“24 seasons in the making…the Toronto Raptors are heading to their first NBA Finals.”
Almost one year later and Matt Devlin’s proclamation still energizes the Raptors fanbase.
The road to get to an Eastern Conference championship was a tumultuous one. When the Raptors became a franchise in 1995, they were low on the totem pole compared to the Toronto Maple Leafs or the back-to-back World Series champions Toronto Blue Jays.
The @Raptors top the @Bucks 100-94 in GAME 6 and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history!
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Leonard: 27 PTS, 17 REB, 7 AST, 2 BLK
Siakam: 18 PTS, 4 REB
Lowry: 17 PTS, 3 3PT, 8 AST, 5 REB
VanVleet: 14 PTS, 4 3PT, 2 AST#RapsRewind pic.twitter.com/LUfL911keR— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) April 7, 2020
After the Vancouver Grizzlies folded, many thought a professional basketball franchise was not sustainable in Toronto.
There was the heartbreak in 2001 when Vince Carter’s shot at the buzzer did not fall through in Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers. When Carter left, Chris Bosh took his place as the next young Raptor star.
He led two teams to the playoffs, only to bow out both times in the first round.
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There was the Andrea Bargnani era, dominated by collective mediocrity. When Masai Ujiri replaced Bryan Colangelo as the Raptors President of Basketball Operations, hope began to permeate across basketball fandom in Toronto.
Ujiri brought in Kyle Lowry and Demar DeRozan. “We The North” became a Raptors mantra. The team played with a chip on its shoulder, paving the way for a rise in popularity across the country.
In 2017-18, the Raptors set a franchise record in wins with 59. But they still could not get over the playoff hump, losing for their second consecutive year in the second round to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The “LeBron-To” game, where LeBron James put up 43 points at Scotiabank Arena, epitomized a Raptors team that was far away from its championship aspirations.
Something needed to change.
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In the offseason, Ujiri pulled the plug on the recently-crowned NBA Coach of the Year Dwane Casey. Nick Nurse, a former head coach in England and the G League, would take Casey’s place. Ujiri also traded Raptor fan-favourite Demar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard, a former NBA Finals MVP who was mired with injuries.
At the time, it was a gamble. But as last season proved, one should always trust Ujiri when making basketball decisions.
The 2018-19 season went similar to the others, with the Raptors demonstrating regular-season success. But unlike seasons in the past, the ensuing playoffs presented questions.
Was Kawhi Leonard’s load management throughout the season worth it? Can this team avenge their playoff demons to make a deep run?
Fortunes started to change for the Raptors. Down 1-0 to the Orlando Magic, the Raptors rattled off four straight wins, thanks to their ferocious perimeter defense.
Against the Philadelphia 76ers, 18 years after Vince Carter’s missed shot, Kawhi Leonard hit the first Game 7 buzzer-beater in NBA Playoffs history. Those four bounces followed by a swoosh represented the luck going the Raptors way.
Down 2-0 to the Eastern Conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks, the Raptors never gave up. They squeaked out a gritty double-overtime win in Game 3, thanks to Kawhi Leonard’s 36 points in 52 minutes.
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In the series-clinching Game 6, a weaker, inexperienced team would have folded when the Raptors were down 15 points in the first half and 13 in the second.
Not the 2018-19 Toronto Raptors.
The @Raptors are Eastern Conference Champions! 🙌#RapsRewind pic.twitter.com/WHDIsUCWC1
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) April 7, 2020
The Raptors defense played their best down the stretch in Game 6, limiting the Bucks paint touches and preventing Giannis Antetokounmpo from running downhill to the basket. In the fourth quarter, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and Norman Powell started the Raptors charge. Players who had to go through the Raptors 905 G League franchise to become NBA players.
When Leonard dunked over Antetokounmpo in transition late in the fourth quarter, Scotiabank Arena exploded. It was an expulsion of all the years of disappointment and heartbreak, turned into pure joy and euphoria.
“It’s taken a long time to get here in my career, 13 years, seven years here,” Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry said after the game. “I’m going to savor the moment, but I’m not satisfied. Our goal is to win the NBA championship.”
Fans outside in Jurassic Park celebrated all-night-long through the streets of Toronto. It was a historical moment that many deemed impossible.
For a city starved of numerous championship opportunities, Toronto was ready to embrace its basketball awakening.
The Raptors reached their first NBA finals. 24 years was well worth the wait.
