A Look at the 2018-19 Toronto Raptors

I had been planning for months to make this my featured story for Canada Day, but the aftermath of Vocal's changes affected many writers, myself included. I was one of many waiting to get verified on Tuesday, June 30 and Wednesday, July 1--the latter being Canada Day. So I had to wait for this, but I will tell this story. Plus, while I have written many sports stories detailing championship runs from MLB, the NFL, and the NHL, I have yet to write one about a championship run from the NBA... until now.

Expansion in sports is always interesting. It always results in teams being placed in cities no one expected. I never expected an NFL team in North Carolina, but it happened. I didn't expect a MLB franchise in Vegas, but it'll happen in two years. I certainly didn't think I'd see NHL franchises pop up in Anaheim, Dallas, Nashville, and Columbus, yet we have them. I was 10 years old when I heard the strangest news at the time: the NBA would be headed to Canada.

1995, the year that saw a Canadian team move to the States (Nordiques moving to Denver, Colorado), saw not one, but two NBA franchises placed in Canada. That year, the Grizzlies began play in Vancouver, British Columbia, while the Raptors began play in Toronto, Ontario. So with that, Canada had representation in each of the four main sports (obviously counting the CFL), but in 2001, the Grizzlies left Vancouver after six seasons and one playoff appearance, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, leaving the Raptors as the NBA's lone Canadian franchise.

That same year (2000-01) saw the Raptors in the playoffs for the second time in their history, but they won a series for the first time ever when they defeated the Knicks in the maximum five games (Round 1 was best-of-five back then). They were taken out in the maximum seven games by a Philadelphia 76ers team who ended up reaching the Finals, and the Raptors would have to wait 15 years to win another series. That year (2015-16) saw them win a franchise record 56 games, but despite that tally, they were ousted by the LeBron-led Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals--the same Cavs who went on to defeat the 73-win Warriors in the Finals. The Cavs continued to be Toronto's bogeyman in the next two seasons, sweeping them in Round 2 each time.

And then, 2018-19 happened. The previous year saw them win 59 games, surpassing their 2015-16 total as the new (and current) franchise record in wins. A lot of changes were made following their elimination in 2018. For one, Dwane Casey was out as head coach, and Nick Nurse was in. Then the deals were made. DeMar DeRozan was traded to San Antonio for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. During the deadline, Marc Gasol was dealt to the Raptors, so they had their rebounder as well. The acquisitions, along with Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Serge Ibaka, and OG Anunoby, formed quite the force--winning 58 games and winning the Atlantic yet again.

In Round 1, the Raptors dealt with the Orlando Magic, losing Game One, but winning the next four. The East Semis was the matchup with the Joel Embiid-leading Sixers. Raptors trailed two games to one after three games, but took Games Four and Five, only to lose Game Six. Game Seven was down to the wire... literally. It was tied at 90 with mere seconds left. It looked like overtime was inevitable.

And then, this happened:

I watched this happen, and it's still one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Kawhi chucks it up, it hits the rim about four times, and then goes in. Kevin Harlan and Reggie Miller were on the call for TNT, and their reactions were golden! We all couldn't believe it! A close, drama-filled buzzer-beater that sent the Raptors to the East Finals, where they would face the Milwaukee Bucks. Toronto dropped the first two games, and it looked like it would be another disappointment for the Raptors. However, I believed that this was Toronto's year, and the reason was simple: LeBron was out of the Eastern Conference. Sure enough, the Raptors fought back, won four straight, and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in their near quarter-century in the Association.

The Raptors had one more hill to climb: the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors were in their fifth straight Finals, were back-to-back defending champions, and were immensely insufferable. The Raptors had home-court advantage due to finishing one game better than the Warriors, and history was made on May 30, 2019, as it marked the very first NBA Finals game played in Canada. The Raptors, behind Pascal Siakam's 32 points, won Game One, 118-109, but the Warriors would salvage a split in Canada with a 109-104 win in Game Two. The series shifted to the Bay Area, where the Raptors won both games!

The Raptors were one win away from their first championship, but Game Five was a messed up game. I remember watching this. I remember watching Draymond Green bitch at the referees every five minutes, like he always does. I remember watching the refs not do a thing about it because they're scared of him. I also remember screaming at those cowards to call a technical foul on him, which they finally did after the sixth or seventh time Green got in their faces. Warriors took Game Five in Canada, forcing one more trip back to Oakland. Game Six was pretty close, and it looked like the Warriors had their chances, but the Raptors bounced back, and late fouls on GS gave Toronto some key free throws. I remember it was 114-110 Raptors with a second left, and I went, "The Raptors did it; they're going to win the NBA Championship."

When that final second ran out on the evening of June 13, 2019, it was official: The Toronto Raptors were the NBA Champions for the first time in franchise history. There were three things that made this win very special. One, this win came one day after the St. Louis Blues won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Two, the Raptors took down a very insufferable and toxic team and fanbase. And three, Canada won in the NBA for the first time ever. Canada has won a World Series, an MLS Cup, and an NBA Championship since the last time one of their NHL franchises won a Stanley Cup. The same could be said for the city of Toronto, having won all of those things in the near sixty years that have passed since the Maple Leafs' last Stanley Cup.

Regarding the Raptors, Kawhi Leonard was named Finals MVP, pretty much averaging a double-double (29.5 PPG & 9.8 RPG) during the entire series. Kawhi won his second championship, he was part of the Spurs' most recent championship in 2014. Danny Green was also on that team, so this was also his second ring, and he would get a third with the Lakers that following year. And while OG Anunoby was one of many players who became champion for the first time, he would pick up his second ring with the Knicks in 2026, becoming a very key player in that run.

This was a very memorable championship run for the Toronto Raptors. The NBA in Canada was a very unorthodox concept, but it came true in 1995. 24 years later, the Raptors made it to the top as NBA Champions for the very first time. They are still looking for that second ring, and they are currently in a pretty good position to contend. We will see how the Raptors fare in 2026-27 (especially if/when Kawhi is traded back to the Raptors), but for now, they still have that 2019 championship as a very fond memory.