- [Narrator] It's May 12th, 2019. We're at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. There's 4.2 seconds left in Game Seven of the 2019 Eastern Conference Semifinals between the hometown Raptors
and the Philadelphia 76ers. Tied at 90 with Toronto
inbounding the ball, this next possession could end the series. You may very well know what comes next, but to appreciate this moment you need to know how we got here, right? So let's rewind. In these closing seconds, the Raptors have a chance to advance to their second ever
Eastern Conference Finals in franchise history. And if you look around on the court, you'll see a few new faces that help them get to this point. From 2015, through 2018, the Raptors were a legitimate threat to represent the Eastern
Conference each year. They made their first
ever Conference Finals during the 2016 post-season, then went to the semifinals
in back to back years. The only problem was,
they couldn't advance because of this guy. LeBron James owned the Raptors. So much so that the Toronto Star, the city's largest publication, dubbed the city as LeBronto. In 2018, when the Raptors captured the number one seed in the East, James ripped the heart
out of the franchise with this unreal buzzer-beater that put the Cavs up
3-0 in the semifinals. Just look at the disgust
on the face of the Raptors. They knew they couldn't escape him. Fortunately for the Raptors, they didn't have to worry about James controlling the East the next season, but the Raptors had a new look as well. They fired their head coach, Dwane Casey, and promoted assistant coach, Nick Nurse. GM Masai Ujiri also made
a heartbreaking trade sending DeMar DeRozan, the lifelong Raptor to
the San Antonio Spurs for former Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard. More on him later, I promise. All the changes immediately paid off. The Raptors got off to their hottest start in franchise history. With Leonard as their leader, the Raptors absolutely steamrolled teams, and Ujiri wasn't done making moves. The savvy GM acquired
veteran big man, Marc Gasol before the trade deadline, adding another piece to
an already strong roster. They finished with the
second best record in the NBA and cruised into the playoffs advancing to the semifinals
for a battle with the Sixers. Toronto needed to grind against Philly. Each team snatched a win on the road, setting up game seven in Toronto. Both teams went shot
for shot the whole game. But with under two minutes left, Kyle Lowry came up with a pivotal steal that inched the Raptors closer
to the Conference Finals. He caught Philly sleeping on a bad pass, which led to a layup on the other end and extended the Raptor's lead to four with 1:14 left to play. But if you check scoreboard
now, we're tied at 90 with just a little over four seconds left. The Sixers haven't made
the Conference Finals in nearly two decades, but thanks to these two dudes
and trusting a process, it's right in arms reach
if they get a stop. The 76ers are a historic
championship winning franchise that has produced several
Hall of Fame players. But in this decade, Philly
ain't been winning much. Granted the team is only good now because they were down
horrendously for numerous years. In 2013, new GM Sam Hinkie was in charge of a massive rebuild. Hinkie's plan was simple,
trust the process. The 76ers sacrificed the present
and focused on the future. Consistently, being one of
the worst teams in the league, stockpiling draft picks and trading valuable
players for later assets. Hinkie's plan received
some harsh criticism from both the media and
executives around the NBA. The Sixers were losing so much
that it sparked a league vote on whether the draft lottery
should be reformed altogether. It's not that the players
were purposely losing, it's that Hinkie orchestrated a roster that made sure they couldn't win. Unfortunately, Hinkie didn't get a chance to see the foundation he laid play out when he resigned in 2016. But his long-term plan
eventually came to fruition. The Sixers didn't hit on
all those draft picks, but stuck the landing on
their 2014 and 16 picks drafting Joel Embiid and
Ben Simmons respectively. The 76ers took a gamble on Embiid who was injured entering the draft but had immense potential. Philly knew the likelihood that Embiid wouldn't play much his rookie year, they just didn't expect that
to turn into two full seasons. For two straight years, the
Sixers got nothing in return out of their lottery pick. With Embiid stashed on the bench, Philly had yet another terrible season but it helped accelerate the process. The Sixers landed the number
one overall draft pick in the 2016 draft and
selected Ben Simmons. Simmons was the consensus number one pick, but before he got to prove his worth, he rolled his ankle during training camp and was later ruled out the entire season. Although, all hope wasn't lost. While Simmons had to sit, Embiid was finally cleared to play and he was a well worth the wait. Embiid had a rare skillset. Showing his ability to
shoot and pass like a guard, all while having filthy post moves. All Embiid needed was support and when Simmons was ready
to suit up the next season, it was a wrap. Simmons was a unique playmaker standing at 6'10" with superb court vision and the ability to sauce up
opposing defenders with ease. He absolutely balled
winning rookie of the year. And being paired with Embiid, the Sixers quickly went from rebuilding to immediate contenders. The process had finally paid off. Throughout all the losing
and all the injuries, Philadelphia ended up with two
franchise altering players. Now with a full year of
experience playing together, they look even deadlier
in the 2018-19 season. Deadly enough, that current
Sixers GM, Elton Brand, believed they were a
piece away from a title. Brand didn't wait for free agency, and struck a deal with
the Minnesota Timberwolves trading for All-Star guard, Jimmy Butler. Halfway through the season, Philly traded for Tobias Harris as well, adding another scoring
threat to their roster. Both Butler and Harris were in the last year of their contracts, proving Philly had gone
from trusting the process to win now. Building that type of roster of course comes with high expectations but they had to figure it out on the fly. They simply had too much firepower and earned the third spot in the East. And in these playoffs,
it was Butler and Embiid who led Philadelphia's newfound big four, especially late in this
must-win game against Toronto. Butler who rolled his ankle
previously in the game, didn't show signs of pain as he leaped and grabbed the turnover, which turned into a JJ
Redick three point play tying the game at 85. With both teams struggling
to make a basket, Butler and Embiid forced
their will in the paint to draw fouls and hit free
throws to keep their team alive. But the most crucial
play for Philly transpired thanks to the Raptors being
at the free throw line. With 10.8 seconds left,
Toronto had a chance to extend their lead to three with Kawhi Leonard at the line. Leonard missed his
second free throw attempt and off the rebound, Butler took the ball
the length of the court hitting a tough contested
layup to tie the game at 90. So with 4.2 seconds left,
this sold out Toronto crowd is on their feet ready
to explode at any moment. But the love for this team
and basketball in this city, hasn't always been this passionate. Professional basketball got it's start right here in Toronto. In 1946, the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers. It was the inaugural game for the Basketball Association of America, which later rebranded to the National Basketball Association. Canadian interest in
basketball wasn't very high. The Huskies ran gimmicky promotions, offering free admission to anyone taller then the team's tallest player. The Huskies lost that game and the team folded after one season. It took almost 50 years for basketball to return to Toronto. In 1995, the Raptors debuted and excitement surrounding
hoops hadn't really changed. That was partly due to
the team being awful their first three seasons. They were a fun young team
with some dope ass jerseys but sadly style doesn't generate wins. What can get you wins, is being able to draft
someone like Vince Carter. Carter was a transcendent player and helped establish Toronto as a legit basketball city by winning. The fans desperately needed a superstar like Carter to rally behind. But every Batman needs a Robin, and Carter had his own
cousin to be that Robin. Tracy McGrady was an explosive player, a future MVP candidate, and the perfect complement
to Carter's game. But Toronto couldn't keep
T-Mac happy, so he left. Which led to Carter's
continued unhappiness, so he wanted out. After Carter, Toronto
continued to embrace basketball behind a new much
lankier star, Chris Bosh. Carter at least had his
cousin by his side for a bit, but Bosh never got a co-star, so he dipped for Miami in 2010. The Raptors finally got it right when they formed the dynamic back court of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. Not only was the duo flat-out balling, being the first teammates
in franchise history to make multiple All-Star Games, but they genuinely loved each other. They had the strongest
bromance in the league. So at least they were probably
able to console each other when LeBron stopped their run each year. Nonetheless, in those
losing years to Bron, the city as a whole took on the franchise's
new slogan, "We The North." Acting as disruptors and ready to shake up the NBA from the outside. The team's popularity skyrocketed. Even enlisting one of
their more famous citizens into a made up position. Basketball actually became
an integral part of the city, and Toronto took a long journey to become one of the best fan
bases in the entire league. Tied at 90, that journey
could all be worth it thanks to one guy, Kawhi Leonard. Toronto has a new star to love, a new star that's been balling, but getting him here came with some risks. Since being drafted in 2011, Kawhi Leonard has constantly
been racking up accolades. All while making the solid case for being one of the NBA's best players. With the Spurs, Leonard
was submitting his place as the heir to Tim Duncan's throne, as the next in line of
San Antonio legends. But things got a little
weird in the 2017-18 season. Leonard missed a ton of games due to a nagging right quad injury and didn't make his debut until December. He only suited up for
a total of nine games before being ruled out
indefinitely to rehab. The exact timetable for his
return caused a bit of friction between Leonard and
the Spurs organization. At first, team doctors
decided the protocols for Leonard to follow, but then Leonard's camp,
including his agent and his uncle, Dennis Robertson, pressed the team to
consult outside opinions. There was no clear
direction from either side. Whether it was head coach Gregg Popovich saying it was very unlikely that Leonard wOuld return during the season or Leonard saying that he
indeed planned on returning. Things just felt off. It also didn't help when
teammates stirred the pot. Tony Parker who recovered
from a similar quad injury in less time said his
injury was 100 times worse. Leonard took that as a dis. And now, an already touchy
topic escalated even further. The team reportedly held
a players-only meeting asking Leonard to return, which was described as
tense and emotional. But the damage had already been done and Leonard requested a trade. Kawhi was an elite player in
the last year of his contract, and whoever traded for him would have to convince him to resign or use him as a costly rental. Plus the fact that he
hadn't played basketball in almost a year, made a
potential trade even riskier. The Lakers were reportedly
Leonard's preferred destination with teams like the 76ers
making a very strong run at him. But in the end, it was
Ujiri and the Raptors who traded their beloved star, splitting him up from his BFF that made the Raptors so successful, for a dude with an expiring contract who never expressed any
interest in Toronto. I mean, just listen to how
happy the guy is to be here. (Kawhi laughs) The Raptors were banking on the idea that he would fall in
love with their culture. It was a huge gamble. Basically, having one
shot to win the title, and if they didn't, Leonard could walk for nothing in return. Toronto had never landed a player of Leonard's caliber through a trade, and now they had a season to get busy. Leonard sat some games
throughout the season continuing to rest his quad, but when he was on the floor,
he looked better than ever. Leonard fully showcased
his offensive skills, dropping buckets on teams left and right, and was still the lockdown defender that opposing teams had feared. He didn't show any drop-off
and had this Raptor squad reaching new heights. In these playoffs, Leonard
completely took over games. The 76ers didn't have an answer for him defensively this series, as they watched him hit shot after shot. His biggest shot of the
series was a game four, go-ahead dagger over the
outstretched arms of Embiid to prevent the Raps from falling behind three games to one on the road. Leonard has been here before and was ready to carry the
team by any means necessary. And in this closeout game, Toronto needed every basket from him. Whether it was driving to the rim, easy. Mid-range jumper, cash. Spot up three, forget about it. Leonard was locked in and
headed into the fourth with 26 points. They say pressure builds diamonds, and in crunch time, Leonard
was for sure shining. He was a walking bucket late in the game and could hardly miss. After being down 78 to 77, with 6:13 left to go on the fourth, Leonard scored eight straight points to retake the lead and
put Toronto up by five. Then after Philly held
the Raptors' scoreless for a little over three
minutes tying the game at 85, Leonard hit a deep jumper in Embiid's face to regain the lead once
again, with 1:41 left to play. When Toronto needed a basket,
Leonard was there every time. Well, I guess every time
besides that missed free throw that helped Philly to tie the game. So here we are. With 4.2 seconds left, Toronto's loyal fan base
is on the edge of hysteria. If the Sixers get a stop here, the famed franchise will have a chance at righting those painful years thanks to betting on the long term. But the ball is in the
hands of Toronto's new star. A guy that didn't start
with this organization but a star on the path of redemption eager to bring a title
to this hungry city. One shot can change everything. Welcome to a moment in history. - [Commentator] It's off to Leonard, defended by Simmons. Is this the dagger?
(buzzer sounds) Oh! (crowd cheering) Game series, Toronto has won.
That philly team was so stacked too
IS THIS THE DAGGER?!
does this video start talking about the history of the rim?
Kinda wish they mentioned Carters shot against the Sixers bouncing out in 2001.
Does it tho? cries through the pain
Kyle Lowry’s reaction is priceless
i do not believe it does
It didn't occur to me that may 12 was forever going to be an anti holiday but here we are despising may 12
Franchise was altered when we brought Ujiri on. Leonard's shot, and our eventual championship, was just the jewel in the crown that is the Toronto Raptors. One of the jewels fell out on delivery to Tampa lol.