24 years in the making

The Toronto Raptors played their first ever game on November 3rd, 1995, beating the New Jersey Nets by a score of 94-79. This was the start of a revelation in Canada. Before the Raptors, Toronto was a hockey city. The Leafs were always Toronto’s team, even in the many down years they had. This, however, changed on Thursday, June 13th, 2019. The Toronto Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors by a score of 114-110, winning the NBA championship 4 games to 2. The Raptors put on a masterclass all series on both ends of the floor, exposing the Warriors weaknesses, and playing to their own strengths. It’s crazy to believe that this team lost their opening game in the playoffs to the Orlando Magic. I think Drake couldn’t have said it better when he said “Started from the bottom now we here.” This team did truly start from the bottom. There were 16 win seasons, finishing well out of playoff spots, and many “there’s always next year” seasons. The Raptors were not handed anything. They got here because they deserved to be here. They had to make sacrifices, very big ones, and risks, like trading a franchise player for someone who may not get back to the level he was once at. Or trading what has been your starting centre for 7 years for a 34 year old centre at the trade deadline, when the whole squad has been together since training camp. In the end, these sacrifices and risks paid off, as the Toronto Raptors are NBA champions. From Damon Stoudamire, to Vince and Tracy, to Chris Bosh, to Mr. I am Toronto and North Phillies finest, to quite possibly one of the best 2 way players the game has ever seen. The Raptors NBA champions, no matter how you look at it, the “asterisk”, the Raptors beat a core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Demarcus Cousins. That sounds like an easy 4 wins in the NBA finals am I right? All in all, the Raptors have made history, and you may see a lot of teams next year trying to mimic what the Raptors just did, but this is bigger than basketball. This will inspire a wave of kids from Canada and all over the world that anything is possible and to always chase your dreams. Whether it is to play in the NBA, become a doctor, or whatever they want to do, this Raptors team showed them that even through adversity, struggles and tough times that if you believe, work hard, and have your sights set on something, then no one can stop you from achieving it. Enjoy this summer Raptors fans, let’s run it back next year, and like a really fun guy once said, have fun with it.

•Luca De Sando