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The Toronto Raptors beat the odds when they won the 2020 NBA title. They stopped the Warriors by three rounds and became the first US-based team to win the title. Raptors guard Fred VanVleet recently opened up about his title run on the JJ Redick podcast.
He said, “First game, I’m playing well. Match 2, they win, but I was 17. Now I find my shots and I find my places. At this point the ball moves, our attack clicks. “
“The sixth game comes up, Klay falls, and it was like a collective (thought) that we can’t lose this game. There’s no way we can afford to lose this game with KD and Klay out. We would kill ourselves if we couldn’t finish this.
The Raptors were lucky Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson got injured. Durant has been the final MVP of the Warriors’ last two titles, so not having him was a big miss for Golden State. The Raptors seized the opportunity and finished the series in six games.
READ ALSO – NBA rumors: Kevin Durant on the lookout for the signing of Serge Ibaka to the Brooklyn Nets
VanVleet reveals Raptors mentality during playoffs
Redick then asked VanVleet if winning the title was the most difficult thing he has done in his career. But surprisingly he replied, “As far as basketball is concerned, not even close, but mentally and physically, yes that’s for sure.
He then went on to talk about how fantastic their chemistry was and how important it was to them during the playoffs.
He said, “The best thing that helped us was that our chemistry was so tight. When the lows were low, we could talk to each other. When the tops were high we had Kawhi which was super cool so nobody ever got excited. And Kyle who was like, ‘Don’t party. We haven’t done anything yet. ”
“So it was like all of these things went into one, and it kept us on that laser focus. And Nick was right on top of managing it all. And it all went hand in hand. Magnificent.”
The Raptors have never been the favorites to win the title or even come out of the East. But they were resilient and played as a team. As VanVleet mentioned, their chemistry was their greatest strength and that helped them win their very first title.
READ ALSO – “He’s No Different”: Former Raptors Teammate Fred VanVleet Rejects Popular Belief About Kawhi Leonard
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