The Six in 6

In honour of the one-year (and six day) anniversary of the Toronto Raptor's first ever NBA Championship, I have decided to recount my six favourite wins of the 2019 postseason. Having rewatched the playoffs, I will highlight some of the key moments and player storylines that may have been lost over the course of the past year.

6. NBA Finals Game One

After rolling over the heavily favoured Bucks in the conference finals, the big question surrounding the Raptors was how they would adapt to the game’s grandest stage against an opponent who made yearly trips there. While both teams started off slowly on the offensive end, the Raptors did not for one second look overawed by the occasion in front of an electric Scotiabank Arena crowd. This game can be stamped as a signature win for a team whose body language exuded nothing but the upmost self-assurance, swagger and confidence.

Despite 23 points from Kawhi Leonard, the midrange maestro couldn’t quite display his typical clinic of pull-up jumpers. The Warriors had a clear plan to swarm him in the paint and it would be up to the rest of the squad to show up with Lowry also not having his best shooting night.

Two of the men who responded to this call were Marc Gasol and Fred Vanvleet. Not only would the two combine for 35, they would also pair up to play excellent defense on Stephen Curry for stretches of the first half. Gasol ended the game with 20 and the third-year FVV ran the show like a veteran floor general after Lowry got himself into early foul trouble. What they did was fortify the Raptor’s cause going into the second half and set the stage for the emergence of a new star.

By the age of seventeen most NBA prospects have been identified, ranked and discussed in league circles. At this same age, Cameroon’s Pascal Siakam hadn’t been recruited nor had he been ranked. In fact, Siakam hadn’t even picked up a basketball until the age of seventeen. To put that in context, Pascal had missed out on nearly a decade of development and competition. A true diamond in the rough, Siakam even reaching the game’s pinnacle after years in obscurity is irregular. But then again, there is nothing regular about P-Skills. Not his story. Not the way he finishes at the rim. Not his exponential and yearly improvement and definitely not his third quarter performance in this game.

Siakam would erupt for fourteen in the third quarter to form one of the most historically lethal finals performances of all time, shooting 14-17 from the floor! The man literally could not miss. There was a stretch where Siakam hit eleven straight shots, then grabbed his own rebound on the twelfth to score his final points of the night. He finished the game with 32 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists and truly earned the claim to the Most Improved Player of the year award. This display goes far beyond numbers however. Siakam had come of age before our very eyes with the entire basketball world watching.

 For anyone who had still doubted the prowess of the North, game one served as a reminder that the Raptors were a well-rounded team with a plethora of threats on both sides of the ball. They had announced themselves on the game’s largest platform without a signature game from either of their two all-stars and yes, for any persistent doubters, Klay Thompson played the entire game. These Raptors would not shrink under the lights of the NBA Finals.

5. Eastern Conference Finals Game Three

While this was not an elimination game, the Raps came home with their season hanging by a thread after consecutive losses on the road to the conference topping Milwaukee Bucks. Recovering from a 3-0 deficit would not only be a daunting challenge, but one that had never been accomplished in the history of the sport. This was a must win game for the Raptors. To do this however, Toronto urgently needed to take pressure off of Kawhi Leonard and put forth a more balanced scoring output.

Coming right out of the gates, the likes of Siakam and Gasol felt this urgency. There were many who called for Marc Gasol to be pulled from the starting lineup before this game citing the veteran’s passiveness as a detriment to the cause. Despite this the Raptors would persist with the ‘Big Spain’ and clearly make it a point of emphasis to get him involved early. The former All-NBA player would respond by showing exactly why Masai Ujiri traded for him at the deadline. Gasol displayed the height of his versatility to start off this encounter, playing a de-facto point-center. He was aggressive with his shot and operated at his creative best as he found cutter after cutter from the top of the key. His impact wouldn’t end there. Marc Gasol ingrained his imprint over every single facet of this game. Not only did he finish with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists, he was a menace defensively with five monstrous blocks and was essential in the clutch.

 This would also prove to be a vital series for Norman Powell. Through his four years, the UCLA product had been heavily invested in by the franchise but struggled to consistently deliver on his promise and cement himself into the rotation. After not even seeing the floor in game seven against the Sixers, the fourth year man perhaps found his career at a crossroad. However, if there was one good thing that came from a deflating game two loss, it was the fact that Powell proved that he deserved playing time against the team that originally drafted him in 2015. The Raptors’ few positive stretches in that game coincided with Norm’s time on the court and he had therefore earned a longer rope from his coach. The Buck killer rewarded the faith put in him and proved to be a catalyst in this game and the remainder of the series after spark-plugging his side with 19 points off the bench. Not only did this provide Toronto with a much needed boost, it also allowed Nick Nurse to trust an eight-man rotation for the duration of the postseason. Powell may one day look back and recognize this game as the one that changed the trajectory of his career.

The pace that the Raptors came out with was critical, however the biggest and most telling adjustment that rookie head coach Nick Nurse made in this game was to put his greatest defensive weapon on the Greek Freak. Kawhi reminded us that he was a former two-time Defensive Player of the Year. While he acted as Giannis’ primary defender, his teammates built an impenetrable wall around The Freak once he took a step inside of the three-point line. Toronto’s aggression led to the eventual MVP turning the ball over eight times. Nurse had found the formula to neutralize Milwaukee’s biggest strength; a rampant Giannis steaming down the middle of the floor. The onus for the rest of the series would be on his teammates to create and knock down shots.

While Toronto would lead for the majority of this game, they were unable to put away a defiant Milwaukee team who would inch closer and closer to the hosts throughout the second half. Even after trailing by five with around a minute to go in the fourth quarter, Toronto just couldn’t shake the visitors. Now we remember that Pascal Siakam, who otherwise had an excellent all-around game, missed both free throws at the end of regulation to allow the Bucks to force overtime. What has been lost on us is that with regulation time waning, the Raptors suffered severe hits to their arsenal in this game as both Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell fouled out in the fourth quarter with the threat of the Bucks still looming. Both had shot the ball well in this game and their absence meant that the Raptors would have to find a way to prevail while getting precious minutes out of Fred Vanvleet and Danny Green who at that point of the playoffs had been virtual non-factors in terms of scoring.

Overtime: Just like in the fourth quarter, the Raptors would squander a late lead in overtime and allow the Bucks to tie the game. Tension amongst Toronto fans would reach an indescribable level as the sea of red at the arena, Jurassic Park and all those at home realized that their team had fumbled two golden opportunities to close out a very good side. The fatigued Raptors would have to channel every ounce of resistance and precision for the next five minutes of this virtually decisive game.

Second Overtime: The home team would gain an almost instant advantage after Pascal drew a foul on Giannis that would see the Greek Freak foul out. Not only would this bring the crowd into the equation, it would set the precedence for the remainder of the period as the Raptor defense would begin to impose it's will on the Bucks. These five minutes can be best remembered for a series of highlight stops; none more memorable than when Leonard decided to disdainfully steal the ball from Kris Middleton and go coast to coast for his second dunk of the period. To finally secure this game took a wealth of experience from Gasol, Leonard and Danny Green. It also took herculean efforts from Siakam and Leonard who each played over fifty minutes. Leonard in particular had played the majority of these grueling minutes on a right leg that had bothered him throughout most of this contest and would hamper him for the rest of the season. There was even momentary concern following this win regarding whether or not he would be able to participate in the following games. This was an aggravation of the same leg injury that infamously brought about the tumultuous end to his relationship with San Antonio the previous year. His commitment to guide his team through this game was a slap in the face to anyone questioning the legitimacy of his pain and his willingness to put his body on the line for his team.

While the Raps barely escaped with this game, they had finally gotten themselves on the board against a very worthy opponent in a classic showdown. Although we may not have known this at the time, this game would prove to be the turning point in Toronto’s road to the top.

4. Eastern Conference Finals Game Five

After two demoralizing defeats in this very building, the Raptors arrived in Milwaukee with a newfound self-belief on the back of two victorious efforts on their own home floor. By winning an absolute thriller in game three and then a blowout in game four, the tide of the series seemed to be turning as a resurgent Toronto squad had sent a message to the basketball world; the same world that, for the most part, had already deemed the series a wrap after game two. A true test however for Canada’s team would be how they would respond to the challenge of a boisterous home crowd in a pivotal swing game.

From the opening tip the Bucks looked like they had taken the previous two games personally. They came out with a vigorous intent and looked to involve their crowd early on into proceedings. Through Eric Bledsoe and Giannis, Milwaukee was successful in controlling the pace of the game early and Coach Budenholzer’s men tried to assert themselves on the Raptors by getting out and sprinting in transition. Giannis looked to be at his best and Milwaukee raced to a fourteen-point lead in the first quarter alone. A veteran Toronto team would however stay level headed in its approach and this would prove to be one of the separating factors between the two groups going forward. As the Raptors continued to calmly chip away at the deficit, they kept the Bucks within their sights throughout the first half. To pull away on the road though, Toronto would need to unearth a new hero who would truly tilt the balance towards the visiting team in the latter half of this contest.

That hero would emerge in the form of Fred Vanvleet. Vanvleet, who had been massacred by criticism for his lack of form, had been blessed with a son before the start of game four. One would be swayed to believe that this had completely morphed his perspective and brought about the subsequent rebirth of his confidence which had eluded him for the entirety of the second round and the preceding three games of this series. Whatever it was that had brought about this change of fortune for Vanvleet in game four would again resurface on this night. Only this time it would surface to far more epic proportions. As the Bucks expanded their lead to twelve points in the third quarter, it was the shooting of Freddy that kept Toronto afloat in this game. Through him, Toronto would manage to enter the fourth only down by three points.

End game specialist, Kawhi Leonard would then score fifteen points in the fourth, which by this point was no longer a surprise. Such was his level of skill and consistency in the clutch. What proved just as critical however, was his vision as he dished out a career high 9 assists. Four of which lead to three-point bombs from Fred Vanvleet. The Raps would then start to gain control through their all-around shooting. After three consecutive threes in the fourth, one from FVV and two from Kawhi Leonard over Brook Lopez, Toronto had begun to pull away.

Then as the Bucks would eventually tie the game off of a Brook Lopez three that sent the crowd into an instant frenzy, on the very next play Kawhi would once again find the cold blooded Vanvleet for a dagger three in the dying minutes of game five to kill the buzz. Vanvleet had given the Raptors a lead that they would not relinquish. It was astonishing to think that this was the same player who for ten straight games, stretching all the way back to the second round, could not seem to buy a basket. This was the same Vanvleet who had become a fan favourite throughout the course of the previous season. This was also the same Vanvleet that many ‘loyal’ fans had turned their backs on in a moment’s notice. What must be highlighted here is the level of mental fortitude that Vanvleet had displayed in this game. One can only begin to imagine the level of pressure that had begun to accumulate on a relatively inexperienced player who had gone through the longest drought of this pro career in the midst of his franchise's time of need. To firstly, have the resolve to keep his composure in the middle of an untimely slump and secondly, garner the courage to continue to stay ready for a moment that had shown no sign of materializing are both unmistakable testaments to the character of Steady Freddy. With seven three-pointers, his game five heroics would prove to be a true watershed moment. FVV had disproved the cliché that bench players could not be trusted on the road. On the road, in front of a belligerent opposing crowd, he showed the world and many of his own fans that he had no issue rolling the dice and ‘betting on himself’ in crunch moments, even if nobody else was. We should expect nothing else from the undrafted marksmen. This game would merely serve as a precursor for even bigger bets ahead. An essential piece of the Raptor’s puzzle had now come to the fore in the enemy’s territory. In the weeks to come, Raptors fans would begin to learn that the fortunes of their team would be directly tied to the fortunes of the Fred Vanvleet.

As a fan there is an enormous sense of pride attached to this game. Toronto truly made little brothers out of the league leaders. They had an answer to every run, refused to panic in the midst of a rambunctious home crowd and ultimately proved to be the more savvy of the two teams down the stretch. They stalked the Bucks like prey for the vast majority of this game and pounced at the opportune moments. To win a title you must be able to journey into hostile environments and win games on the road. Not steal them, but seize them as if they are being stolen from you. Toronto’s blend of veterans and young blood went on this trip with the series tied. They would return to the North with home court advantage and the opportunity to make history by advancing to the franchise’s first ever NBA Finals.

3. Eastern Conference Finals Game Six

The previous time these two teams flew to Canada for the Toronto leg of the series, things were unbelievably different. The Bucks had a commanding 2-0 lead and the Raptors were fighting for their dreams of a trophy. In a mere six days the state of affairs had taken a 180-degree spin and it was now Milwaukee fighting for its playoff hopes and Toronto one win away from winning the East. In the previous week Toronto had defeated Milwaukee on three occasions, Fred Vanvleet had a son, the Bucks had changed their starting lineup and Drake had angered Coach Mike Budenholzer by giving Nick Nurse a shoulder rub. The Bucks were now treading uncharted territory as this was the first time all year that they had lost three consecutive games. They were still however holders of the NBA’s best record and their superstar had promised that his team was “not gonna fold” at the Scotiabank Arena. For the Raptors, this was a game that had to be played with the same competitive fervor as the previous three as they did not wish to go back to Wisconsin for a game seven. 

This game started in a very similar fashion to game five. The Bucks came out like a team on a mission. Unwilling to capitulate to a 3-2 series deficit, they broke out into the opening quarter on the attack. Their energy was through the roof and at the quarter’s end, the Raptors were already down by thirteen. The Bucks would increase that lead to fifteen in the second quarter before Toronto eventually made a charge led by the third year duo of Fred Vanvleet and Pascal Siakam who closed out the half reducing the lead to seven points.

The second half would also begin in a close mold to the previous game. Toronto started off the third quarter well enough and began to eat away at Milwaukee’s lead. But there was something different about this game. Unlike the previous game where all signs seemed to point towards the Raptors gaining speed and overtaking the Bucks towards the end, as time ticked on, this match suggested nothing similar. Everything began to work for the Bucks. The Raptors weren’t nearly as clinical on either side of the ball. Kris Middleton hit an absurd three-pointer with the shot clock expiring and even Giannis had connected on his second of two rare long range makes. In game five the Raptors had closed the gap to within two possessions at the two-minute mark of the third quarter. In this game however, the Bucks seemed determined for redemption and despite back to back three-pointers from Kyle Lowry, the series seemed poised to be headed back to Milwaukee for a final game as the Toronto crowd witnessed the Bucks jump to a yet another fifteen-point advantage with just two minutes remaining in the third. Milwaukee had run away with this game. They had their bags packed, passports in hand and were ready to fly back home with the series all level.

Enter Kawhi Leonard.

In spite of having played a quiet game by his standards up until that point, the Claw would write yet another chapter into his storybook playoff run in the final minutes of the third quarter. Leonard converted on a three-point play after getting fouled on a jump hook. This was the start of a sequence that saw him literally will the Raptors to ten unanswered points to end the quarter. He would score eight of these points and assist on the other two. Somehow, after being down by fifteen just two minutes ago, Toronto would only enter the fourth quarter trailing by five.

Kawhi’s effort had noticeably inspired his teammates and even with him on the bench, a lineup consisting of Powell, Ibaka, Siakam, Vanvleet and Lowry continued to pile on a storm of points. All of the sudden the crowd was roaring again. The Raptors were making shot after shot, moving the ball at lively tempo and then matching that with an infectious energy on the other side of the court.

This period of dominance would then reach its apex with Kyle Lowry stealing up ball off Middleton, stopping on the fast break and dropping a dime for the trailing Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi would rise up and posterize The Freak for the second time in the series! Milwaukee caught like a deer in headlights had to call a timeout. Out of nowhere, Toronto found itself up by eight on the back of a miraculous 26-3 run. Milwaukee found itself engulfed in an avalanche.

Coming out of the timeout the Bucks would manage to fight and cut the lead to one. Nick Nurse would then take few timeouts of his own and his team would manage to stifle any momentum that the Bucks had gathered and overcome the final scare of the series. Toronto would, for one final time, prove themselves as the more mature of the two sides down the stretch of the game with timely baskets and key stops.

Not many had given Toronto a chance in this series, especially not after dropping the first two games, but this did not seem like a team that gave much thought to the opinions of doubters. Throughout the duration of the entire regular season and playoffs, the favoured Bucks had only lost two consecutive games once. They had now just lost four in a row. After half a decade of playoff failures, Toronto had finally punched its ticket to its first ever finals appearance.

2. Eastern Conference Semifinals Game Seven

In a rematch of the exact same game played between the exact same teams 18 years ago in Philadelphia, fans on both sides couldn’t help but to think of Vince Carter rimming his baseline fade away at the buzzer to send Allen Iverson and the 76ers to a third round match up against the Bucks. Fast forward to 2019 and the same two teams were contending for the right to play the Bucks in the third round. The only difference was that this game would take place in Toronto.

Up until this point in the series, both teams had put forth almost mirroring displays. Each team had twice won convincingly on their home court and won a nail biter on the other’s. With each team experiencing its fair share of peaks and valleys throughout the course of the six preceding games, there were no more secrets between the two sides. While game sevens can sometimes flatter to deceive on the hype that is notoriously built up around them, this game would prove to serve as the archetype of what fans and media elude to when dreaming of a do or die encounter. This game would live up to every bit of the suspense and drama that was expected of it.

This match-up unfolded in the manner that you would expect from two teams fighting for survival. Ugly. This was an ugly, physical and defensively minded game with neither team scoring thirty points in any quarter. Both the 76ers and the Raptors had players who stood out defensively. If you look at through the rosters of each team, you will see a number of dynamic defenders who when at their best can turn a game on its head through sheer will. You will find giants with shot-blocking prowess and high positional acumen. You will find perimeter defenders with long arms and untiring agility. And you will find pesky point guards with the ability to show up where and when you least want. This long list of irritants prevented either team from either team pulling away completely or finding a great deal of an offensive flow.

With the Raptors having trouble finding a second support scorer for Kawhi Leonard, Serge Ibaka surfaced off the bench with his most crucial game of the playoffs. Mafuzzy was instrumental with 17 points and 8 rebounds. He also hit three crucial three-pointers, none more impressive than his one in the fourth where he rose up after a jab-step in the corner over the outstretched Ben Simmons with 9:39 left and the shot clock expiring. This was a sight otherwise largely unseen to even the most avid Serge followers and a testament to how he raised his game in such a high leverage battle.

One of the most overused adages we hear used in basketball analysis is that that basketball is game of runs. This, however proved to be extremely true on this night. After the Raptors took a 50-41 lead in the first half of the third quarter, Philadelphia came out of their timeout swinging and went on a 16-0 run to take a 57-50 lead. The Raptors were struggling offensively and Leonard was running into multiple defenders as Toronto’s schemes to score through him had become predictable. I want Kyle Lowry detractors to read the following sequence very carefully.

•   With 4:45 left in the quarter Lowry assisted on the Ibaka shot that would end the scoring drought.
•    He would then force a turnover on the very next play to help win the ball back.
•   On the following possession he would set a pindown screen on Simmons to free Leonard up for an easy two.
•    A few plays later he would grab not one but TWO offensive rebounds as the smallest man on the court. This lead to a Kawhi Leonard three pointer.
•    He would then go coast to coast in transition and attack an unset Sixers defense for an easy two and give the Raptors a one-point lead!
•    Hold one we’re not done yet. The highlight of this sequence would come on the very next possession after Joel Embiid blocked Vanvleet’s fast break layup off the glass and into the hands of Ben Simmons. Kyle Lowry would then appear out of nowhere, rip the ball out of Simmons hands and pass behind his back to a trailing Ibaka for another easy two.
•   He would then put the icing on the cake by drawing one of his trademark charges on the 280 lb Embiid to end the quarter and secure a three-point lead on the coattails of a 17-7 Raptors run.

 While he only scored two of those points, Lowry had stamped his influence all over the game and dragged his team back into the contest just as the Sixers were looking to close the doors on the Raptors hopes. This is why Toronto fans rate the now six-time all-star so highly. They understand that his impact, leadership and tenacity go far beyond the counting numbers. In a matter of minutes, he had completely flipped the momentum of this game going into the all-important fourth quarter.

4th Quarter: While 16 of 39 shooting doesn’t make for great reading, this game was not about the percentages. Kawhi had been fighting through double teams all night and there were undeniably points of the game where he was the only player in a white jersey willing to put up a shot. So, he kept shooting. His effort had an air of Kobe Bryant about it and this game proved that he was of the same ilk as his hero. The Mamba mentality was visible in Kawhi as he was willing to do whatever it took to get his team across the line. In the fourth with the floor finally opening, Kawhi was ultimately able to step into a rhythm in the final stretch. The South-Cali assassin would go onto score fifteen in the fourth.

He would then have a chance to put the Raptors up by three at the free throw line with under eleven seconds remaining. He calmly hit the first. His second shot rimmed out and as Jimmy Butler raced down the court to tie the game at 90, Raptors fans would have felt a sudden chill of the heartbreaks of playoffs past. All of those thoughts were then silenced when the Raptors came out of their timeout for one final shot.

The game’s final sequence sums up Leonard’s demeanor perfectly. As a young second year player for the Spurs, Leonard had missed a clutch free throw in game six vs the Miami Heat in the 2013 Finals, a series the Spurs would go on to lose. Instead of dwelling on his missed free throws both past and present, Leonard stayed even-keeled and he stayed in the moment. He stepped out of the timeout, rose up over Joel Embiid and faded away from the corner towards his bench, just like Vince had all those years ago. ‘Bucket. Bucket.’.

1. NBA Finals Game Six

 You would think that this was a game seven while watching it. It was clear that the defending champion Warriors who were playing their last ever home game at the Oracle Arena – that too on the brink of elimination with the now dimming prospect of achieving a coveted three-peat –would play with a heightened degree of intensity. What was interesting to see though was the fact that the Raptors were able to match Golden State’s sense of urgency in this close out game. After the Warriors managed to win game five in Toronto by a single point, the Raptors’ lead in this series didn’t feel nearly as safe as it did when it read 3-1. After all, this was not just any opponent. Even without Kevin Durant, this was The Golden State Warriors. The team who had proven their mettle time and time again. And while only one team had ever managed to avoid succumbing to the inevitability of elimination after trailing three games to one in the NBA Finals – against the Warriors, ironically – not a single Raptors well-wisher was keen on testing fate in a game seven to see if it the feat could be repeated. As a Raptors fan the feeling was that Nick Nurse’s men would have to treat this game as a do or die. They would have to, at all costs, fly back home holding the Larry O’Brien.

 As the next forty-eight minutes unravelled, it became evident that the players were just as weary of giving such a dynastic team another life in this final round. This game was played with a frantic energy from the get go. It was Toronto who drew first blood via their engine and longest tenured pro, Kyle Lowry. Lowry, carrying with him the burden of years of playoff shortcomings and vicious criticism, would not die wondering on this night. Like a true general, Lowry came out all guns blazing as he fired an onslaught of threes en route to scoring Toronto’s first eleven points of the game. He would then continue to feed Siakam for the team’s next eight points as well. For so many years preceding this game, K-Low had been right out slandered for disappearing in the playoffs. With his 26 point, 10 assist and 7 rebound performance in this game, he redefined the narrative behind his whole career. Very rarely have we ever seen a star’s legacy change so drastically over the course of one game and as a Raptors fan, there was nothing more heartening than to see Lowry deliver on the most important of all nights.

 Also crucial for the Raptors during the first half was the play of their ‘Giants of Africa’, Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka. Siakam would end the half with 13 points; while Ibaka, whose chemistry with Kyle Lowry had been a focal point of the Raptor’s offense all year, would not disappoint in game six as their link ups would help him tally 15 for the game. The Warriors would also prove to be equipped for a balanced scoring spread. They were led by Klay Thompson who scored 18 in the half. Both sides continued to battle throughout the opening twenty-four minutes as leads swung between both teams like a pendulum in this high scoring affair.

 As the game transitioned into the third quarter, there still was not much to separate the two teams. The Raptors were well lead by Kawhi Leonard who had his best quarter of the game. The majority of his points came by virtue of his out and out strength as he was able to sink a couple of incredible finishes by the basket despite immense contact from the Golden State defenders. For the Warriors it was once again the celebrated ‘Splash Brothers’ who began to catch fire and continued their strong series by combining for 20 in the quarter. Even when Klay Thompson had to exit the game after an unfortunate landing, the Warriors were able to cling on to a slender lead going into the fourth thanks to Andre Igoudala who had rolled back the years and played perhaps his finest game of the playoffs.

 As the Raptors trailed by two entering the fourth quarter, the floor was open for anyone to play a stretch of basketball that would help their team reach sporting immortality. As the quarter started, you couldn’t help but to notice something slightly unusual about Toronto’s lineup. Fred Vanvleet and Pascal Siakam. It’s not that they shouldn’t have been out there. These two had earned every right to be on the floor to try and shape the most decisive twelve minutes in the franchise’s history. That was not the unusual part. What made their presence truly unique was the fact that this was not their first time competing in a finals’ series together. In fact, just slightly over two years prior to game six, the duo took part in another championship series while representing the Raptors. The Raptors 905 that is. Both of these third year studs had helped Toronto’s G-League affiliate win the title in 2017. Now seeing them in this moment, at this level was something truly special. In a league full of prodigies, five-star recruits and lottery picks, here were these two. To say their pathways to this moment were unconventional would be underplaying the grit it took them to arrive here.

 To some degree one can dare to say that the Raptor’s most important piece on the floor to close this game on both ends, was not Kawhi Leonard. Nor was it Kyle Lowry. Rather it was Fred Vanvleet. And while that may sound like a hyperbole, his defensive responsibilities cannot be overlooked in this game. With Klay Thomson injured, Vanvleet was often played as Steph Curry’s primary defender in Nurse’s box and one defense. The two-time MVP was limited to only four points in the fourth quarter with Fred chasing him around the perimeter. Then there was his scoring. Final quarter. Close out game. Championship on the line. When you think about names to associate with those three things, a long list of legends come to mind. Kobe, Jordan, LeBron, Bird, Hakeem. And on June 13th, 2019, the undrafted Fred Vanvleet. The man simply had no conscious at the end of this game. He was willing to shoot anything and everything that came his way and he hit shot, after shot, after shot to score twelve of his 22 points. None more important than his final dagger that hit nothing but net after losing Quinn Cook on a switch. Not only was this the shot that brought out his famous scream, it was also the shot that put the Raptors in front for good.

For Freddy’s shot to cement Toronto’s advantage in this game, a lot had to go right. His team would need to continue to keep the ball out of Curry’s hands and they would need to continue to cushion the lead. All of this started to look more and more difficult as Demarcus Cousins brought the Warriors within one point with just thirty-five seconds remaining in the game. Coach Nurse, who came under extreme scrutiny for an ill-advised time out at the end of game five decided once again that he needed to take some time to draw up a final play and tighten his teams grasp on the game. He had a few weapons in his artillery to choose from. He could’ve chosen Lowry who was sensational to start the game. Maybe it would be Vanvleet who had been torching the Warriors for the entire period. At the end of the day though, it had to be the man who was brought over here for this exact scenario. The man who hit ‘the shot’. It had to be Kawhi Leonard.

It wasn’t. The ever unpredictable Nick Nurse opted to put the weight of an entire season in the hands of a man who at this time in last year was seen as just a high energy rebounder. He gave the ball to G-League Finals MVP, Pascal Siakam. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, Siakam euro stepped past one of the most celebrated defenders of his era in Draymond Green and put the Raptors up by three. This would accentuate his 26 point, 10 rebound effort. Moments later, as Curry missed his go ahead three-pointer and Finals MVP, Kawhi capped his 22-point night off at the free throw line, the impossible had been accomplished. Somehow a team had managed to beat the legendary Golden State Warriors three times at the Oracle Arena. A team from Toronto, Canada had reached the pantheon of the game.

As the buzzer sounded, the Toronto Raptors as a franchise had been vindicated after years of being seen as pretenders. Vindicated in the gamble they took to acquire a one-year rental in Kawhi Leonard. Vindicated for their culture of developing unheralded prospects from Douala, Cameroon and undrafted point guards from the G-League. Vindicated for dreaming to build a champion without a single lottery pick. And vindicated for daring to do it in the North.