Toronto Raptors: Business-like approach to NBA Finals playing big role in success

The Toronto Raptors can make history in Game 5 of the NBA Finals and they should credit their ability to keep a level-head as a big reason why.

A big takeaway following the Toronto Raptors win in Game 4 over the Golden State Warriors was seeing the players walk back to the locker room without a smile on their face. It was as if they won a regular season game and they were just on to the next one.

However, if you look anywhere else, the fanbase is having a tough time containing their excitement and for good reason. For the last 24 years, Raptors fans have seen disappointing result after disappointing result until Masai Ujiri decided to make the franchise-altering trade for Kawhi Leonard.

He is leading a relentless charge against a Warriors team that hasn’t looked dominant minus that stretch in the third quarter of Game 2. Toronto knew the opportunity they had to beat Golden State without Kevin Durant in the lineup and weren’t going to take their foot off the gas.

It is a refreshing site and obviously, a lot of the credit goes to Leonard who is clearly leading by example. You might remember Norman Powell trying to get a fist bump from Kawhi before getting rejected.

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Championship teams know how to handle the moment and for the past few years that was the Warriors strength. Now they are playing against a team who is unphased by the critics saying they didn’t have a chance.

Have they been perfect throughout the NBA FInals? No, they haven’t, but what they have done is keep themselves calm in the moment despite times where they probably would have lost their cool in the past.

Credit also to Nick Nurse who doesn’t look or act like a rookie head coach at the moment but you will probably see that when the series is over one way or another. His in-game adjustments have improved significantly but a good part of that has come from the players stepping up their game especially those coming off the bench.

Toronto and the rest of Canada will probably be a wreck from now until tip-off with nervousness but if they manage to close out the series tonight it should finally signal to sports fans in this city that we are not cursed. All those times Toronto teams have come up short and now that can be put off to the side.

If there is one thing we can take from the Raptors during these playoffs is how they try to control what they can control.

So for any Raptors fan looking for advice on how to deal with the team being hours away from the biggest party this country potentially has had since the 2010 Winter Olympics or the Toronto Blue Jays 2015 playoff run.

Embrace the moment, don’t fear. Clearly, the Raptors are ready for it.