The Toronto Raptors made NBA history Thursday night as the franchise won its first-ever NBA championship with a 114-110 win over the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena.
The Raptors, making its first-ever NBA Finals appearance spoiled Golden State’s run as the Warriors were making their fifth-straight appearance in the finals.
With the victory, Toronto became the first team from outside the United State to win the an NBA Championship.
BALL GAME. @NBA CHAMPIONS!!!#WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/0tVa8K56lG
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) June 14, 2019
The Raptors were led by Kyle Lowry who had a double-double with 26 points and 10 assists. Pascal Siakam also had a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds in the comeback victory. Kawhi Leonard chipped in with 22 points and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the series.
Elite Company
With his second NBA title, Kawhi Leonard joined elite company as he became just one of three players (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James) to ever win multiple NBA championships and multiple NBA Finals MVPs.
NBA Finals 2019: Social Media Reacts As Toronto Raptors Win First NBA Championship
The Trade — Kawhi Leonard
After being bounced early in the playoffs once again last year, the Toronto Raptors made some bold moves as the franchise searched for its first NBA Championship. The team traded away star player and fan favorite DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard in a blockbuster trade and then added veteran Marc Gasol at February’s trade deadline.
Are You Not Entertained?
In another thrilling game, Game 6 featured 18 lead changes and nine ties, with neither team going ahead by more than nine points.
NBA Champions
The Toronto Raptors joined elite company Thursday night after claiming the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy. Coming into Game 6, only eight NBA teams had won the NBA Finals since 1999.
Movin’ On Up
Toronto: Kawhi Leonard scored 732 points this postseason and passed Allen Iverson (723) and Hakeem Olajuwon (725) for third on the NBA’s single-postseason scoring list. LeBron James is second with 748 points last year. Michael Jordan still holds the record after scoring 759 points in 1992.
Golden State: Klay Thompson passed LeBron James after recording his 374th career 3-pointer in the postseason. Thompson now ranks No. 3 on the NBA’s all-time playoff list, trailing only Curry (470) and Ray Allen (385).
The North Has Spoken. #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/cRMDVvVY0Y
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) June 14, 2019
