Congrats Raptors! Exciting game, awesome series, and a completely memorable playoffs this year.
Thanks, bud!
So many Eastern super teams were assembled to try and fill the void that James left, and it's Toronto that comes out on top; with the (relatively speaking) least amount of work. Here's hoping that this is the end of the GSW hegemony.
Well I think most people see this team as being completely different from the one in years past, because of the success they had, because their best player changed, and because they succeeded so fast. I don't see it that way though. This team has been very close for a number of years. It's (mostly) the same team. Obviously Leonard was the difference for us. Just a God here in Toronto. But the road didn't start in July of 2018. It started when we drafted Derozan and traded for Lowry.
I read something about the death of the super team. I don't know, maybe. I think Toronto did show that you
can with toughness and defense. We already knew this (Detroit / Boston / Dallas), but we forget sometimes. At least it shows another way then tanking and accumulating assets. Toronto did it with ZERO lottery picks. That's the Masai way.
I didn't hate them. I mean, outside of Draymond it's basically a bunch of flawless boy scouts. But it sure made the West really freaking boring. Hopefully it'll be much more competitive and we'll get back to the days of 6-8 teams realistically having a shot.
Maybe it's just the way the series played out, but I love the Warriors. Maybe it would be different if Toronto lost, but even guys like Draymond won me over. They are likable minus the "ruining the parity of the league" thing.
Toronto earned this. Dallas had to deal with a shitload of media casting doubt on the Mavs accomplishment in 2011, with the often repeated theme of, "Miami lost this, Dallas didn't win it." Screw that. Tonight, JVG said it best in, "injuries happen, it's a part of the game." Let no one try and tarnish what Toronto achieved tonight. Outside of the Kawhi "mercenary" role, the Raptors reminded me a lot of our team in 2011. A bunch of cast-offs and supposedly past-their-prime players winning through great coaching (outside of The Timeout©) and perfect teamwork. VanVleet in Q4 - holy shit. Clutch.
I think Cuban pretty much killed that argument on First Take. I think a lot of casual fans watched box scores and think that tells you the picture of the game. Dallas earned that shit. So did Toronto. Sure, the series would have been different with Durant, but Toronto controlled this series. We don't know what would have happened. That's just the nature of the game. I feel terrible for Klay and KD though. That really stinks.
Someone needs to give Pascal Siakam a freaking raise.
Oh he will.
Final notes.
This has been a surreal journey. Like, I know people who don't care about basketball will just be like whatever, big black dude dunks ball. But I've never in the 25 years of this teams existence ever really thought that Toronto could win. That's just not the way the league is made. We were always an afterthought. Always the lesser team in the foreign market. This win is beyond my expectations as a fan. The Toronto Raptors are NBA champions? Fuck man, only 16 teams in the league can say their franchise has won. That's how much parity there is in the league.
I think Leonard will leave. I've come to terms with that. Not in a battered wife way, but just as a dude who got to witness greatness first hand. This run was intimate for us Raptors fans, and we'll always share that with this dude. And honestly, I think this team is able to move on without him. Maybe not win another championship, but stranger things have happened...Remember that time the Toronto Raptors won the NBA championship?
Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2018 8:13 pm