The third player ever to win a Finals MVP for two different teams.  That is history ladies and gentlemen.  Kareem and King James are joined by The Klaw and that is some good company to keep.  Kawhi has accomplished something that a lot of people counted him out of in the beginning of this season.  He fought through injury, adversity and hate to prove to the people that he is indeed one of the greats of all time and has the passion and will to win it all.

Congratulations to the Toronto Raptors and the entire Canadian fanbase who have been waiting for this moment since the Raptors organization was formed in the 1995/1996 season.  As the only team outside of the United States, it is really fucking cool to see them take over the reign and dethrone the defending champs.  The Golden State Warriors are a dynasty and have been atop of the league for nearly 5 years.  With 3 titles in the past 4 years, it was looking like they were about to accomplish the 3-peat and become the greatest team of all time.  Then came Kawhi…

Look, the loss of KD was a huge blow obviously, but people forget that they still have three other all stars in their lineup.  Not a bad compensation for loosing your best player.  KD’s injury was rough, and it was followed closely by Klay tearing his ACL after dropping 30 points in the final game 6.  There will be tons of people who correlate this Championship to injury but it is far more than that.  Every team deals with injury and the Warriors will be the first to tell you that it can help in your favor after defeating LBJ and the Cavs with Matthew Dellavedova as their second leading scorer.

Kawhi and the Raptors were dominant nonetheless.  Winning THREE games in The Oracle during a playoff series is something people would say is impossible.  They did it and they did it with style.  Every aspect of the Raptors game was on point in The Bay and the depth of the bench was a huge factor in deciding this series.  VanVleet, Siakam, Gasol, Ibaka and the rest of the role players gave the stars what they needed and then some.  The Warriors could simply not keep up with the bench depth and it showed.

I don’t necessarily feel bad for Steph, but I do understand how frustrating it must have been to see his boys go down as he had to hoist all the responsibility in the most important series of the season, perhaps his life.  LBJ can relate… The 3-peat was something Steph wanted bad so he could establish himself into the history books forever.  He is also without a Finals MVP which will be a serious blemish to his legacy.

It is going to be very interesting to see how this free agency period is handled by the stars who have some big decisions to make.  It looks as if Kyrie will be heading to Brooklyn and AD to the Lakers, but nothing can be completed until the 30th of this month, so there is still room for a lot of shit to go down until then.  KD will be out next year most likely so that will definitely weigh heavy on his decision.  Klay deserves a max deal in my opinion but will the Warriors be willing to pay the man after this ACL tear?  Kawhi just won a championship in Toronto, but will that be enough to get him to stick around to try and win another?  Lakers fans are calling for him to join LBJ but with AD most likely heading there on a trade, will there be enough money to satisfy all of those stars?

Either way, the stories coming out of this NBA Finals were insane and extremely fun to watch.  I never expected to be so invested in a Finals series that didn’t involve the King himself.  Believe me when I say he will be back though… One way or another, LeBron will find his way back to the big dance, because he still has some good years left in him and he is most definitely not done fighting for his legacy.  He is for sure satisfied, but the hunger to win will never cease his motivations.

To wrap this up, Kawhi is clearly one of the GOAT’S and he is currently in his prime so I can’t wait to see what he does next.  Considering he took this ship home to Toronto, my guess is that he stays for another 3 years or so to try and win another, but he could easily pick up his bags and attempt to do something that no one has ever done… Win three Finals MVP’s for three different teams.  Apart of me wants to see that more than anything and I think he can do it.

Thanks for reading and be nice to each other.