In a thrilling Game 6 that saw numerous lead changes and exciting moments, the Toronto Raptors closed out the Golden State Warriors, ending their chances of a three-peat, with a win at Oracle Arena in Oakland.
The win marks the Raptors' first NBA championship. Since the Vancouver Grizzlies' move to Memphis in 2001-02, the Raptors have been Canada's sole NBA franchise.
This also marks the first Big 4 championship for a Canadian team since 1993, when the Toronto Blue Jays won Major League Baseball's World Series and the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup.
In one of the more dramatic moments in the third quarter of Game 6, the Warriors' Klay Thompson was fouled attempting a lay-up, and was helped off the court during the commercial break. Someone apparently reminded Thompson, while he was back there, that if he left without shooting the free throws, someone else would have to, but then Thompson would be ineligible to return to the game.
So he came back out, hit both from the line, and DeMarcus Cousins committed an intentional foul on the ensuing Raptors' possession so that Thompson could leave the game. He never returned. He was later diagnosed with a torn ACL, meaning that both he and his teammate Kevin Durant will be entering their summer of unrestricted free agency with injuries that may put them down for a long time. (It's already confirmed that Durant is likely to miss all of next season.)
Near the very end of the game, the Warriors missed a shot, there was a mad scramble for the ball around half-court, and the Warriors got possession and called a timeout that they didn't have, with 0.9 seconds remaining. It was quite likely a deliberate strategy to stop the clock; otherwise their time would have run out right there. The Raptors took a technical foul shot, regained possession, and Kawhi Leonard got fouled shooting a missed layup.
That's when things got really weird. The time clock was now at 0.0, and Jurassic Park was celebrating, but after a long delay, 0.9 seconds were put back on the clock. Leonard calmly hit both foul shots to put the Raptors up by four, and the Warriors inbounded to end the game.
(edited by ekedolphin on 14.6.19 1409) "The word 'trust' just isn't in your vocabulary, is it? Good try. Nine out of ten for effort." --Captain Picard, "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
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Co-Winner of Time's Person of the Year Award, 2006
I'm surprised no one's brought up what is quite possibly the greatest clip in the history of TNT's Inside the NBA. The best part is Kobe is there to watch. Enjoy.
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