The Toronto Raptors’ history before 2019 has been almost non-existent when it comes to success on the hardwood. Ever since the end of the promising duo of Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter, the team was in the midst of an identity crisis. Despite making the playoffs from 2013 to 2018 they couldn’t find new ways to make a deep run.
Constant heartbreaks to LeBron James‘ Cleveland Cavaliers originated the name “LeBronto,” a playful, exaggerated name that suggested James owned the entire city, after back-to-back dominant postseason performances. After years without making it over the hump, Toronto looked into a loaded 2018 offseason that included James, Paul George, Kevin Durant, and DeMarcus Cousins. They eventually traded for Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Jakob Poeltl, DeMar DeRozan, and a protected 2019 first-round pick.
Despite Kawhi’s knee issues the following year, the trade shook the league, and Toronto was a team to look out for that season.
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The Regular Season
Throughout the 2018-19 campaign, Leonard averaged 24.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals, all on 49.6% shooting from the field. He was a major factor in the Raptors success. However, it was also due to the veteran point-guard Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, the established three point shooter Norman Powell, Serge Ibaka, and the pick-and-roll prodigy in Marc Gasol.
All these elements in Toronto helped the franchise go 23-7 by the middle of December. They held the No. 1 seed in the East and were on pace to have a 60-win season. In February, Leonard made the 2019 NBA All-Star Game as a starter, his third career nomination, along with Lowry, who averaged 14.2 points a night.
The Raptors ultimately finished 58-24, and they weren’t just winning; they were exploiting teams. With Kawhi occasionally missing games, the roster began to lean on Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, and Siakam, who all contributed on a daily basis with grit and grind.
The Magical 2019 Playoff Run
In the first round of the playoffs, Toronto didn’t seem fazed whatsoever. They beat the Orlando Magic 4-1 and advanced to the Eastern Semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Raptors had all the momentum in the world going into this contest. With the 76ers having an established young trio of Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid, the series was bound to be hard-fought. Throughout the semis, Toronto and Philadelphia went back and forth, eventually leading to a Game 7.
When the game mattered most, Leonard erupted for 41 points while shooting 16-39 from the field. Despite five players on the Sixers playing on the court for 40+ minutes, they fell short to Kawhi’s game-winning buzzer beater, famously sending Embiid crying as he approached the locker room.
That series against Philly set the tone for the rest of Toronto’s run. In the Eastern Conference Finals, Toronto trounced Milwaukee in six games. And in the NBA Finals, they defeated the league’s “Goliath,” the Golden State Warriors, in another six-game series. It was thanks in part to the “Box-and-One” defense used by former coach Nick Nurse.
The Last Word
Despite signing with the LA Clippers in the summer of 2019, Kawhi Leonard’s one-year run with Toronto was iconic. The risk that the Raptors made in order to make history shouldn’t be forgotten. Instead, it should be an example for other teams in the same position to follow.
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