This is so idiotic. Should the Raptors not play then? How about the league delay the finals until everyone is healthy?
No...but it's idiotic to brag about beating a team missing multiple all stars. Sports history is littered with champions that won not because they were the better team but because the other team was missing key players. It's okay to point that out...
I think it's a shame because the Raptors don't have a chance to win a championship under normal circumstances. If they win it will always be looked at skeptically.
Asterisks for beating depleted teams? GSW v CLE wasnt that long ago and nobody has problems giving GSW all the credit.
That's because the Warriors were the favorites going in, and oh yeah they proved they were a dynastic team in the following years.
There is no such thing as a chip with an asterisk. Staying healthy is apart of the game. Not your opponents fault you can't keep your guys suited up. Do we put an asterisk beside the Warrior's title in 2015 when Bron put up GOAT numbers without 2 corner piece players? No. Why? Because that's dumb.
Respectfully, you are wrong. Let's say the Raptors end up winning. Maybe KD plays at some point, maybe he doesn't. For the rest of history anytime somebody brings up this years Finals it will be followed by "Raptors only won because half of the Warriors couldn't play." Beating a team missing multiple all stars means you haven't had the chance to prove you were the best team. Especially when the team you beat was heavy favorites and one of the best teams in NBA history.
Like, this isn't even a controversial statement I'm making. As the poster I've already quoted said this exact same thing happened to this
So blazers didn't dominate as much as the Raptors did quarter to quarter.
Raptors r playing with a hurt Kawhi and Lowry who likely needs surgery. Not to mention they don't have young defensive stud OG.
Raps are known to give away games like they did versus Bucks and Sixers yet they have fared better than most ppl expected them to, including myself.
There is also that stat where Warriors have a ridiculous winning record without KD. Not saying they r better without him, especially since I am a KD fan and I think he is best player overall but you can't have your cake and eat it too.
The Raptors have ultimately led through most games and held on other than game 2. A sharp contrast to the Blazers.
If your point is that the Raptors are better than the Blazers...well sure. I agree with that.
But the whole counting quarters thing is just really weird to me. We've all seen games where a team blows another team out by 20 in the first quarter and coasts to victory. The other team might win the other three quarters and still lost by 10. Not to mention this Warriors team is built on making runs - whether it's storming back from double digit deficits to going up double digit deficits in the blink of an eye.
You also have to take into account the first two games were in Toronto. And game three might as well not even count because the Warriors were missing KD, Klay and Looney. Just my opinion though.