As the NBA Finals kicked off Thursday night, May 28th, game one did not disappoint. The Toronto Raptors defeated the defending champion, the Golden State Warriors, 118-109 with a helping hand from Pascal Siakam who dropped 32 points. The main discussion after game one was not just about Siakam’s astounding performance, it was about the larger than life rapper, Drake. So far the series has been Drake vs. the Warriors.
Drake vs. the Warriors
More than a Super-fan
The Toronto native, Drake is always seen court-side at Raptors games; and has been a massive part of the Raptors postseason run this year. Drake is repeatedly ecstatic after a big dunk or a big play. He is more than just a super-fan and more than just an ambassador for the Toronto Raptors organization. But why? What separates Drake from other NBA super-fans like Spike Lee and Jack Nicholson? Drake can troll NBA players and get in their head. He has been ruthless this postseason as he has taunted, mocked, and trolled opponents. The rapper trolled Joel Embiid with his airplane celebration as Embid checked out of game five in the 76ers series and trolled Giannis Antetokounmpo when “the greek freak” air-balled a free throw. He even took to social media and made the owner of the Milwaukee Buck’s daughter his profile picture simply because she wore a Pusha T, T-shirt to game five of the series (Pusha T and Drake have had fights and arguments).
NBA Finals Game 1
There has only been one game so far between the Raptors and Warriors, and Drake has stepped up his “troll” game. Drake showed up to the game in a Dell Curry, Toronto Raptors Jersey (Dell Curry is Stephen Curry‘s father). Next, at the end of the game, Drake exchanged words with defensive player of the year, Draymond Green. In this exchange, Drake appeared to be calling Green “trash.” During the game when Drake was chatting with former MVP, Steph Curry, he seemed to pluck a piece of lint out of his hair. After the game, this was confirmed when Drake took to social media to troll the Warriors yet again. Drake posted on Instagram a picture of his hand with lint on it and captioned the post “Steph Curry hair lint for sale on my eBay right now!!! Username: DraymondShouldntWear23.” Draymond Happens to wear Michael Jordan‘s number.
Kawhi Leonard’s Quiet Persona Allows Drake to be the Focal Point of the Raptors
The NBA Finals right now seems to be Drake vs. The Warriors. Even without actually playing on the Raptors roster, he is the center of the Raptors. Right now everything is revolving around Drake. A big reason for this is Kawhi Leonard‘s quiet, under-the-radar personality. And because of Leonard’s shy psyche, Drake’s bold demeanor becomes the dominant force of the Raptors. Even though Leonard is still Toronto’s best player and the reason for their first ever NBA Finals appearance, Drake is Toronto’s center of energy. Think about it, say LeBron James played for the Toronto Raptors. James is the antithesis of Kawhi Leonard in terms of personality. Drake would still be the loud, energetic superfan he is, but LeBron James would be the focal point of the city and team. James has that extrovert personality where he interacts with fans and embraces the attention he gets. But since Leonard is on the Raptors and not LeBron James, Drake assumes the role of the being the center of attention due to Leonard’s deference of it.
Last Word
As a result of Leonard’s introvert nature and Drake being the loud, vibrant entertainer he is, the NBA Finals have turned into Drake vs. the Warriors. Drake looks for every possible way to “troll” or get under the Raptors opponent’s skin and will start going at the player from courtside. Drake won game one but, but will the Warriors have the last laugh?
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