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Toronto Raptors: There should be no asterisks on NBA Finals success

By Austin Owens

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 05: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors reacts against the Golden State Warriors in the second half during Game Three of the 2019 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 05, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 05: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors reacts against the Golden State Warriors in the second half during Game Three of the 2019 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 05, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Raptors are just two wins away from hoisting their first Larry O’Brien Trophy, but do their wins mean less with Golden State Warriors’ injuries?

The Toronto Raptors went into Oakland and Oracle Arena on Wednesday night and took care of business, taking Game 3 over the Golden State Warriors by a 123-109 score.

However, the Raptors and their fans couldn’t enjoy being two wins away from a championship because of the blowup on social media following the game.

It seems that, if the Toronto Raptors win, it’ll be because of all the mounting injuries to the Warriors, not because they are a team that deserves to win the championship.

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I didn’t see the Warriors or their fans complaining about winning their third championship in franchise history back in 2015. In that series, the Cavs’ Kevin Love was out following a shoulder injury sustained in the first round and Kyrie Irving fractured his kneecap in the first game of the Finals. That left LeBron James with Matthew Dellavadova and Timofey Mozgov as secondary scoring options.

They found out how difficult it was to defeat that same team the following year.

The Raptors’ success in the NBA Finals can’t be judged by who the Warriors didn’t have but rather how well the underdog has played through three contests.

Kawhi Leonard has been solid throughout the series, but he’s far from the only reason the Raps are in the position they are. Danny Green has found his shooting stroke again and hit six 3-pointers. Fred VanVleet has arguably hit two of the biggest shots of this series, including the dagger in Game 3.

In their lone loss of the series, the Raptors squandered a chance to go up 2-0 after having a dismal third quarter. Even in that game, the Warriors scored one basket in the final minutes of play, and that was the game-winning three from Andre Iguodala.

If Toronto played the entire third quarter of Game 2 up to their capability, it’s a very real possibility that they would be heading into Friday with the chance to sweep the back to back champions.

Are the Warriors banged up? Absolutely. There’s no denying that. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson missed Game 3 and Kevon Looney will miss the rest of the series. But that doesn’t take away from how good Toronto has played.

A win is a win, and this Warriors dynasty started off the same way – with a championship victory over a team missing two stars.

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Golden State fans weren’t complaining during their championship parade back in 2015 and the Raptors fans surely won’t be worrying about an asterisk if the team can bring home their first-ever O’Brien Trophy.

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