This Means More
Originally published June 14, 2019
We. The. Champs.
It still doesn’t feel real.
The Toronto Raptors, the team that had Donyell Marshall and Mo Pete and Joey Graham and Andrea Bargnani and Rafael Araujo and Jamario Moon and Jose Calderon, that same franchise, are 2019 NBA Champions of the World.
This is so much more than a basketball story.
It’s a story about heartbreak and triumph.
About losing and winning.
About Lebron and Kawhi.
About Vince and Kyle.
About a city and a country.
It’s hard to imagine that this has actually happened. Waking up after roaming the streets of Toronto last night, I’m still in awe of what this team has done. Because to me and so many others, this means so much more than just a championship.
***
My Raptors journey began in 2003. It was Chris Bosh’s first season as a Raptor after Carter had just left. I was too young to fully comprehend the magnitude of what Vince had done a few seasons before and his miss at the end of game 7 against Allen Iverson and the Sixers. But I was a young and naïve Raptor fan, ready to root for this team that played in my backyard.
And all we did was lose. Over and over again.
The Mid 2000s were rough. Yes we made the playoffs in 2007 and 2008, when we got bounced by the Nets and Magic, but my entire childhood growing up was losing. I was there for 82 games when this team couldn’t win more than 25 games. When our biggest moment in franchise history was a dunk contest. When the only day we used to look forward to was draft lottery night. When Mr. Primo Pasta himself, the ‘next’ Dirk Nowtizki, ended up being nothing more than a serviceable role player.
But there was always hope. Jermaine O’Neal came in, Shawn Marion came in, Hedo Turkoglu came in. But nothing changed, and we continued to lose.
Then Bosh left for the greener pastures of Miami and the reigns of the franchise were given to a kid from Compton, drafted 9th overall out of USC. And guess what happened?
We sucked.
The 2010-2011 season ended with us winning 22 games. And there was pretty much no hope. But the seeds of change were slowly being planted.
Dwayne Casey was brought in, JV was drafted and when Colangelo couldn’t get Steve Nash, he traded for Kyle Lowry, an immature point guard who had run-ins with multiple coaches and was known as a bad teammate. So guess what happened next?
We still lost.
Enter the messiah, the 6 god himself, Masai Ujiri (side note: this guy better be getting a statue outside ACC)
In 2013, after MLSE management was tired of the direction that Colangelo had taken the team, they had hired one of his disciples, a guy from Nigeria who had started out as an unpaid scout for the Magic and rose up to become NBA Executive of the year for the Denver Nuggets.
So what did he do? He traded away Andrea Bargnani to the Knicks for a first round pick (how he was able to fleece the Knicks out of this deal is still a moment I will never forget) and Rudy Gay to Sacramento for a bunch of serviceable role players.
And there was hope. The Raptors made it to the first round against Nets only to have the Paul Pierce stuff Lowry at the buzzer in game 7 at home. It was one of the most heartbreaking losses I’ve had to experience and I vividly remember it being the night before an exam sitting there on my bed staring at the wall for at least an hour trying to process what just happened.
And then they came out flying the next season to become Atlantic division champs. But guess what? They got obliterated in first round by the Washington Wizards, taking everyone in the organization back to the drawing board.
But Masai kept the core together while bringing in pieces including Powell, Scola, Biyombo, Cory Joe and Demarre Carroll. And there was a renewed hope. The following season, after 2 tough playoff matchups that probably could have gone either way against Indiana and Miami, we were one series away from an NBA finals appearance.
Enter Lebron James.
One of the greatest players of all time would not let his team lose and along with Kyrie, destroyed the Raptors in 6 games with the average margin of victory at home being 30 points. And then the following season, after another successful regular season, we walked in to the East finals and got swept at the hands of Lebron and the champs.
So Masai went back to the drawing board. He re-tooled the roster, traded for Ibaka and brought in a defensive stud in PJ Tucker specifically to stop Lebron. And the Raptors came out flying again, en route to a franchise best 59 wins in the regular season with the best bench in the NBA and the highest margin of victory in the league.
And guess what happened?
We lost. Again.
Lebronto did it once again and sent all Raptors fans home, crying into our pillows wondering if this franchise was ever going to be able to win.
Enter the terminator, the robot, the alien, the Klaw, the GOAT. Kawhi Leonard.
Masai Ujiri once again pushed all his chips into the middle of the table and made the biggest move of all in giving up his franchise all-star for a superstar player in Kawhi who was coming off an injury-ridden season in which he had a huge blowup with one of the great organizations in North American professional sports. Many people at the time thought this trade could blow up in his face because rumors were circulating that Leonard was always going to be rental and that he wanted to be in sunny California playing for his hometown team.
Ujiri had just made the biggest professional gamble of his life and they started out hot, but Leonard wasn’t playing all the time. The Raptors medical staff and management made a consistent effort to hold him out of regular season games with many Raptor fans wondering during the season, where is Kawhi and why isn’t he playing? But this team continued to win during the regular season, finishing with the 2nd best record in the league behind the Bucks and Giannis.
And game 1 against Orlando started with so much hope and optimism. And then, you guessed it, we lost. Again.
But we finally had a superstar on our team, arguably the greatest athlete to ever play in a Toronto uniform. And what did he do but lead our team to 4 straight wins and a date with the Sixers.
Then game 4 rolls around. The Raptors down 2-1, getting taunted by Joel and his stupid airplane celebration. And the Klaw does it again, calmly scoring 39 points and hitting a 3 pointer in Embiid’s face to send us back to Toronto at 2-2.
Then game 7, on Mother’s day, and the greatest moment in Raptors history.
That for Raptors fans will always be a ‘where were you when’ moment, when time stood still, when the collective breath of thousands of fans around the world stopped and watched a ball bounce 4 times around the rim only to actually fall and send us to the Eastern conference finals.
It’s hard to capture and put into words what that shot really meant because after 17 years of hearing about the Vince missed shot against the Sixers, this time we were on the right side of history.
Then game 3 against Milwaukee. Down 2-0, after getting absolutely battered by the Bucks in game 2, our backs were against the wall heading home to Toronto. And Kawhi Leonard, with Kyle Lowry and Norm Powell fouling out halfway through the 4th, decided to put this team on his back and lead us to a double OT win. 3 straight wins later against the best team in the NBA with the probable MVP, this team, the Toronto Raptors were in the NBA finals.
With some fortunate injury luck (so upsetting as an NBA fan watching Klay and KD go down), a superstar, an exquisite cast of role players and a belief, this team did the impossible and won an NBA title.
***
‘This is so much more than a basketball story’
After having lived outside of this country for the last 7 years, it’s amazing to come back and see how far this team has come. I’ve been lucky enough to be in town for a majority of this playoff run, and it’s incredible driving around this city seeing every other person wearing Raptors gear.
To once think that we were the laughing stock of the NBA, the team who’s logo many compared to Barney the purple dinosaur, it’s hard to fathom the Toronto Raptors on top of the basketball world. I’m sure everyone by now has seen many videos of the celebrations in downtown Toronto and having been there, I can truly say it was something I never thought I would see or be a part of my entire life. The craziest thing about this as well is it that it not only happened in Toronto, but in Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, Halifax and Regina. All over this country, diehards and bandwagoners alike joined in the celebration of a team that has brought the first championship to Canada in the big four North American sports in 26 years (sorry TFC and the Argos, but you don’t count).
The reason why this win as well feels so different than if any other Toronto team had won is because of what it represents for this country. Canada is the most diverse country in the entire world and the city of Toronto is a great representation of that. Throughout this entire playoff run, the thing that brings me the most joy is seeing people of different ages, races, and backgrounds all come together to cheer on this team. And the epitome of all of it is the greatest fan, the Super-fan himself Nav Bhatia.
He is the embodiment of all that is good with the Raptors and Canada and why I’ve never been prouder to be an Indian-Canadian. If you have time, which you probably do if you’ve gotten this far, please read this twitter thread that explains why he’s the greatest.
https://twitter.com/MuhammadLila/status/1132705598632538113
As an Indian kid growing up in this city coming from an immigrant family, basketball was always the sport that brought the most diverse group of people together. If you ever come to Toronto and go to a Maple Leaf or Blue Jays game, I can tell you that it’s a very different crowd (not that it’s a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination but I can tell you that Raptor crowds are much more diverse). But ever since my childhood, basketball and the Raptors have always struck a cord with the immigrants and outsiders. While the rest of Canada played hockey, the immigrants picked up soccer and basketball because it was cheap and easy to play.
And as this team started winning, more and more people became interested in this story. Game 5 of the NBA finals was the most watched NBA game in Canadian television history with the game reaching 13.4 million Canadians and the most watched broadcast on Canadian television this year. I can’t imagine what the numbers for game 6 are, because this win is going to inspire a generation. 1 out of every 3rd person in this country watched this happen; that is crazy! When your 80 and 85 year old grandparents, who have never cared about any other sport than cricket, have watched every game of the playoffs and are asking you about Kawhi Leonard, you know that what this Raptors team is doing is different.
***
When we were kids, everything you associated with Toronto was losing. Whether it was the Maple Leafs, Jays or Raptors, Toronto was the laughing stock of North American professional sports cities. There was a statistic I saw that between 2004 and 2012, the time between the Maple Leafs making the playoffs, every other NHL team had made the playoffs in that time. Every. Single. One. And guess what, all Toronto did was lose.
The Jays had Roy Halladay and Roger Clemens and Vernon Wells and Alex Rios but before they made the playoffs in 2015 on that magical run, all they did was lose.
Chokers. Losers. Can’t get it done.
That’s what Toronto was known for.
But I would say about 10 years ago, when Drake entered the music scene, everything started to change. Here was a guy who no matter where he went around the world, always represented his city. Even when our reputation sucked, he never wavered in his undying love for the city of Toronto. His references from Markham Road to 15 Fort York to running through the 6 with his woes, he has always talked about how great this city was. And then he started investing in other local artists and showcasing Toronto’s talent on the world stage. Suddenly, Toronto became a cool spot to be with tons of entertainers now originating from the 416.
But the sports teams lost. And as Toronto fans, we cheered mediocrity. Because that’s all we could cheer for in this city. Home runs in the division series and game 7 in the first round of the playoffs were what we looked forward to. They made us believe we could do something more. But we were always left disappointed.
And then a guy from Riverside, California with his awkward laugh and inhuman hands showed up and took us to the promise land.
Like holy shit, we’re here and the Raptors, the city of Toronto and Canada are on top of the world.
***
Just like this franchise, life is a crazy rollercoaster.
There will be moments of pure joy like when you get into medical school, when you graduate with honours, and when you become a doctor.
The trade for Kawhi. The dunk on Giannis. The shot in game 7.
But there will be moments that test you and take you to the brink of what you thought you could handle. Like when you used to cry yourself to sleep every night at 14 because work seemed so stressful. Or when your family members die. Or when you almost failed a set of exams in university that made you question if you were right to leave everyone and everything behind to move halfway across the world to a country you had never been to before. Or when your parents and people around you aren’t sure why you’re deciding to leave medicine and everything you knew to pursue an entirely different career.
Pierce’s block in Game 7. Lebron’s game-winning runner in game 3. Andrea Bargnani. Jamario Moon. Pops Mensah Bonsu. Vince Carter. Morris Peterson. Jerome Williams. Chris Bosh. Demar Derozan. Dwayne Casey.
All of these moments are a part of you and your journey. Without all the peaks and valleys that life throws at you, you wouldn’t be the person you are today. Those moments when you are at your worst and questioning everything, those will always be the ones you remember and appreciate when you’re at the top.
Life will knock you in the face over and over again. But after the run this franchise has been on, I can guarantee you that you’ll always have a choice to get back up and punch it in the mouth. With hard work, dedication, sacrifice and a little bit of luck, who knows, maybe you’ll be the last one standing.
So to the Toronto Raptors, Kyle Lowry, Kawhi Leonard, Masai Ujiri and the rest of the organization, thank you for making everyone who’s been there through the dark days believe in unimaginable.
Trust me.
After last night, anything is possible.
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