The Toronto Raptors have swept the regular-season series against the Golden State Warriors.
The next time these teams meet could be in the NBA Finals which begin on May 30, 2019.
It begs the question: what does a regular-season sweep mean for teams that hook up again in the NBA Finals?
MORE: Four takeaways from Toronto's win over Golden State
Finals rematches after a regular season sweep
Dating back to 1980, there have been 19 previous instances in which teams met in the Finals after one of the teams won both rmeetings in the regular season. The team that swept the regular season series went on to post a 12-7 Finals record in the rematch.
That would seem to favour Toronto although if you look more recently, you'll see that the regular-season meetings don't really mean a whole lot. In fact, of the nine such Finals rematches over the last 20 years, five of them were won by the team that got swept in the regular season.
| Reg Season | Finals Winner | |
| 2017-18 | Warriors swept Cavaliers | Warriors |
| 2015-16 | Warriors swept Cavaliers | Cavaliers |
| 2012-13 | Heat swept Spurs | Heat |
| 2010-11 | Mavericks swept Heat | Mavericks |
| 2008-09 | Magic swept Lakers | Lakers |
| 2007-08 | Celtics swept Lakers | Celtics |
| 2006-07 | Cavaliers swept Spurs | Spurs |
| 2005-06 | Mavericks swept Heat | Heat |
| 1997-98 | Jazz swept Bulls | Bulls |
| 1994-95 | Magic swept Rockets | Rockets |
| 1993-94 | Rockets swept Knicks | Rockets |
| 1991-92 | Bulls swept Blazers | Bulls |
| 1988-89 | Pistons swept Lakers | Pistons |
| 1987-88 | Lakers swept Pistons | Lakers |
| 1986-87 | Lakers swept Celtics | Lakers |
| 1985-86 | Celtics swept Rockets | Celtics |
| 1983-84 | Lakers swept Celtics | Celtics |
| 1982-83 | 76ers swept Lakers | 76ers |
| 1980-81 | Celtics swept Rockets | Celtics |
All of this is to say... don't overreact to a couple of games played in November and December.
If you're a Raptors fan, you have to be feeling pretty good with how they stacked up in the second matchup, picking up a road win without Kawhi Leonard against a Warriors team almost at full strength.
Unlike the first meeting in Toronto in which Stephen Curry and Draymond Green did not play, the Warriors had all four of their holdover All-Stars play in Golden State. It was just the second time in 13 games this season they lost a game in which Curry, Green, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson all played.
If you're a Warriors fan, you probably aren't worried too much as DeMarcus Cousins is still waiting in the wings. The Warriors team that will take the floor in June is different than the one which suited up at Oracle Arena on Thursday.