Offseason — Home — What’s Cool?

Well, it actually happened. The Toronto Raptors are our 2019 NBA champions, and it’s beginning to look like the beginning of the end of the Golden State Warrior dynasty. Though the Warriors were as injured as they have been since the beginning of their yearly championship tradition, they fought their hardest and left everything out on the court against an extremely talented and spirited Raptors team who were able to earn their first NBA title. Any of the doubters who said the Kawhi Leonard acquisition last summer was ill-advised and wouldn’t pay off have been silenced. Hopefully there isn’t an asterisk placed next to this championship, because the Raptors completely earned it - fair and square.

It was hard watching Klay Thompson writhing in pain on the floor during the 3rd quarter of what seemed to feel like a winnable Game 6 for Golden State. He had played a fantastic game up until that point. As soon as he fell, I knew that the season was effectively over. Golden State played a very good game up until then, but losing one of the splash brothers along with Kevin Durant being out of the game was simply too much of a mountain to overcome, even for such a talented and explosive Warriors team on their home court. Now 2X Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry, and Fred VanVleet (shoutout 815) proved that they are worthy of winning a championship by playing smart basketball, making difficult shots, and remaining composed and focused as the prize got closer and closer. If Kawhi Leonard stays in Toronto next season, it’s hard not to call them the frontrunner for next year’s championship as of right now before free agency. The Warriors are going to be going through changes and the Western Conference is still taxing on its playoff teams, so it seems like the Raptors may have good odds of returning to the biggest stage next season.

I thoroughly enjoyed this series and this year’s NBA Playoffs as a whole besides all of the injuries that occurred. I am extremely happy for the Toronto Raptors for finally getting over the hump and winning their first title, and it will be very exciting to see what kind of moves teams make over the summer which will directly affect next season. I will be covering and analyzing all of those moves on this blog. Hoping that my predictions are slightly more accurate next season, but until then, the grueling wait begins.