The NBA Finals have come to a conclusion, with the Toronto Raptors winning their first Championship in franchise history in a 4-2 victory over the Golden State Warriors. As the celebration in Toronto ensues, alongside with Raptors fans worldwide, we are finally given the opportunity to look back into the 6-game series of a constant back and forth momentum swings.

Game 1 was a tone setter for the Toronto Raptors, winning 118-109, with Pascal leading the Raptors with 32pts, 8reb, and 5ast. There was also strong consistency with the Raptors bench, having 5 players out of the Raptors 9 scoring in double figures, in comparison to the Warriors 3. In addition to the

Game 2 was both a perfect retaliation for the Golden State Warriors and a sign of caution to the Toronto Raptors. The Warriors were able to take a game away from home, with notable contributions to the Warriors starting 5, but particularly recently acquired Center DeMarcus Cousins.  Cousins finished the game 11pts, 10reb, and 6ast, in comparison to his Game 1 stats of 3pts, 0reb, and 2ast. Being able to get more contribution from Cousins forced the Raptors defense to become more mindful of him when he has the ball, opening up potential looks for his teammates, which was a result of the 6 assists that Cousins had by the end of the night. With this momentum swing, the Warriors were felt good going home to Oracle Arena for Game 3 but the Raptors, despite the loss, would not relent.

This was especially true in Game 3, kicking off the first string of games that represented the end of the great Oracle Arena. The Raptors finished the game with a 14-point victory over the Warriors at home. This particular game shows the tale of two very different types of play, with the Raptors playing a more team based game with six players scoring in double figures, with Raptors All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry leading the way in scoring, while the Warriors superstar Point Guard Steph Curry went off to score a game-high 47 points. Despite the scoring display he had shown, and the contributions that his teammates made, or tried to make for that matter, fell short and the Warriors found themselves down 2-1 in the series.

Game 4 back at Oracle Arena was a much more balanced game in terms of depth in the scoring aspect of things, with Klay Thompson and Steph Curry leading the Warriors with 28 and 27 points respectively. However the Raptors received a surge (pun intended) from former Oklahoma City Thunder PF Serge Ibaka, off the bench with 20 points in 22 minutes for the 11-year veteran. Alongside his scoring output was Kawhi Leonard’s game-high 36 points to lead the Raptors 3-1 in the series. it was at this point many fans assumed the series was over, considering it was heading back to Toronto for what could have been the last game for the Raptors. However, the Golden State Warriors and Warriors fans around the world believed in the Strength in Numbers in hopes of a reverse sweep.

There perhaps could not have been a more poetic way for the series to come to a conclusion other than the hometown Raptors winning their first NBA Championship in front of the fans in their own arena. Most unfortunate for them however, that was not the case. Last year’s NBA Finals MVP in Kevin Durant had missed the entire series up until this point, and with him back on the floor the Warriors knew for a fact that they stood a chance in this series. With their morale at an all-time high, only to be crushed when Durant went down with an Achilles injury, having only played 12 minutes into the game. He would not return for the rest of the series but had contributed to his team the best he could adding 11 points and 2 rebounds while he was still in the game. It was at this point the rest of the Warriors rallied together behind their Point Guard in Steph Curry to propel themselves to a 106-105 victory in Toronto, moving the series to 3-2, and NBA fans worldwide wondered if the reverse sweep was possible for the Golden State Warriors.

It seemed that the Warriors had all the momentum going into Game 6, despite not having Kevin Durant in the lineup. The game would go down to the wire in the 4th Quarter, with a constant back and forth between the two teams. It was ultimately decided when Steph Curry took an off-balance three pointer that he has almost become notorious for hitting those shots, missing, and amidst the battle for the loose ball, Warriors PF Draymond Green comes up with it only to call a timeout, despite not having anymore timeouts to give at this point late into the game. Here the Warriors receive a technical foul for excessive timeouts, ultimately giving the Raptors a one-shot free throw, leaving no time for the Warriors to try for the win. It was at this moment in time that the realization had begun to set in, and the Toronto Raptors stormed the floor, celebrating their victory, forever adding their name to the list of NBA Champions as well as obtaining the first championship for the Toronto Raptors in league history.

The NBA world was in collective shock on June 15, 2019 when word got out that the New Orleans Pelicans agreed to a trade that would send All-Star big Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first round picks. The response to this blockbuster trade has been fairly mixed, however, for fans are uncertain for what the remainder of the offseason has in store for their respective teams.

There are always two sides to every story, and this one is no different. On one side fans believe that having another dynamic duo in Los Angeles is exactly what the team needs as long as they have the complimentary pieces necessary, while the other believed in the once young Laker core that consisted of Ball, Ingram, Hart, Kuzma, etc. With that approach to the Lakers’ roster no longer an option, it seems like the organization is sticking to its guns by opting into the Shaq and Kobe, Magic and Kareem situation where they have big name players and surround them with necessary pieces for team success. In this case, however, the Lakers have some of the biggest names in basketball of this generation in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The ultimate question regarding these two is: just how good can these two be together? James averaged 27.4ppg, 8.5rpg, and 8.3apg last season with, arguably, a lackluster Lakers roster in 55 games while Davis averaged 25.9ppg, 12rbg, and 3.9apg while playing only 56 games. With the combination of James and Davis, alongside with potential future talent to come leaves nothing but high hopes in Laker fans’ hearts. The only questions remaining are the health of the team, what pieces will be added, and of course, what will the future of the Lakers organization look like.

Whilst on the topic of futures, the New Orleans Pelicans have a very bright one ahead of them. With all their recent acquisitions, ranging from the Lakers-Pelicans trade, as well as the recent news of the draft and free agency thus far, we’ve come to see a team that has the potential to be even better than seasons prior. The Pelicans up to this point in time have acquire a large list of players such as, 76ers Shooting Guard J.J. Reddick and Utah Jazz Forward Derrick Favors from Free Agency, as well as drafting strong potential talent in Center out of Texas Jaxson Hayes, Wing out of Virginia Tech Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and of course none other than the Forward out of Duke, Zion Williamson. When comparing the two teams, it is fairly debatable to figure who really got the better of this trade. Which only raises many questions and increases the level of excitement for the season to come.