Toronto Erupts as Kawhi Leonard, Rookie Coach Lead Raptors to NBA Title
- Raptors win marks first NBA crown for team outside the U.S.
- Raptors victory caps evolution of game in hockey-mad Canada
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After 26 years of far more fizzle than fizz, Canada’s championship drought is over. The Toronto Raptors, riding the magic of a generational star backed by a rookie coach and a tenacious supporting crew, topped the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors to claim the team’s first National Basketball Association title.
“This is what I play basketball for,” Kawhi Leonard told the sellout crowd in Oakland’s Oracle Arena after winning the finals Most Valuable Player Award, his second. A couple of thousand miles away, raucous supporters went into a frenzy on the streets of Toronto and in the Jurassic Park fan zone outside Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena.