How to Make it to the Finals: Toronto Raptors
Introduction
18 years ago, the Toronto Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers were pitted against each other in a Game 7. Down by one with only 2 seconds remaining on the clock, the Raptors have a chance to win on the road and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Carter gets the ball on the wing in side the 3-point arc. Carter pump fakes and gets a clean look for 2. The ball hits iron and bounces out. Philly advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals and later get eliminated by a Kobe-Shaq Laker squad. Fast-Forward to 2019, and the story has ever so changed. In this case, history will not repeat itself. The Toronto Raptors have reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in franchise history. After explosive, epic, and emotional seven-game series. No ending could have personified how close and how dramatic the series became. The script has officially flipped from the 2001 NBA Semifinals featuring the same matchup. Allen Iverson and the city of brotherly love had their chance in 2001, but its now Kawhi Leonard and the 6ix’s chance to make the NBA Finals and potentially take it all home.
Semifinal Recap
Game 7 of the NBA Semifinals between Toronto and Philly was set to either be an instant hardwood classic or a backyard beatdown from either one of the teams. Both squads were victorious in both one-possession games and blowouts, both teams won on the road, and both teams had a strong identity that needed to shine through to win the series. With a little over a minute left, Tobias Harris got trapped in the half court and turned the ball over to Kyle Lowry after throwing an errant pass to Joel Embiid. Pascal Siakam drove to the basket to and stretch the lead to 4. The final minute of Game 7 was a nail bitter. The Sixers scored 3 straight points with a free-throw from Butler and a pair of foul shots from Embiid. The Sixers send Kawhi Leonard to the line to shoot two. Leonard hit the first free-throw and missed the second. Off the miss, Harris threw an outlet to Butler who took it to the rim with 4 seconds left to tie the game at 90 a piece.
The stage is set. 4 seconds left, tied game, ball with the Raptors hands. Time to rewrite the history books. Kawhi get the ball at the top of the key, takes 3 power dribbles, and fades at the right side of the baseline. The ball bounces high, and Embiid had the most devilish grin with the thought of overtime on the horizon. Then the ball bounced again, and again, and again. The moment the rock fell though the twine, every emotion known to man was expressed. The uncharacteristic passion and fire from Kawhi, the defeat and heartbreak from Embiid, the celebration and triumph from Drake (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJfI02vDMHg), and bitter disgust from Kevin Hart (https://twitter.com/KevinHart4real/status/1127750666997211137).
A series that will be remembered for years and years to come. Kawhi Leonard now finally has his “Jordan” moment. He has earned the respect from all of Canada. His greatness in just this one season cannot be denied. No one Raptor in franchise history has averaged over 30 points per game at this point throughout the post-season. At the end of the series, Kawhi tallied the third most point total in a single series with 243 points throughout seven games. The only two players to score more in a series was Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabar. The Klaw has proven himself to be a cold-blooded killer, but he is more than that. He is the King of the North
Strengths
Depth and Flexibility
Out of the remaining teams in the field, Toronto’s roster has the deepest roster. Game 7 from the Toronto-Philadelphia series featured a legendary, high-scoring performance from Kawhi, but also, timely hustle plays and big buckets from de facto 6th man Serge Ibaka. In a series were for the majority he was neutralized by Embiid, Ibaka stepped up scoring 17 points off the bench. Toronto’s depth in the roster allows Coach Nick Nurse to experiment with different lineups and play according to favorable matchups. I expect less playing time from Gasol and more minutes for Ibaka as Brook Lopez is a definite perimeter threat with his outside shooting. I also expect big minutes from Siakam and Kawhi in guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee is a guard heavy team with veterans Eric Bledsoe, Malcolm Brogdon, Sterling Brown, and George Hill. I expect nurse to dive deep into his bench and play Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell to combat the guard play from Milwaukee. Game 1 was a true example of how Coach Nick Nurse utilized his depth within his roster, playing Norman Powell and Fred VanVleet big minutes.
The Kawhi Scenario
The Raptors have now made it to the Conference Finals for the second time as opposed to Milwaukee’s lone appearance in the last 5 seasons. Throughout Kawhi Leonard’s career, this is his fourth Conference Finals appearance. Its playoff time. The time where winning now is all that matters. That couldn’t be anymore true and applicable for the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors have yet to make it to the NBA Finals in franchise history. And with Kawhi Leonard future uncertain with the Raptors, there is no better time to hop on this opportunity than now. Kawhi Leonard’s decision in the off-season will not only change the landscape of the whole NBA, but his decision will also influence the decisions made by other free agents to either compete against him, join him, or avoid his conference. Kawhi Leonard is the engine that run this Raptors squad and the time is now for the Raptors.
Weaknesses
Numbers Don’t Lie
Against the number one seeded Milwaukee Bucks, the Raptors did not fair well losing the regular season series 3-1. Although Kawhi only played in three of the four games in the regular season, the bucks were still able to oust the Raptors 2-1 with Kawhi active. Milwaukee is also ranked first in Offensive Net Rating, Defensive Net Rating, and Overall True Net Rating. The Bucks are an efficient and sound team on both ends of the floor who likes to play fast with Giannis leading the break. The biggest challenge for Toronto will be to slow down the pace of the game against the Bucks.
Size and Length
Milwaukee features a lot of talent across the roster. But most notiably, they are filled with big men who can shoot the ball. Nikola Mirotic is a deadly shooter from deep, and Brook Lopez is shooting a career high from 3 point range. Lopez’s presence caught the Raptors by surprised as he tallied a playoff career-high 29 points and 11 rebounds in the Game 1 victory. Toronto does have guys like Ibaka and Gasol to contain Lopez and Mirotic, but you have to ask if they can equalize the Bucks’ bigs on a consistent basis after last night’s lose.
Verdict
As a die hard Raptors fan, it hurts my heart to say that this matchup will be a junkyard dog’s fight. I can not say with the utmost confidence that Toronto will come out of this series alive. The Milwaukee Bucks are a dangerous team with an identity and pieces that match up well against Toronto. If Kawhi Leonard continues playing on a tear, the big men and Toronto can match up defensively against Milwaukee’s big men, and if the bench can carry their weight, the Raptors can pull this series out in 7.