By all accounts, last night was the biggest night in the history of the Toronto Raptors.
Win, and they advance to their first ever NBA Finals. They would do it in front of their home crowd, tallying four straight victories to end the conference finals. It would mark the first time in 26 years that a Toronto sports franchise would make it to the championship round - the first since the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993. A city - a country, really - would feel relief. Masai Ujiri's offseason trade would prove as his ultimate vindication. So much at stake, with a tough and resilient Milwaukee Bucks team standing in their way.
Fast forward roughly ten hours, and all of that came true, as the Raptors won Game 6 in front of their home fans 100-94. The home team overcame a 31-18 deficit they faced at the end of the first quarter, outscoring Milwaukee by 19 the rest of the way. They held them to 40% shooting for the game, outscored the Bucks in the paint 34-28, and continued their hot shooting from the outside that was so vital in Game 5. Toronto hit on 12 of 27 three point attempts, while the Bucks made the same amount in seven more attempts. The role players, once again, stepped up.
Fred VanVleet continued his hot stretch, with 14 points on 5 made three point shots. Norman Powell and Serge Ibaka also provided 9 points a piece. Kyle Lowry, criticized in year's past for his inconsistent post season play, had another steller performance, scoring 17 points, dishing out 8 assists, with 5 rebounds. Pascal Siakam also added 18 points and 7 rebounds.
But once again, it was a familiar face who stole the show.
Kawhi Leonard was once again stupendous, with 27 points, 17 rebounds and 7 assists. He once again was creating for teammates early on, and asserted himself late. His desire to end the series was evident, as he did all he could to secure offensive rebounds late, including one big one off of his own free throw miss. He struggled big time from three point range - going 1 for 8 - but hit on 8 of 11 free throw attempts. His big moment was a massive fast break dunk off on Giannis Antetokounmpo of a Kyle Lowry feed that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Throughout the series, Leonard left no doubt that he was the best player on the floor, and the Raptors role players got stronger as the series went on. It sets them up for what should be an entertaining NBA Finals against the juggernaut out west known as the Golden State Warriors. If fully healthy, the Warriors would prove too much for the Raptors, simply because of their firepower offensively. However, with the statuses of Kevin Durant and Demarcus Cousins uncertain at the moment, we could be in for a very compelling series.
We'll have to stay tuned.
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