A lot of players who aren’t in the Disney bubble helped the Brooklyn Nets get to the point where they are now as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. But, right now, the level of Brooklyn’s success against the reigning NBA Champion Toronto Raptors falls on the shoulders of Caris LeVert, Joe Harris, Jarrett Allen and Jacque Vaughn.
Their first test starts on Monday with Game 1 of the first round of the 2020 NBA Finals set to start at 4 p.m.
Excluding their preseason matchup, Brooklyn met with Toronto four times, and the Nets only walked away with a win after their last meeting.
Similar to the Nets, the Raptors had one of the better runs of any team throughout seeding play. The went 7-1 with their roster essentially at full strength:
- OG Anunoby
- Chris Boucher
- Oshae Brissett
- Terence Davis
- Marc Gasol
- Dewan Hernandez
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
- Serge Ibaka
- Stanley Johnson
- Kyle Lowry
- Malcolm Miller
- Pascal Siakam
- Matt Thomas
- Fred VanVleet
- Paul Watson
Patrick McCaw was also on the roster, but he left the bubble to receive treatment for a benign mass in his knee.
Brooklyn will only be without Jamal Crawford (left hamstring strain) in Game 1. But, while the Nets could use the veteran guard’s offense, their toughest tasks will come on the defensive end with Siakam continuing to blossom into one of the better talents in the game.
Now, the Toronto forward isn’t playing quite like Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, but Siakam poses a different problem with his size and Brooklyn’s lack thereof.
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