roccoschili Chapter 673 Everyone Wants to Make History
Chapter 673 Everyone Wants to Make History
Chapter 673 Everyone Wants to Make History
The Raptors created a great record in their franchise history: advancing to the Finals for the first time.
Born in 1995, as part of the NBA's overseas expansion plan, the Raptors were born.
As newcomers to the league, they went 21-61 under the leadership of rookie Damon Stoudemire.Not ideal, but they're not a big-bodied team to be bullied.In the regular season, they beat the Bulls, Sonics and Magic with the best record at that time.
In 1998, the Raptors got rookie Vince Carter from the Warriors on draft night, and became the biggest contributor to the Raptors getting out of the predicament.In the second year of Carter's joining, the Raptors successfully entered the playoffs.But Carter didn't let the Raptors rise completely.The farthest they have gone is in 2001 with the 76ers led by Iverson in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in seven games.
In the 2003 draft, the Raptors acquired power forward Chris Bosh.As the Raptors continued to miss the playoffs in the 2003-04 season and sent Vince Carter to the New Jersey Nets halfway through the 2004-05 season, the team began to rebuild with Chris Bosh as the core.
In the next two seasons, the Raptors did not change much.It was not until 2007 that they finally returned to the playoff stage.Under the leadership of Chris Bosh, the Raptors won the first division championship in team history with 47 wins and 35 losses, and entered the playoffs with the third record in the Eastern Conference.This is also the first non-American team to win the division championship.However, in the playoffs, they were eliminated by the Nets 4:2 in the first round.
2010 was the beginning of a difficult period for the Raptors.With the departure of the core player "Dragon King" Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani will become the new core of the team, and the Raptors will also be in the lottery area for a long time.
It wasn't until DeRozan grew up and Lowry joined that the Raptors finally ranked among the top teams in the league.
Since 2014, they have won the Atlantic Division championship year after year.And in the 2015-16 season, broke through the second round of the playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time.
Unfortunately, like all Eastern teams at the time, they couldn't get over the mountain of LeBron James. Lost to the Cavaliers 2016:2 in the 4 Eastern Conference Finals, and was directly swept out by the Cavaliers in the 2017 Eastern Conference Semifinals. In 2018, they didn't even get a chance to play against James.
Although in the 2017-18 season, the Raptors achieved a record of 59 wins and 23 losses in the regular season under the leadership of head coach Devin Casey and the double-gun Lowry and DeRozan, ranking first in the Eastern Conference and creating the best record in team history. Regular season record.But their performance in the playoffs still made the Raptors' management lose trust.
So, in the summer of 2018, they replaced the original head coach Devin Casey with Nick Nass.And sent away DeRozan in exchange for Leonard.
It now appears that the Raptors' series of operations have paid off hugely.They seized the best opportunity after the old king James left the east and before the new king took the throne, actively changed, continued to strengthen, and finally stood at the top of the east.For such a record, the Raptors spent 24 years, but in every next game, they are creating records.
It's not just the Raptors who set records, their opponents are also creating records one after another.
After defeating the Warriors to win the Western Conference Championship, the Oklahoma City Thunder came to the finals stage for the third time.In this league, there are 16 teams that can reach the finals in a row.If you distinguish them from the Seattle SuperSonics, the Thunder is the 17th.But there are only six teams that can win two consecutive championships.Celtics, Lakers, Pistons, Bulls, Rockets and Heat.As strong as the Spurs and Warriors, none of them were able to accomplish such an achievement.
Now, the Thunder hope to become the seventh team.This is what they have been striving for this season.
The championship has a huge temptation for any team.Almost all teams are working hard for this.A team with sufficient strength will naturally work hard to sprint for a better ranking, gain home court advantage in the playoffs, and then reach the finals round after round.Just like Lei Ting, the goal is set at the beginning, and it is enough to work hard.Teams with insufficient strength either obtain high draft picks through poor performance, or chase big-name stars in the free market, or actively operate and trade their favorite players.
Whether it's making great strides or saving money silently, everyone's goal is to be the champion.But every season, there is only one finals.There is only one team that can stand at the top.The Thunder have experienced that feeling, and they still want more.The Raptors never got that taste, but it must be the one they dream about.Whoever has the last laugh will become the creator of great historical records.
Regardless of the team as a whole, players on both sides are also creating their own historical records.
Leonard has already won the championship in San Antonio, and even won the FMVP of the year.If the Raptors beat the Thunder to win the championship this year, Leonard is likely to win the FMVP.At that time, he will become another player who can conquer the league on two different teams in the East and West.In this way, his historical status will be greatly improved.At the same time, the impact on his career is also huge.You know, Leonard's current contract has only the last year left, and he has no tendency to complete the contract extension with the Raptors.Once he enters the free market with two championships and two FMVP achievements, countless teams will join in the pursuit of him, and at the same time, he will attract many players and even stars who are fighting for the championship.
Players like Lowry, Ibaka, and Gasol will also create historical records in their careers with the Raptors' championship and become championship players in one fell swoop.
If the Thunder succeed in defending their title, all players will benefit equally.In this league, not many players have won championships, and even fewer have won two championships.As the star of the team, Westbrook has led the team to win two consecutive championships, and has the opportunity to win three consecutive championships and establish a dynasty. A huge plus.
For An Luo, winning more championships at the beginning of his career will allow him to grow faster and accumulate capital.Regardless of whether he stays in Oklahoma or goes elsewhere in the future, these capitals will be a great help for him.
The glory of the team and personal achievements will always be the goals pursued by the stars of this league.No one will be humble, everyone wants to make history.
(End of this chapter)