A Finals trip without superstar – Raptors can make it happen
By Brian Boake
No MVP candidates play on the Raptors, but they are commonly found on title winners. Can Toronto defy history and challenge for the top prize?
As discussed in my last post, the Toronto Raptors are trying to make an extremely difficult climb up a rocky and rarely-travelled mountain. No, it’s not Mount Doom, although there is a ring at play. It’s the metaphorical challenge of trying to win an NBA title without a superstar on the squad. Let’s take a look at who has been there before.
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I’ve no intention of plowing through every NBA champion’s roster. Instead, I’m confining myself to this century, largely because the game has changed so dramatically. While all teams are turning over rocks trying to find shooters, that trend has only taken hold in the last decade.
The 3-point line did not become part of the NBA until 1979, the same year Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were rookies. In hindsight, one could suggest that year begat the modern NBA, but I wouldn’t concur, largely because the importance of the long ball was not emphasized for several decades.
However one looks at how we got here, today’s teams win with shooting, a trend which isn’t changing anytime soon.
LeBron James has played in each of the NBA’s last five final series and has three rings to show for his efforts. His superstar credentials are unassailable. [20-second timeout: King James is now being discussed as the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). I’m not there yet; I saw Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan in their primes, and Kobe and Bird-man. But if LeBron can put up two more seasons of the quality of 16-17, he’s going to change a lot of minds, one of which might be mine.] Ergo, neither the Heat nor this year’s Cavaliers are models of the no-superstar squads I’m hunting for.
For Your Consideration
How about the out of nowhere Dallas Mavericks of 2010-11? Dirk Nowitzki was the Finals MVP, and has amassed a career easily worthy of the Hall of Fame. But his name isn’t often found in the Top Twenty lists I’ve seen. His teammates were all solid professionals, including the excellent point guard Jason Kidd, two underrated swingmen in Jason Terry and Shawn Marion, and a top rank paint protector named Tyson Chandler.
This squad didn’t exactly have an easy path to glory. They needed to knock off Kobe’s Lakers, and they did – in 4 games. That sweep was a walk-up call to people like me.
The Mavericks ended up 16-5 in the playoffs. Their championship was not a fluke.
There’s another team in this century which managed to win a title without transcendent stars. But we’ll save them for another day.
For now, I’m interested in your feedback. Do the championship Mavericks give you hope for the Raptors? Let me know in the Comments.