The 2019 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2018–19 season and conclusion of this year’s playoffs. From the best-of-seven playoff series held from May 30 through June 13, 2019, the Eastern Conference champion Toronto Raptors defeated the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors, four games to two, making the franchise its first NBA championship in addition to the first win with a group based outside the USA. In his first year playing with the Raptors after being acquired via a trade throughout the off-season, Kawhi Leonard has been named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the second time in his profession.
This was the first NBA Finals appearance for the Raptors, and the league’s first finals with matches played outside of the USA. Home-court benefit was awarded to Toronto, who completed the regular season with an additional win (58–24) compared to Golden State (57–25). This was the very first time in five consecutive NBA Finals appearances the then-two-time defending NBA-champion Warriors didn’t possess home-court advantage. Also for the first time within the past five postseasons, the Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers did not match in the championship round. This was the first finals since 2010 to not include LeBron James, who played with at the past eight finals with Cleveland and the Miami Heat.
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