2019 NBA Finals Game 6 Prediction

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Tonight is Game 6 of the NBA Finals with the Raptors up 3-2 and have the opportunity to win the championship. The Golden State Warriors, on the other hand, have the opportunity to even up the series and take the series back to Scotiabank Centre in Toronto. Nonetheless, the stakes for the Finals are very high and the result of tonight's game can lead to either the demise or the continued survival of the Golden State dynasty. The Raptors missed a key chance on Monday in front of their home crowd after Kyle Lowry's game winning three went awry. The Warriors lost an enormous key player en route to Game 5's victory. Despite coming out on top, the Golden State Warriors lost Kevin Durant after he re aggravated and eventually tore his Achilles. This devastating injury debilitates the Warriors as they now have lost the most dominant player this playoffs. However, both teams have their own advantages which gives all fans an interesting game to watch. Below are the advantages for each team and my prediction for the game.

Raptors

Healthy Team

Unlike their opponents, the Warriors, the Raptors are fully stocked and have a healthy lineup. Kawhi Leonard, their superstar, has fully recovered from his previous quadriceps injury an is in great form. In addition, budding star Pascal Siakam, star point guard Kyle Lowry, and powerful center Marc Gasol are all in their best shape and have been very dominant this entire series. With this advantage, the Raptors are fully stocked and can deploy their best players whenever necessary. On the other hand the Warriors lost Kevin Durant to a gruesome injury and he will not return. Kevin Durant was the best player on the Warriors at that time and his injury will surely hinder the success of this Warriors' team. In comparison, the Raptors do not have this problem as all of their stars are rested and set to compete in the world's biggest stage tonight

Frontcourt Size

A major advantage for the Raptors are their frontcourt size. Both of the starters in the front court, Marc Gasol and Pascal Siakam, are much more physical and have much more scoring talent in comparison to Draymond Green and Demarcus Cousins. Although the latter two players have been all stars for the past couple of seasons, they both are weak in comparison to both Gasol and Siakam. Draymond Green, although an All Star for the past couple of years and a great defender, has never be known for his scoring ability. As a result, his paltry offensive output puts the Warriors at a disadvantage. Cousins, on the other hand, is coming off a major Achilles injury and suffers from fatigue. He did not play for a majority of the regular season and re injured his Achilles earlier in the playoffs. This puts Cousins at a disadvantage as he is not completely healthy and thus cannot put up the All Star numbers he did with the Kings and the Pelicans in previous seasons.

Series Advantage

Another major advantage that the Raptors have is that they are up 3-2 in the NBA Finals. This means that, in the worst case scenario, the Raptors can afford another loss and play for the championship in their homecourt. This means that the Raptors have more leeway and room to make mistakes. However, the Warriors are on a very thin rope to keep up their dynasty as they are down 2-3. This situation is a "do or die" situation meaning that the Warriors must come on top in the next two games in order to win the championship. This puts immense pressure on Steve Kerr and the Warriors to play their best.

Warriors

Explosive Backcourt

One main advantage that the Golden State Warriors have is that they have one of the most explosive backcourts in the NBA. With perennial All Stars like Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, the Warriors starting PG and SG will surely have a successful scoring output. Their output in Monday's Game 5 led the Warriors to make a comeback bid and defeat the Raptors. With their explosive nature, it will be hard for the Raptors to contain the Warriors. The overall play of the Splash Brothers, in comparison, is far superior than the play of both Kyle Lowry and Danny Green.

Homecourt

Another advantage that the Golden State Warriors have is their homecourt. Oracle Arena is one of the most loudest and explosive arenas in the world. Their fans are very supportive and will motivate and encourage positive output and offense from their home team. In addition, they will inhibit the Raptors offense and will be a distracting force for the them. The crowd effect on the Raptors will be immense and expect them to carry momentum for the Warriors team.

Down in the Series

Although this might be seen as a disadvantage, the fact that the Warriors are down means that they will be playing with more ferocity and more desire. Thus, they will be forced to play with more precision and be more careful. Thus, they will commit less turnovers (which have plagued them this entire series) and can capitalize on the mistakes made by the Raptors. Thus, this will make them advantageous at the end of the day.

My prediction is that the Warriors win.