The Raptors Are One Win Away From Making History!!
The Toronto Raptors are on pace to make history this year. Not only did they defy all odds in making the NBA finals which is already impressive enough, they now have a chance to win a championship for the first time in franchise history! That’s incredible considering what the Toronto Raptors had to go through to reach where they are today. Tonight embarks the potential final game of this series which is a very suspenseful experience for many NBA fans more specifically, Toronto fans. The city of Toronto has been waiting patiently for this moment as many of us can see, the loyalty of this fan base is something historically special to appreciate. Whether it is in the Oracle Arena or, across Canada, Raptor fans are as loyal as your pet dog at home. Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors are storming in game five with a purpose to bring home a championship to the proven loyal fans of Toronto. However, although this moment is exciting for the Raptors organization, the Golden State Warriors are not planning to go down without a fight.
As history shows, the Golden State Warriors managed to pull off a 3-1 lead defeat against Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors to this day are still reminded of there unexpected failure through social media platforms too, even some NBA players mocking them. All-Star Joel Embiid is a prime example of how the Warriors still get mocked about their defeat til this day as he said,
“We definitely don’t want to be in a situation like the Warriors two years ago ”
This was the answer from Joel Embiid when asked about how important it was for the 76ers to be up 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs.
The Warriors have a chance to redeem their scaring defeat against Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers as they are on the other side of a 3-1 lead. By only winning one game in the Finals against the Toronto Raptors, the Warriors proved how much they need Kevin Durant. Although the Raptors have played incredible playoff basketball, Toronto has managed to make it this far into the finals without the Warriors number one scoring option in Kevin Durant. However, that is still not an excuse for the Warriors as they still have 4 other All-Stars on their team. Golden State should not be struggling as hard as they have, considering the established core of talented players the Warriors have. Going into this series, the odds for the Raptors winning the Finals was high which is laughable now when looking at the outcome of each previous game. Despite the Raptors having better depth and chemistry on the court, the Warriors should be the team winning games as they have made it to the finals for 5 straight seasons. The impressive playoff run that the Raptors are managing to pull off introduces a new question which is, how are they doing it?
After analyzing all the playoff games the Raptors played this year, there was always one consistent reaction by the Raptors when winning or losing a game. The Raptors have always looked unsatisfied no matter what the outcome is. The most recent game that the Raptors played is a prime example of this. Instead of cheering and having the expression of excitement, the Raptors left the Oracle Arena without any emotion of joy despite them being up 3-1. Typically, most teams would have been overjoyed with the idea of being one game away from making history; however, the Raptors displayed no expression. Kawhi Leonard seemed to have influenced the Raptors emotion on and off the court as they have all absorbed Kawhi Leonard’s mentality towards the game of basketball. Whether the Raptors are up by 10 or down by 10, Kawhi displays the same expression on the court, which is, determination. He has shared that with the whole organization hence why the Raptors managed to come back from a double-digit deficit in game 4 which would have tied the series.
The other main factor about the Raptors success in the playoffs is their hustle. In any circumstance, the Raptors are in whether it being up by 10 points or losing by 10 points, Toronto always displayed hustle. Their determination towards any game this post-season has been very inspiring due to how much heart the players of Toronto have on and off the court. This roster is extraordinary and should be displayed across all sports as a sense of motivation by, never giving up and to always appreciate what you have. Whether it is being up by 3-1 or winning the lottery, the message that is shown about the Raptors determined roster is, to always work hard even if you're up by 20 points. This organization as a whole has been looked at as choke artists or a team that should not be taken seriously during the playoffs until now. Kawhi Leonard shaped this Raptors team into his mentality hence why they are up by 3-1.
The Raptors have a chance to make history today. As a Canadian, sports more specifically, basketball has been something that needs to be more popularized in Canada. By the Raptors already showing this much success, the potential for popularity growth in Canada is beyond imaginable. The Country of Canada has already been in disbelief of the amount of success the Raptors have managed to pull off. Although a championship would be enjoyable for the city of Toronto, The Raptors have already made an impactful historical run that will shape the future of the NBA. Despite Canada being a very spacious Country with lost of room to grow, this Raptors playoff run has made this Country tighter than ever. The Raptors have a whole Country supporting them hence why they have managed to be only one game away from becoming 2019 NBA Champions!
