I’m usually not too sentimental as it relates to my hometown. This is a special occasion, however. I’m a huge basketball fan & the Toronto Raptors made NBA history last night. Their first Eastern Conference Championship. The franchise’s first appearance in the finals. The first non-US team to compete for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The city’s first major sports association franchise to be in this position in 26 years (the Blue Jays did it in 1992 & ’93).
Pretty incredible.
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I knew at the start of the season following the trade of arguably the organization’s greatest player ever in DeMar DeRozan for Danny Green & some other guy named Kwahi Leonard that this team had the pieces to go the distance. That they could compete with the Golden State Warriors for league supremacy because of their length & athleticism & depth. But watching Milwaukee evolve as they did during the regular season, I wasn’t convinced the Raps could get by them in a series. I knew they could, I wasn’t sure they would. What can I say. I’m practical about my sports expectations. So when the Raps tore through the Orlando Magic after stumbling in the first game of that series, then battled with a loaded Philadephia 76ers team all was going as I anticipated. Then they faced the Bucks. The way they went about manhandling Milwaukee’s dominant star… sweeping after being down 0-2?? Pleasantly surprised.
I’m most happy for point guard, Kyle Lowry. He’s had a long, arduous road throughout his time in the league & has spent five years now in Toronto where he has finally found a place where he belongs & is wanted (most nights, despite some fairweather fans). It’s exciting witnessing the emergence of the team’s young talent in OG Anunoby, Paskal Siakam, Norman Powell & Fred Van Vleet rising to the occasion & thriving! Seeing Marc Gasol, the secret weapon he is acquired late season who’d never been on a squad good enough to get to this level in his 10 seasons now showcasing his total package. &, of course, Kwahi reaffirming to everyone that he is a dominant force in this game & in the conversation for best player on the planet. Oh yeah, & the man who orchestrated all of this: Raptors GM, Masi Ujiri, AKA the Basketball God.
The coming match-up against the Warriors is a classic in the making. It will be fast-paced, intense, balls-out two-way basketball with two of the league’s most talented rosters going head-to-head. & while many NBA fans may not be excited, they should be. This will be one of the best finals match-ups in some time.
It’s good to be home. Congratulations, Raptors. Four more to go!
(Insert cheering squad here.)