During this dreamlike playoff run for the Raptors, Drake has dug under the skin of opposing teams and cities, drilling into the sinews of fear and loathing.
The anti-Drake grumbling started in Orlando, as the Raps made the Magic vanish in five games. The brotherly un-love got louder in Round 2 against Philadelphia. By the time Toronto toppled Milwaukee to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time, Drake's courtside antics — trolling enemy players, laughing like a hyena on nitrous oxide, jumping around as if he were trying to dodge a stun gun, pumping his fist like a Lotto Max winner, giving an in-game shoulder rub to Raps coach Nick Nurse — turned the grumbling into calls for censure.
Radio stations in Milwaukee banned Drake's music. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ran a headline that started, "Milwaukee Totally Hates Drake ..." and former NBA legends talked about the Toronto rapper as if he were a war criminal.
A few days ago on TNT, Charles Barkley advocated for violence, saying that if he were still playing, he'd get a teammate to deliberately throw the ball out of bounds so he could "knock the hell out of Drake."
The 6ix God was now as polarizing as a magnetic neutron star. And throughout the playoffs, this has been the source of his power. To Raps fans bemused by his ability to outrage entire area codes, Drake is the biggest and baddest predator in the cheering pack, the T-Rex of Jurassic Park. He is the team's not-so-secret weapon, a pop-cultural stick of dynamite in a funhouse he controls with trick mirrors.
Officially, Drake is the Raptors' "global ambassador." But, unofficially, he is also a Golden State groupie. This is like being a vegan who gorges on lamb chops. It's like being against capital punishment and for firing squads.
Pick a side, Aubrey.
Drake's fidelity to Golden State, in the context of the NBA Finals, amounts to treason.
As NBC News recently wondered, "Why does Raptors fan Drake have Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant tattoos?"
Yes, why? Drake has performed in concerts wearing a Warriors jersey. He has devoted more song verses to Curry than John Lennon did for Yoko. In 2015, after Golden State beat Toronto in a game, Drake posted a photo on Instagram in which he is posing with the hoops superstar: "Always hurts to see the home team take a L. But this guy is the definition of class and talent and deserves everything right now!"
Uh-huh. No wonder Golden State is so dismissive of Drake.
Coach Steve Kerr, making a dad joke reference to "Hotline Bling," recently told reporters: "I'm not worried about Drake. I called him on his cellphone earlier."
When Curry was asked about Drake, he sounded like an older sibling shrugging off a kid brother's zeal for practical jokes: "It's been entertaining. It's a tricky situation with him being right there on the court, but at the end of the day he's having fun."
This might be the most condescending pro sports quote of all time. Basically, Golden State does not see Drake as an obstacle to overcome. They see him as a human pylon to be ignored: let him have his fun as we take care of business.
As the Warriors' Draymond Green recently noted: "Drake can't shoot, nor can he pass. You ever seen Drake play basketball? I saw a couple highlights. They wasn't so high. So I really don't care."
The disruption power Drake imposed on Orlando, Philadelphia and Milwaukee does not exist against Golden State because, deep down, they know he loves them. He can hop around and talk smack, but all the Warriors will see is a man who yearns to hang out with them at the club when the game ends.
And this completely changes the celebrity fan dynamic this series.
While the Raps have other high-profile boosters, most tend to be other athletes — and the Jays are on the road this weekend. Meanwhile, the Warriors have a who's-who of boldface that slices across Hollywood, tech, music and politics.
Golden State fans, past and present, include Jessica Alba, Dave Chappelle, MC Hammer, Guy Fieri, Kate Hudson, Carlos Santana and Tony Robbins. Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, once said he wants his company to be more like the team. And E-40, the California rapper and celebrity-fan equivalent of Drake, is no slouch when it comes to digging under the skin of opponents.
In the last two seasons, according to a list Golden State sent me, home game attendees have included Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Adam Levine, Alicia Keys, Metallica's Lars Ulrich, Colin Kaepernick, rapper Mistah F.A.B., poker legend Phil Hellmuth and Daveed Diggs, among others. This team, a dynastic powerhouse, is making its fifth straight appearance in the Finals, with three championships already in the books.
The Raptors have the best fans in the world. They have Canada behind them. But starting on Thursday, Drake's presence is, at best, a wash; at worst, it's an illusion. Drake loves this city. But not as much as he loves his place in the world.
There is no doubt he wants the Raptors to triumph.
But if they don't, well, life goes on and Steph Curry is still family.
Vinay Menon is the Star's pop culture columnist based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @vinaymenon