The NBA Finals kick off Thursday night when the Toronto Raptors host the Golden State Warriors in Game 1. Golden State is dealing with several key injuries, and in the video above, FiveThirtyEight breaks down why the Raptors should try to strike early, before the Warriors can field their full team.
Tony Chow is a video producer for FiveThirtyEight. @tonyhkchow
Neil Paine was the acting sports editor at FiveThirtyEight. @Neil_Paine
