The NBA Finals continue with the Toronto Raptors taking on the Golden State Warriors. The Raptors clinched the first game in the best of seven series. But aside from the action on the court, attention has also focused on the trade dispute between China and the US, as CGTN's Dan Williams reports from Toronto.

It would appear, that the NBA Finals is already living up to the hype. As the Toronto Raptors go toe to toe with the Golden State Warriors. But away from the court, and like many businesses with a global footprint, the NBA is monitoring the deepening trade dispute between the U.S. and China. The NBA's commissioner Adam Silver admits he is concerned by the developments but believes the sport could play a role in bringing the two countries together.

ADAM SILVER NBA COMMISSIONER "I look to sports, where we can use basketball maybe in the way ping-pong was used in the days of Richard Nixon, that there could be something called basketball diplomacy. I see it as an opportunity, again, to demonstrate to people that through sports there's commonality and we can use the values of sports hopefully as a positive force to continue to bring people together."

The NBA's ties with China have never been stronger. The Chinese national team has been invited to play in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in July. And Silver says he continues to discuss ways to develop basketball talent in China with former NBA star Yao Ming.

ADAM SILVER NBA COMMISSIONER "We are in the process of building academies in China to help develop the young players there. Again, I think because of Yao's experience in the NBA, he sees how it's done, and I think he understands that given the enormous number of young people, boys and girls, playing basketball there's more that we can be doing to develop elite players."

The NBA will also again play pre-season games in China, with Lebron James' LA Lakers taking on the Brooklyn Nets in October. In the future, there is a hope that China will also host a regular season game. While former NBA All-Star Chris Bosh feels the game could expand yet further.

CHRIS BOSH FORMER TORONTO RAPTOR "Look, basketball is going to be a global league one day. I surely do believe that as technology advances, as the game advances I can definitely see the NBA having teams all over the planet. That would be so cool!"

For now, the focus is on the NBA Finals These are the first games to be played outside of the U.S., but it might not be long before the game becomes even more global. Dan Williams, CGTN Toronto.