Toronto Raptors: Klay Thompson’s comments are just the beginning

Klay Thompson’s recent comments about the Toronto Raptors championship run show that some still want to put an asterisk with the win.

Walking around the NBA store in New York City I couldn’t help but notice the lack of Toronto Raptors championship gear on the shelves. There was nothing available at all and the only Raptors gear in plain sight as you walked into the store was a Kawhi Leonard jersey… I can’t say I was surprised.

One of the employees told me the championship apparel was a big hit but they had been sold out for a while but I bet they would be ready to re-stock the shelves for any other team. This might make me sound insecure but if you have been paying attention to the commentary following the historic championship run, many don’t view this title win like other ones.

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Case in point, Klay Thompson spoke about his injury and how he believed it impacted Game 6 and the Golden State Warriors chances against the Raptors.

"“In my mind, yes, we would’ve won if I didn’t get hurt,” Thompson said.“That’s just the nature of sports, you know? What-ifs? It doesn’t matter. It’s if you do your deed or not. In my mind, I think we would’ve. But you never know. That’s the hard part you’ve got to accept. I look at all the guys who had bad luck getting injured against us the last few years, and I’ve honestly become so much more sympathetic. Yeah. That’s just the nature of the beast.”"

In fairness to Thompson, he was off to a phenomenal start in Game 6 and his injury definitely helped the Raptors seal the deal although Kyle Lowry played a part in that too. The problem is not that Thompson is trying to make an excuse, it’s the belief that the Raptors were somehow lucky to come away with the win.

This further proves the belief some have that if Kevin Durant was healthy Toronto would have stood no chance. Maybe things would have been different but to say with certainty that the Raptors were lucky is disrespectful considering they gave the Warriors the toughest fight they’ve had since they lost to LeBron James without Durant.

It’s interesting how nobody was denoting the Warriors title wins when LeBron was trying to will the Cavs with most of his supporting cast hurt.

At the same time, the best way for the Raptors to show that last season was no fluke is to go out and win again which is something Masai Ujiri believes they can do without Kawhi. He even went as far to say that he 100 per cent believes the Raptors can win another title.

"“I look at what this team has done and what we can learn from it. We learned how to win. And Kawhi taught us that. He brought us into that space,” Ujiri told CBC’s Adrienne Arsenault."

As long as the man in charge believes his team has a chance and the players back him up on the court, that should matter more than the opinion of a player who lost a chance to win another championship because of an unfortunate injury.

What are your thoughts on Thompson’s comments? Do you think the Raptors were lucky to win the NBA title? Let us know in the comments below.