In 2019, for the first time in eight years, a path to the Finals had opened in the East that would not go through LeBron James. The Conference was transitioning as Philadelphia was a rising power after years of obscurity and the Milwaukee Bucks leapt to the one seed powered by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s first MVP season.
Those younger teams would have to wait for their shot at the chip, however. The Toronto Raptors had traded their beloved star DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs for a disgruntled Kawhi Leonard and acquired all-time Grizzlies C Marc Gasol midseason. After being eliminated by LeBron’s Cavaliers the last three consecutive postseasons, Canada’s team was ready to go all-in and would end up with their first championship in franchise history.
KAWHI LEONARD DELIVERED TORONTO IT’S 1ST NBA CHAMPIONSHIP
The Toronto Raptors went through the best teams in the East on their way to the Finals by defeating the 76ers in a seven-game thriller before dispatching of the Bucks in the Conference Finals. The Golden State Warriors came out on the other side of the bracket and were heavily favored to 3-peat. They had defeated LeBron James’ Cavaliers the previous two postseasons and the Raptors had been written off as a worse version of those squads. Injuries made things more interesting though with Kevin Durant out for the beginning of the series with a calf strain. Toronto won Game 1 and built a 3-1 lead before KD was able to come back.
Durant’s return seemed to be the end of Toronto’s hopes as he scored 11 points in the first quarter giving the Warriors an early lead. Then tragedy struck in the second. The Warriors leading scorer went down with another injury, tearing his Achilles and ending his season for good. The Warriors held on to win to stay alive in the series, but when Klay Thompson tore his ACL in the third quarter of Game 6, the task simply became too great. Golden State would win in similar circumstances vs. the 2015 Cavalier team they beat to begin their dynasty. The Raptors closed out the series in 6 to bring the first NBA championship to the 6ix.
June 13, 2019: Toronto #Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors (winners of 3 of the previous 4 NBA Finals) in Game 6 after Klay Thompson tore his ACL in the 3rd Qtr to secure their very 1st NBA Championship in franchise history
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) June 13, 2021
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