Raptors, Warriors set for historic matchup in 2019 NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV
The Toronto Raptors and the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors will meet in the historic NBA Finals 2019 presented by YouTube TV. With Toronto making its NBA Finals debut, this marks the first time that the league’s championship series will feature games played outside the United States.
The Eastern Conference champion Raptors and the Western Conference champion Warriors will tip off the NBA Finals 2019 presented by YouTube TV on Thursday, May 30 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN Radio in the United States and on Sportsnet and RDS in Canada. The NBA Finals will reach fans live in 215 countries and territories in 50 languages on their televisions, computers, mobile devices and tablets.
Here is a by-the-numbers look at the NBA Finals 2019 presented by YouTube TV.
Toronto Raptors vs. Golden State Warriors
3 – Golden State is seeking its third NBA championship in a row. The only teams to win three straight NBA titles over the last 50 years are the Los Angeles Lakers (2000-02) and the Chicago Bulls (1991-93 and 1996-98).
5 – The Warriors have made the NBA Finals five consecutive years, joining the Boston Celtics as the only teams to accomplish the feat. The Celtics reached 10 NBA Finals in a row from 1957-66.
6 – Golden State has won six NBA championships, tied with the Bulls for third place all time. The Celtics lead with 17 NBA titles, followed by the Lakers with 16.
50 – The Raptors have won at least 50 games in each of the last four seasons. Before this four-year streak, Toronto had never recorded a 50-win season.
17 – For the first time in 17 years, Toronto swept the two-game regular-season series vs. Golden State.
Players and Coaches
561 – The Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard has scored 561 points in the 2019 postseason, the sixth-highest all-time total for a player before the NBA Finals.
31.7 – Kevin Durant’s career NBA Finals scoring average of 31.7 points is the third-highest mark ever. Rick Barry is the all-time leader at 36.3 points, followed by Michael Jordan with 33.6 points.
98 – Stephen Curry has made a record 98 three-pointers in the NBA Finals.
1 – Raptors coach Nick Nurse is the first former NBA G League coach to lead a team to the NBA Finals. Nurse is the only coach to guide two franchises to an NBA G League championship.
75.8 – Warriors coach Steve Kerr has won an NBA-record 75.8 percent of his playoff games (75-24).
29 – Toronto’s Jeremy Lin appeared in 29 games for Golden State as a rookie in the 2010-11 season.
16 – A combined 16 players with NBA G League experience are on NBA Finals rosters.
Raptors: Chris Boucher, Danny Green, Jeremy Lin, Patrick McCaw, Malcolm Miller, Eric Moreland, Norman Powell, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet.
Warriors: Jordan Bell, Quinn Cook, Jacob Evans, Damian Jones, Shaun Livingston, Kevon Looney and Alfonzo McKinnie.
NBA Finals in the United States
9 – ESPN’s broadcast team of Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson and Doris Burke will call the NBA Finals for the ninth time.
11 – Jackson and Burke will each work the NBA Finals for the 11th time. Jackson has made the most appearances for an African-American game analyst for any major North American sports championship event. Burke, the NBA Finals broadcast reporter, has made the most appearances for a woman in a prominent Finals on-air role.
17 – ESPN will produce the NBA Finals on ABC for the 17th consecutive year.
18 – Working the series for ESPN Radio, Hubie Brown will be an NBA Finals analyst for a record 18thtime (14 on radio, four on television).
NBA Finals in Canada
3 – Three Canadian television networks – RDS, Sportsnet and TSN – will present the NBA Finals live across Canada in English and French (RDS).
29 – This season was the most-watched NBA regular season ever in Canada, with viewership up 29%year-over-year across Sportsnet and TSN.
NBA Finals Around the World
14 – Fourteen international television and radio networks – from Brazil, Canada, China, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Latin America, Poland, Spain and Taiwan – will provide live onsite commentary.
7 – Seven international players representing seven countries are on Finals rosters.
Raptors: Chris Boucher (Canada), Marc Gasol (Spain), OG Anunoby (United Kingdom), Pascal Siakam (Cameroon) and Serge Ibaka (Republic of the Congo).
Warriors: Andrew Bogut (Australia) and Jonas Jerebko (Sweden).
6 – Six international television networks – from Australia, Estonia, Hong Kong and New Zealand – will present the NBA Finals remotely for the first time.
NBA Digital
18 – NBA TV’s on-site analysts – Charles Barkley, Kevin McHale, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, Steve Smith and Isiah Thomas – made 18 Finals appearances during their careers. NBA legends Grant Hill and Chris Webber will round out NBA TV’s Finals team.
NBA Social Media
1.6B – The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than 1.6 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team and player platforms.
30M – The Warriors and Raptors have a combined 30 million followers across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
47M – Stephen Curry has more than 47 million followers on social media, making him the second-most-followed NBA player, behind the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James.
NBA Cares
1,273 and 1,274 – Jimmie Simpson Community Centre in Toronto and Oakland’s Ira Jinkins Recreation Center will be the 1,273rd and 1,274th places where NBA Cares has created spaces where kids and families can live, learn or play.
1 – Toronto’s Pascal Siakam is one of the 10 finalists for the 2018-19 Seasonlong NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente. The winner will be announced at the 2019 NBA Awards presented by Kia on Monday, June 24 at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.
> > Complete 2019 NBA Finals coverage
