As a franchise, the Raptors are NBA Finals rookies. Three Raptors — Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Patrick McCaw — won rings with past teams, and Serge Ibaka has also played in an NBA Finals. So if there’s a secret to winning an NBA title in a franchise’s first try, the Raptors might not need it given their roster’s championship pedigree. Besides, recent history gives us mixed messages about what happens when a club makes its NBA Finals debut. Problem: Their NBA playoff breakthrough coincided with the Bulls dynasty led by their own hall-of-fame duo, Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

Source: thestar May 30, 2019 01:07 UTC