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TORONTO – Twenty-four seasons, 1,920 regular season games, 18 playoffs, 99 playoff games.
It was not until the franchise's 100th game in franchise history, but the Toronto Raptors won their first NBA game. appearing in the final with a 100-96 home win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, winning the Eastern Conference final in six games.
The success was fleeting for the only N.B.A. remaining. franchise in Canada. Toronto's first choice, Damon Stoudamire, in 1995, won the rookie of the year award, but requested an exchange and was in Portland before the end of his third season.
Vince Carter gave the Raptors their first touch of national attention, with his stellar performance at slam dunk 2000 at the All-Star weekend and a playoff duel with Allen Iverson a year later. But in 2004, he also asked for an exchange and ended a golden age even before it started.
Chris Bosh was the next online superstar, but he only managed two first-round outings in seven seasons with the Raptors, before leaving the country as a freelancer in 2010 to join LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in Miami. .
DeMar DeRozan became a star in his nine years on the team, but Masai Ujiri, the Raptors' president, was fed up with the team's annual playoffs. DeLozan traded last summer the only player who had said he wanted to stay Toronto's Raptor for life.
This trade sent a stunned DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs for the talented and silent Kawhi Leonard, who was one year away from freedom.
It posed a significant risk to Toronto. But he also gave the Raptors exactly what they needed in an Eastern Conference finally liberated from the domination of James, who had joined the Los Angeles Lakers: a two-way superstar capable of being the best player of all the playoffs.
The operation was validated in all respects during the historic Leonard race, which allowed N.B.A. his first drummer buzzer Game 7 series, against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round. He is already third among the scorers of the series franchise, behind DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. Leonard has 11 games of at least 30 points in this playoff series.
He is a dominant scorer, but his full game was also featured. The Raptors have won the last four games of their series against the Bucks after Toronto coach Nick Nurse made Leonard the main defender against Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 3. In the fifth game, Leonard had nine career assists with 35 points. a victory on the road. Saturday, with a N.B.A. In the final, Leonard earned 17 career-high rebounds and added 27 points, marking his claim to be the best playoff player with a one-handed touch against Antetokounmpo in the fourth quarter.
After the second game, the Bucks were two wins from an Eastern Conference championship and 10-1 in the playoffs after 60 regular season wins. In four games, Leonard has erased the magical season of Milwaukee by becoming the best player on both sides of the floor. In a single playoff series, Leonard has delivered more memorable moments to the Raptors than anyone in the 24 years of the franchise.
At media day in September at the start of the season, after Leonard's official introduction into the Raptors' uniform, Ujiri was frustrated by reporters who were constantly wondering if Toronto was perceived in N.B.A. a team and a city capable of persuading a superstar of Leonard's caliber to stay in the long run.
"We do not have to apologize," Ujiri said. "It's a beautiful city. We are blessed to be one of the N.B.A. teams, the one that is not in America. I can not believe that a beautiful city like this one does not believe in itself. "
On Saturday, eight months after the official start of their partnership, Ujiri was standing next to Leonard while they were accepting the Eastern Conference Championship trophy in front of their home fans.
"Kawhi is the best player in the world and we are happy that he is in Toronto," Ujiri said.
Shortly after the presentation of the trophy, Leonard said, "I do not care about being the best player. I want to be the best team. "
After years of testing to break through, the Raptors can now be called the best team of the Eastern Conference. They are four wins from a championship and Thursday, the N.B.A. The finals will start in Canada for the first time in the history of the league.
Saturday's win was a source of frustration for two and a half decades of frustration for a fan base that has grown steadily along with the growing popularity of basketball in Canada. Two other major sports concessions in the city are in the midst of drought. The Toronto Blue Jays have not won the World Series since 1993. The Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup for the last time in 1967.
The Raptors have a chance to mark the story not only for the franchise, but for the city of Toronto. For the first time, the fan base does not have to let go in the past or question the uncertain future of Leonard's decision on free will. He can live in the present, rooting for a team that has shown what can be.
Leonard's post-season run will be discussed in Toronto for decades to come. It may still be a chapter to write, from Thursday at home against the Golden State Warriors.
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