i think without kd the cavs would've beat us for years to come.

also i don't make predictions about teams i don't follow regularly. i think that's just stupid. you have to be extremely familiar with at least one of the two teams so you know exactly what works for/against them and what doesn't.

so if you're neither a raptors fan or a warriors fan that watches at least 70%-80% of the games, thanks for joining the conversation but your opinion is worthless lol.

 

[Air273]

warriors win 10 straight w/o KD.....if so will be comical bookend from the start of him signing and his last ring, 3 peat, that a team didnt need ya to do

maybe they don't win 3 in a row w/o KD as lebron might have gotten one but def 2/3

warriors in 4

 

[de janeiro]

warriors win 10 straight w/o KD.....if so will be comical bookend from the start of him signing and his last ring, 3 peat, that a team didnt need ya to do

maybe they don't win 3 in a row w/o KD as lebron might have gotten one but def 2/3

warriors in 4

they needed kd. it's about matchups. they needed him in the clippers series and the rockets series. because those teams had the right personnel and defensive scheme to contain the warriors ball movement and player movement. kd was their insurance because when everything fails you can throw him the ball to get you a bucket. but they didn't need him in the portland series and they're not gonna need him in the finals because those teams don't possess the same personnel that can limit steph and klay.