The emergence of Pascal Siakam this season as the probable Most Improved Player and his performance in Game 1 of The Finals triggered a discussion on whether the San Antonio Spurs could have acquired him from the Toronto Raptors for Kawhi Leonard.

The Spurs acquired DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a 2019 first round pick for Leonard and Danny Green.

The Raptors reportedly refused to include Siakam and OG Anunoby in trade talks for Leonard.

"My understanding is they would not trade him," said Tim Bontemps on The Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast.

"No, he was not (available). I don't think so either," said Jackie MacMullan. 

The NBA has fined the Los Angeles Clippers $50,000 for violating the league’s anti-tampering rule.

The fine is in response to comments regarding the Toronto Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard made by Doc Rivers in a recent television appearance.

The Clippers are widely expected to pursue Leonard this offseason.

"[Leonard] is the most like Jordan that we've seen," Rivers said. "There's a lot of great players. LeBron is phenomenal, KD is phenomenal. Not that [Leonard] is Jordan or anything like that, but he's the most like him. Big hands, post game, can finish. Great leaper, great defender, in-between game. If you beat him to the spot he bumps you off, and then you add his three-point shooting."

Kevin Durant would likely be weeks away from returning to action if this were the regular season, according to a source with the Golden State Warriors.

Durant's rehabilitation work has mostly been upper-body conditioning and some light lower-body work that's not weight bearing.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports reported on Friday that Durant is likely to return for Game 3 or Game 4.

Game 1 of the 2019 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors drew a 10.1 overnight rating. Nationally televised games featuring the Toronto Raptors typically get a lower number since Canadian audiences are not included.

The rating is down from 12.3 last season featuring the Warriors against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The following ratings are for each Game 1 featuring the Warriors since 2015:

2018 — 12.3
2017 — 12.4
2016 — 13.1
2015 — 12.9

The Finals has drawn a double-digit rating for 53 straight games.

Kevin Durant is expected to return from his calf injury at the some point midway through the 2019 Finals.

Durant could return as early as Game 3, but there's a stronger possibility that Game 4 is the most logical option.

The Golden State Warriors do not anticipate a scenario in which Durant will miss the entire Finals.

The Warriors will not practice on Friday, but Durant could join the team for their session on Saturday ahead of Game 2 on Sunday..

Masai Ujiri gave Dwane Casey and DeMar DeRozan credit for their role in the Toronto Raptors' run to the NBA Finals.

Ujiri fired Casey after the Raptors lost to the Cavs in the playoffs for the 3rd straight year. He then traded DeRozan in July.

Ujiri said he knew the team had to make a change after last season.

"It's surreal, but when you put the team together and we all dream of a championship, we all think about that, and I think the change was hard at the time, but we knew the kind of player we were getting, and if we overcame and we dealt with all the issues that we felt we could come together," said Ujiri.

He then added that the two former Raptors are part of this season's journey.

"Give Dwane Casey credit. He prepared us for this, too. It's not something that started in one year ... I want to say Dwane Casey and DeMar DeRozan are part of this. They are part of our journey and how far this has come."

Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and Norman Powell are 3 key players in the Toronto Raptors' rotation who were developed through the Raptors 905, the team's G League affiliate.

"Those [three] are people that are now part of a system and are ingrained in what is now Raptors' culture. For them, it began early in their careers with the 905. It helped to really formulate who they are as Raptors now," said the 905's head coach Jama Mahlalela.

Siakam was named the MVP of the final when the 905 won the championship in 2017.

"Those players can be put in big situations, and yes, the G League playoffs are not the same as the NBA playoffs. But there's pressure, there's responsibility, there's coverages, there's understanding what's on the floor," added Mahlalela.

Alfonzo McKinnie for the Warriors also played on the 905's.

"It's better than sitting toward the end of the bench and not getting a constant role, constant time on the court. This allows the team to go right up the stream. We run the same offence, the same schemes [as the Raptors]. It gives them a chance to go out there and play with a team and stay fresh and stay ready and develop," added 905's general manager Chad Sanders.

The NBA discussed Drake's sideline antics with the Toronto Raptors during the Eastern Conference finals.

Drake drew Mike Budenholzer's ire after leaving his courtside seat in game 4 to massage Nick Nurse's shoulders.

"There's certainly no place for fans and, you know, whatever it is exactly that Drake is for the Toronto Raptors. You know, to be on the court, there's boundaries and lines for a reason, and like I said, the league is usually pretty good at being on top of stuff like that," said Budenholzer.

Downplaying his impact ahead of the NBA Finals, Steve Kerr cited his own fanbase when explaining how Drake fits into the league's place in pop culture.

"I kind of think it's fun and the NBA kind of embraces the pop culture dynamic of the league and the stars and the celebrities who are out there. And we got E-40 ready for them too, so we're in good shape."

Kyle Lowry said that his injured left thumb is having a negative effect on his passing ability.

Lowry injured his thumb in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the 76ers.

"It's about passing. I'm a big passer. You know, the flicking of the passing, the kind of -- the ball movement, handling the ball. During the game, honestly, I can't feel my thumb," said Lowry.

Lowry added that he's going to have to deal with the injury in the offseason.

"I'll have to take care of it after the season but I don't want to talk about it as much. I haven't complained about it, I won't complain about it, I don't care about it; I'm going to continue to do the things I need to do to make sure I can play at a high level. And that's it."

The Golden State Warriors "unequivocally regard (Kawhi) Leonard as a bigger individual problem than Houston’s James Harden because of Leonard’s impact at both ends," according to reporting from Marc Stein.

Leonard outplayed Giannis Antetokounmpo during the Eastern Conference Finals.

Leonard also was brilliant against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round, culminating in his Game 7 buzzer beater.

Leonard famously had 26 points in Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals before he suffered an ankle injury that forced him to miss the remainder of the playoffs.