OAKLAND—It could be spun as a daunting introduction to the reality of basketball’s biggest stage. The first NBA Finals road game in Raptors franchise history goes Wednesday night here at vaunted Oracle Arena. And to say it’s been a difficult place to win would be an understatement. En route to their fifth consecutive championship series, the Warriors have lost a grand total of seven home playoff games in five post-seasons. They haven’t lost an NBA Finals home game since 2016.
To which the Raptors can only say: The past is simply the past, and you can make the case the present favours the visitors heading into Game 3.