J-Speaks: Raptors Win Their First NBA Championship

It had been 26 years since Toronto, Ontario celebrated a major sports title when Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1993 World Series in six games to repeat as champions. On Thursday night, in the building of the back-to-back defending champion Golden State Warriors, the Toronto Raptors ended that long title drought thanks to a collective team effort and the remarkable play of a former Finals MVP, who made some history of his own. 

Behind another balance attack of five players scoring in double-figures, with five of them scoring 22 or more, the Raptors after blowing a chance to win it all on Monday night in front of their home fans at Scotiabank Arena finished the 2019 NBA Finals off with a 114-110 win at the banged up Warriors to win the country of Canada’s, winning the series 4-2. 

The Raptors were led by the 26 points of the Kia Most Improved Player to be in Pascal Siakam, who was 10 for 17 from the field, including 3 for 6 from three-point range with 10 boards. They also got 26 points from startling lead guard and perennial All-Star Kyle Lowry, who was 9 for 16 from the field, including 4 for 7 from three-point range with 10 assists, seven boards and three steals. Leonard, who won the Bill Russell Award as the MVP of this Finals series had 22 points in the Game 6 clincher with six rebounds and two steals. Lowry’s understudy VanVleet also had 22 points, hitting 5 for 11 from three-point range. Reserve big man Serge Ibaka contributed 15 points off the bench. 

“It is the fact we have 36 million Canadians that are cheering for our Raptors and this trophy is going to stay in Canada for many years to come,” Larry Tannenbaum, Chairman of the Board of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment said to ESPN/ABC’s Doris Burke during the trophy presentation about what made the 2018-19 Raptors so special to an entire country that captured fans watching across the globe. “This trophy is going to stay in Canada for many years to come. We are so excited about it.” 

That excitement was shown especially at the Raptors championship parade on Monday where it seemed like all of Toronto, Ontario took the day off to celebrate the first pro sports title in that part of Canada in as previously mentioned a little over two-and-a-half decades.   

In Game 5, it was the Warriors who made the plays on both ends of the floor down the stretch of Game 5 that kept their season alive and the Raptors did not. They almost gave Game 6 away when in the closing seconds thanks to some great defensive full court pressure forced a turnover. 

The Warriors, down 111-110 came up empty on their offensive possession following that turnover when two-time Kia MVP Stephen Curry missed a contested three-pointer that would have given the Warriors a two-point lead. 

When the game was finally decided, the normally calm and stoic Leonard let all of his emotions out as the Raptors became the first pro sports team in Canada-that was not a hockey squad stood atop the of the four major pro sports leagues for the first time since the aforementioned Blue Jays.  

The Raptors were able to win this series because of the play of Leonard, who joined Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the only player to win Finals MVP with multiple teams and Lowry, the longest tenured Raptor and their all-time leader in points, three-pointers made, assists and steals, but it was the play of VanVleet, scoring 12 of his 22 points in the final period that got the Raptors over the hump in a Game 6. 

Throughout the fourth period, VanVleet and the Raptors on offense spread the floor and when he had his chances to shoot, he did, especially from three-point range and he knocked them down, which allowed the Raptors to win a postseason game for the ages, which featured 18 lead changes, nine ties and with neither team amassing a lead of more than nine points.  

“It’s stressful. It’s stressful,” VanVleet, who went undrafted out of Wichita State two years ago said to ESPN/ABC’s Doris Burke after the win. “They’re [Warriors] are the best in the business for a reason. They’ve been the best for a long time. So, it took a lot of effort on our part. A lot of focus. A lot of resilience.” 

“They don’t give you anything. You got to go out there and take it, and we were just able to maintain over the series.” 

This series was a microcosm of the Raptors playoff run that consisted of their resilience, toughness, grit, and confidence of being able to overcome deficits in a series; their ability to win games on the road and being able to finish an opponent off when they have the chance. 

It started in the opening round where after losing Game 1 versus the Orlando Magic, the won the next four games to end the series 4-1. After falling behind in the East Semis 2-1 against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Raptors managed to win Game 7 thanks to four kind bounces on Leonard’s game-winning fallaway that before it went down at the final buzzer and sent the visitors home for the summer. The Raptors also fell behind in the Eastern Conference Finals 2-0 before rattling off four straight wins to capture their first Eastern Conference crown in their 24-year history. 

In their first appearance in The Finals, the Raptors took the early momentum by winning Game 1. After dropping Game 2 at home, the Raptors won both games in the Warriors gym of Oracle arena and they won the last game in Warriors home arena to close the door on their building forever. 

This crowning moment for the Raptors just suddenly happened. It came from a lot of years of blood, sweat and tears from the entire organization. 

When the Raptors reached the 2019 NBA Finals, one of the first things that President of Basketball Operations and Kia Executive of the Year candidate Masai Ujiri said was champions and championships are not built in a year. 

The Raptors drafted then Raptor DeMar DeRozan with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2009 draft. Three years later, they acquired Lowry from the Houston Rockets and after a rough beginning, the eventual starting backcourt not only found chemistry on the hardwood but developed a close friendship that last to this day. 

Over the last few years, the Raptors added via the draft Siakam, who averaged 19.8 points, and 7.5 boards on 51 percent from the field in The Finals and Norman Powell, with the No. 46 and the No. 27 pick in the 2015 and 2016 draft respectably.

“It’s just great, man,” Siakam, who entered Game 6 on a 0 for his last 12 from three-point range said to Burke. “Amazing for Cameroon, and you know, Africa in general. To be here and be able to celebrate with these guys is amazing.” 

What put the Raptors in position to capture their first Larry O’Brien trophy near the close of last week were the trades Ujiri made to bring in Ibaka at the trade deadline in February of 2017; the acquisition of Leonard, a two-time Kia Defensive Player of the Year and sharp shooting swingman Danny Green in the summer of 2018 from the San Antonio Spurs for DeRozan and reserve big man Jakob Poeltl and the trade that brought in starting center Marc Gasol, a three-time All-Star and the 2013 Kia Defensive Player of the Year for Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, C.J. Miles and a 2024 Second-Round pick, who went to the Memphis Grizzlies. 

“This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Gasol, who joined his older brother Pau as the first brothers in NBA history to individually win NBA titles said to Burke. “This is awesome. You know, it’s great and it’s time to celebrate. ‘We the North.’” 

Gasol also took the time during the trophy presentation to thank his former teammates from the Grit ‘n’ Grind era of the Grizzlies in Zach Randolph, Tony Allen, and Mike Conley saying to Burke, “Thank you. Thank you, guys, for making me the man and the player I am, and you know, I’ll be thankful forever.” 

One of the hard parts in building a title team is that you have to make some tough decisions along the way. Trading DeRozan and giving the winningest coach in franchise history with 320 wins in seven seasons and 2019 Kia Coach of the Year Dwane Casey the axe last summer after getting swept by then four-time Kia MVP LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 East Semis were two tough decisions but considering the way the last two postseasons for the Raptors concluded Ujiri felt change was necessary, even with the possibility that Leonard would not re-sign with the team when he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of this month. 

Leonard, Green and Gasol brought not only championship and playoff experience, but they brought a level of focus that made the Raptors better on both ends of the floor, especially at the defensive end. Above all, they brought an accountability and willingness to get better each and the understanding that strong work habits and a belief in one another will allow to not get to high when you win and not get to low after a tough loss. 

Those habits were also shaped by the man who replaced Coach Casey on the sidelines in first time head coach in Nick Nurse, whose coaching resume has taken him across the globe where he coached in London for the London Towers to the NBA G-League for Rio Grande Valley Vipers. 

One key thing that Nurse brought to the table was the fact that he put a focus to the team that everything they did during the regular season was to put them in position to be playing at their best in April, May, and June.

Those habits were especially valuable to the Raptors in the 2019 playoffs, and that resulted in them going 7-4 on the road this postseason. 

“We’ve been growing and trying to prove to the world that there’s a meaning to having an NBA team, one NBA team outside the U.S.,” Ujiri said to Burke. “These players, they’ve been unbelievable. But we wanted to win in Toronto, and we have won in Toronto.” 

Coach Nurse, who became the ninth rookie head coach in NBA history to lead his team to the title and the first to win an NBA G League title and an NBA title said his team became the last one standing because of their toughness, experience, unselfishness, and willingness to play defense. 

This group is also one where from the players to Coach Nurse was not highly thought of in their basketball journeys. The highest draft pick on this roster was Leonard at No. 15 in 2011. 

“Well I think it made us pretty resilient,” Coach Nurse said to Burke. “A group of guys who stuck together, fought through some adversity. We tried to keep even keel. I think our veteran players did a great job of that. And we tried to bounce back every time we needed to.” 

Perhaps the greatest display of that so-called toughness and grit was Leonard, who a year ago played just nine games because of a quad injury. His reputation took a major hit as he and the Spurs communication of him playing or not, even though he was medically cleared to return to the floor. 

He mentioned many times in this series that even with him being dealt to a new city and a new team with new teammates that the one thing that has never waivered was the poise and confidence that he could get back to being one of the best two-way players in the game. 

Leonard showed that in the 2019 playoffs where he scored 30 or more 14 times, eight of those coming on the road, which included efforts of 34, 30 and 36 points in Games 2, 3 and 4. 

This great playoff run by Leonard was the result of how the Raptors managed him during the regular season where he missed a total of 22 games this season, with a lot of them to rest and be ready for the postseason. The team in those 22 games he was out of the lineup they went 17-5. 

Leonard played this season with really no pressure from the organization, his teammates, and the coaching staff. The organization as a whole gave him space, which is the opposite of what the Spurs did and we saw the result of that. 

That is also a big reason why Leonard surpassed Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon (725 points) for the third most points in a single postseason with a total of 732 points. Only James and six-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan’s marks of 759 in the 1992 and 2018 postseasons respectably are ahead of Leonard. 

“Just life experiences,” Leonard, who averaged 28.2 points and 9.8 rebounds in The Finals on 36 percent from three-point range. “My teammates-they did a great job of you know welcoming me with open arms.” 

“They just told me to come out and play basketball. I’m a guy that just, you know, not get too high or too low, and it worked out. It out.” 

It worked out so well that, he as mentioned joined as mentioned earlier a Hall of Famer in Abdul-Jabbar and a future Hall of Famer in James as the only player to win Finals MVP with multiple teams, to which he said Burke that it is because of a great support system, through individual hard work and having a mindset of leading the Raptors to the title. 

It also helped as Leonard said that he came to a new team where the head coach’s mindset was the same as his. To try as he said to Burke get another “Larry O’ B.” 

“This is what I play basketball for. This is what I work out for all summer, during the season and I’m happy my hard work paid off,” Leonard said to Burke. 

Another player who has a great respect for this game, even with the highs and lows he has experienced in his seven seasons with the Raptors is Lowry. 

As mentioned earlier, last summer he saw not just his teammate and fellow All-Star DeRozan get dealt, which led him to not speaking to the Raptors front office and GM Ujiri for months. In fact, they did not try to clear the air until this past February. 

The product of North Philadelphia, PA though has had his good moments in his playoff career with the Raptors and has had some tough moments as well. 

Through it all he just kept on working and the guy who early on his NBA career in his prior stops with the Grizzlies and Rockets where he had a questionable attitude, his height, speed and athleticism has grown with the Raptors and as he said to Burke plays the game to provide for his wife Ayahna Cornish, a fellow native of the city of “Brotherly Love” and their two sons Karter and Kameron. 

“Hard work. Never letting nobody tell you [that] you can’t do something special and just a great group of guys,” Lowry, who averaged 16.2 points and 7.2 assists in The Finals said to Burke about his growth as a player and the love he has for his teammates. 

“This is crazy. This is awesome man. Toronto, Canada we brought it home baby. We brought it home.” 

He added about his former backcourt mate in DeRozan, “I love him and I know he’s happy for me right now. I’ll facetime him later. But right now, it’s about us on this stanchion. It’s about our fans and we’re going to celebrate some more right now. 

The question now for the Raptors is can they repeat next season? 

That will all depend if they can re-sign Leonard, who will opt out of the final year of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent. The team also has to decide if they want to keep Green, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. That is also a possibility Gasol, who can opt out of the final year of his contract, which is worth $25 million next season. 

“There’s nothing more we can do,” VanVleet said to the media on Monday about the Raptors front office re-signing Leonard. “I mean, the city’s done it. This franchise’s done it. The coaches have done it. The teammates have done it. We’ve done our job.” 

“He brought this city a championship, and I think he’s earned his freedom in his career to do what he wants to do, and we’ll all respect him and admire him, and if he’s on another team then we’ll just have to kick ass next year. Hopefully, he’ll be back.” 

The three things that the Raptors put to the forefront for Leonard that they believe should convince him to stay is he can win titles in Toronto. The medical staff will take great care of you so you can play at your best from the start of the season to the finish and trust you when you say to them you cannot play a game during the regular season. On top of that, he had millions of people screaming his name, especially during that championship parade that he gained their love and respect for leading them to the top of the NBA mountain. 

What the Raptors cannot guarantee in their negotiations to keep Leonard is nice weather and his extended family, which is all in Southern California, which is why the Los Angeles Clippers are in play to sign him this summer. It is now on Leonard to decide what he feels is the right decision to re-sign or move to possible sign with the Clippers. 

It took a lot of work for the Toronto Raptors to become NBA champions. They went through disappointing finishes in five straight postseason appearances prior to this one. They said goodbye to a player in DeMar DeRozan for the 2014 Finals MVP in Kawhi Leonard, and head coach in Dwane Casey who took them from the bottom of the NBA barrel to championship contenders. They took some chances in the draft on unknowns in Siakam and Powell. The made bold moves in acquiring Lowry, Gasol, and Leonard. They hired their newest head coach from within in Nick Nurse who had no prior NBA head coaching experience. 

Those moves by the front office, led by Masai Ujiri paid off with the franchise’s first NBA championship.

If the Raptors are able to re-sign Leonard this summer and possibly Green and Gasol opts in the last year of his deal or opts out and they sign him to a longer deal, the Raptors have as good of a chance to repeating. 

“I think at the end of the day, he’s going to make the right decision,” Pippen said of what Leonard will do. “If he wants to be in L.A. then it’s the right decision for him. But if he wants to continue to compete for a title there’s no better place than trying to repeat. And I think he’s with a good team, a good franchise. Obviously, he’s one of the top players in the game. So, he can pick his own poison and do well.”

Information, statistics and quotations are courtesy of 5/26/19 www.nba.com story, “High-Risk, High-Reward Trade For Leonard Looks Golden As Raptors Ride him To Finals,” by Shaun Powell; 6/13/19 9 p.m. “Toronto Raptors versus Golden State Warriors,” Game 6 of 2019 NBA Finals, presented by YouTubeTV on ABC with Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, and Doris Burke; 6/17/19 3 p.m. edition of “NBA: The Jump,” with Rachel Nichols, Ramona Shelburne, Scottie Pippen, and Dave McMenamin;  https://www.nba.com/games/201906123/TORGSW#/boxscore/recap; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/3149673/pascal-siakam; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/6450/kawhi-leonard; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2991230/fred-vanvleet; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2595516/norman-powell; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3439/serge-ibaka; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Blue_Jays#1992-93:_World_Series_champions; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Gasol; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyle_Lowry; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeMar_DeRozan; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Toronto_Raptors_head_coaches; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Toronto_Raptors_seasons.