The Raptors have been searching desperately for their first Finals berth in franchise history only to become an afterthought on another trip to the Finals for LeBron. Their Sisyphean struggle has been mocked leaguewide by fans and organizations alike as a futile gesture in the face of LeBron’s invincibility. In a bold move, and what appears to be their final gambit for a title, Toronto traded DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green while replacing head coach Dwane Casey with offensive visionary Nick Nurse.
After LeBron’s exodus west, most people anointed the Boston Celtics the heir to his throne. The Celtics won’t be the first time an alarming amount of tantalizing talent has been amassed at a crucial conference tipping point. Two recent examples, the 2011 Bulls and 2012 Thunder, stand out as times when young nuclei seemed poised to run conferences for the foreseeable future yet deteriorated in a couple seasons.
If injury woes strike Boston, Toronto should be poised to strike. Yes, the Raptors have wilted under the spotlight until now, but they’ve transplanted one of the best players of the last 20 years. Since 2000, there have been 10 players to win Finals MVP while averaging 17+ points: Shaq, Tim Duncan, Chauncey Billups, Tony Parker, Paul Pierce, Kobe, Dirk, LeBron, Durant, and Kawhi. These are the players that can own a series against the best the world can offer, players who step up when the lights are brightest.
Only four players remain from this list, one is currently a gregarious veteran in Dallas known more for his humorous texts with his trainer than his on-court performance at the moment, one just took a two for ten deal in Charlotte of all places, and the last two remain at the peak of their powers.
Here’s the point lost on many basketball fans right now: Kawhi Leonard is a top-three player in the league when healthy. Toronto took their greatest weakness, lack of clutch playoff performers, and turned it into a strength with the addition of Leonard. There are potential chemistry problems between Lowry and Leonard, but if they can figure that out, the Raptors could stand more of a chance against the Celtics than we currently give them credit for. They upgraded from DeMar DeRozan to having the best player in the East this season.
When we look at the Cavaliers vs Celtics series, LeBron has his fingerprints all over the crime scene. His playoffs were a masterclass in how a great player can impose his will on an entire conference. The Celtics pushed him to his seemingly fictional limits but came up short. Everyone came away from that series assuming Boston would run a post-LeBron East because no one can come close to the King’s performance, and look how close the Celtics were in spite of that. There are three players who can come close to controlling a marquee series the way LeBron did then: Durant, Curry, and Kawhi.
On top of having one of the few offensive players who can come within a stone’s throw of LeBron’s output, Kawhi is also an amazing defender. Something that flew under the radar from last years ECF, how good was Cleveland’s defense? Not very. Cleveland started seven different players during the series: LeBron James, Kevin Love, George Hill, Jeff Green, Kyle Korver, Tristan Thompson and JR Smith. Of that group, I feel confident in the game long defensive capabilities of Tristan Thompson and maybe George Hill. Other than that, they ranged from below average (Jeff Green), to bad (JR Smith) to a turnstile (Kyle Korver). LeBron often took plays off, conserving his energy for another Herculean offensive possession.
Who doesn’t do that? Kawhi Leonard. If healthy, Leonard is in a league of his own defensively and is the only player known to give even titans like Durant and James pause. The Raptors were fifth in defensive rating last year, who knows how good they can be with the addition of Leonard.
Boston is the favorite to win the East. But, they won’t be able to breeze past Toronto should they cross paths on the road to meet Golden State. If Nurse can weld this team into a cohesive whole, get Lowry and Leonard to like each other, and continue the development of promising young talent like OG Anunoby, Fred Van Vleet, Pascal Siakam, and Delon Wright, it could make the waters a little stormy on Boston’s presumed cruise to the Finals.