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The Toronto Raptors are officially NBA champions!
On Thursday, the Canadian team beat the Golden State Warriors 114-110 in Game 6 to clinch their first-ever NBA Championship.
The game was tight from the very beginning, with the Raptors and Warriors going head-to-head for points until the final seconds of play.
What appeared to be a season-ending injury after Thompson was escorted off the court in a great deal of pain, quickly changed to when the player impressively returned to the game to make two free throws.
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Kyle Lowry.
Due to the fact that Thompson’s injury occurred on a foul, the athlete had to remain on the court and attempt his free throws, otherwise, he would be disqualified for the rest of the game. And Thompson certainly delivered, making both shots effortlessly.
He was later subbed out, which proved to be a major loss for the Golden State, considering Thompson was having a stellar night with 30 points on just 12 shots.
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The Raptors and the Warriors had been facing off for the title since Game 1 of the NBA Finals on May 30.
The Raptors were victorious in the first game, winning 118-109. The Warriors came back in Game 2, defeating the Raptors 109-104.
In Game 3, Toronto reigned again, winning 123-109. And in Game 4, the Raptors retained their place on top, leading the series into Game 5.
Game 5 was another closely-contested match between the teams but the Warriors made a final push at the end to win 106-105 and force a sixth game.
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It would have been a monumental moment for the Raptors, win or lose, as they were in the tournament for the first time ever in franchise history.
The team also had a famous fan on their side, none other than Toronto nativeDrake, whoshowed up courtsideto many games and hasmade headlinesfor his over-the-top support for the Raptors this season.
Meanwhile, it was the fifth straight finals appearance for the Warriors, though the team was missing one of their star players, Kevin Durant, for much of this year’s tournament due to a calf injury. He laterruptured his Achillesduring Game 5.
Though the Warriors had more championship prestige going into the tournament, Durant’s injuries slowed their momentum and gave the underdog Raptors a chance at the title.
This year’s finals was the first since 2014 that did not include both the Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and was the first since 2010 to not involveLeBron James, according toDeadspin.
Last year, theWarriors won the NBA Finals108-85 over the Cavaliers. The win marked one ofnine sweepsin the history of the NBA championship.
source: people.com
