Front Burner - Raptors Win! Raptors Win! Raptors Win!

Episode Date: June 14, 2019

For the first time in franchise history, the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Championships. They beat the Golden State Warriors Thursday night in game six of the championship, 114-110. It was a remarkably tense game, with sixteen lead changes throughout. Today on Front Burner, CBC reporter Devin Heroux from Oakland, California on what it was like to witness the incredible game, and sports writer Alex Wong on how it feels to finally see the Toronto Raptors become NBA champions.

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W&B of Toronto history! Hello, I'm Jamie Poisson. The Toronto Raptors have just won the 2019 NBA Championship. We're on the streets by Jurassic Park. There are thousands

and thousands of people here. They're going nuts. It Jurassic Park. There are thousands and thousands of people here. They're going nuts. It is amazing. The city is on fire. Alex Wong is going to fight his way through these crowds and he'll talk to us in a minute. But first we're going to go to Devin Haru who is actually in Oakland. This is front burner. NBA championship edition. People are lighting fireworks in the middle of downtown Front Street right now. This is amazing. Devin, are you there? I am here.

Oh my God, man. I am so pumped. I don't think I'm ever going to sleep again. I'm never going to sleep again. I haven't slept for four weeks and I'm not going to be sleeping tonight either. So it's 2 a.m. It's 2 a.m. And you're actually in Oakland. Tell me, what's it like to be there to watch the Raptors become NBA champions? same seat that I sat in for games three, games four, and this historic game six championship clinching victory. I feel like I can't move. Of course, I'm superstitious, right? But they won every single game that I sat in this seat. I'm stunned. I think I'm stunned like everyone else

in this moment. All the post-game shows are wrapping up here. I was in the locker room. An incredible night. The last ever game in Oracle and on and on and on. This story is incredible. Tell me about the locker room. What's it like in there? I've never seen anything like it. I've covered a lot of championship moments.

And you know, Jimmy, I'll tell you, sometimes in championship moments, it's almost as if the team expected to win. And it's a celebration, but it's somewhat subdued. This was a cast of characters that actually celebrated because it was such a long haul to get to this point. The champagne was brand new. It's Canada, baby. You deserve her. You deserve her baby, you should be proud. I just bought a brand new suit jacket for all of this.

It's completely destroyed. Oh, never watch that suit again. No, I know, I know, right? Like, it was just incredible. And then they let the families in, right? And for as much as there is this elation and ecstasy, there's also such a high level of emotion in that moment. Quiet moments in the corner of the locker rooms

that the cameras don't go, that the reporters don't go to. But out of the corner of my eyes, I could see it. I saw Kawhi Leonard, this guy. We don't really know who Kawhi Leonard is, but I'll tell you what, Jamie, he had a moment with his family, with his huge gloves, those claws of his around that MVP trophy, grasping that, smiling, spending a quiet moment with his family, something I'll never forget.

So he spent a moment with his family around the trophy? He did. Yeah, he really did. And it was just so cool. He had goggles on his forehead, champagne spraying everywhere. Of course, everybody wanted to rally around, you know, the guy we know as the King of the North. But quiet moments also mix with a lot of celebration and a lot of booze and a lot of champagne being sprayed everywhere. Have you found any Raptors fans there to celebrate with?

You know, when everything is first happening, you know, as a journalist, it's always that sort of crazy moment because you just want to do everything at once and make sure you're trying to capture as much as a moment. Let me tell you, Jamie, I left my spot way up high above Oracle Arena. I'm walking down. I'm following former Raptor Chris B bosh if you can believe it through the throngs of raptors fans who are jumping on chris high-fiving chris i'm in the middle of it all they're going crazy they're singing oh canada they're chanting we the north like

just incredible moments that were playing out here they they showed up in droves again which was remarkable you could probably hear it over the tv every time the raptors scored incredible moments that were playing out here. They showed up in droves again, which was remarkable. You could probably hear it over the TV every time the Raptors scored. We the North showed up here in California, and what a night for them to celebrate here. That is so nice to hear, Devin. And I'm going to let you get to the party. I'm so glad that I had the chance to talk to you tonight. And we'll see you in Iraq and Toronto. Thank you so much. Yeah, I can't wait, Jamie. There's a lot of partying ahead and a parade to be had. And a parade!

You know, Toronto isn't very good at this, Jamie. So we'll see what plays out. But I can't wait to get back to Toronto. You and I will finally have to meet. And like you said, we're united in this incredible moment. Wonderful. Okay, have a wonderful night. Okay, Alex Wong is here now.

He's in studio with me. He's Braved the Crowd. Braved the Crowd. It's pretty busy out there. It is amazing out there. So busy. Alex Wong is a sports writer. He's with Yahoo and the New York Times. Front burner now. A very good friend of the pod. We had him on earlier for this Kauai episode that we did. And of course, a very big Raptors fan. Congratulations to you, sir. Thank you. Congratulations to the entire city of Toronto. And Canada. And speaking of it, those streets. Let's talk about those streets for a second.

I just love this city right now. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love everyone. We love you too, baby. We love you too. Yeah, I think, you know, the scene at Young Dundas, honestly the scene at every street corner right now, I think it's just pure joy.

And, like, the fans have been waiting for this for 24 years. And you can see it. You can see it. And the party is just starting. The parade's on Monday. So lots more to come this weekend and beyond. I'm so excited for this parade. And Drake was there too in Jurassic Park tonight going nuts.

I want my chips with the dip. That's all I know. I don't want my chips playing. I want my chips with the dip. So bring them dips. That dynasty's over. We did what we had to do. Six in the six.

On stage, like in his own seat, you know. Yeah, yeah. Still part of it. It was cool. John Tory was right beside him. Yeah, yeah. John Tory was right beside him. Yeah, yeah. Still part of it.

It was cool. John Tory was right beside him. Yeah, yeah. John Tory was right beside him. So I just want to relive this sweet, sweet game with you for a second. It was such an excellent game. So exciting. So tense.

It was so stressful. A little bit too stressful, honestly. I will say our executive producer on this podcast is one of the calmest people I've ever met. I've never seen him so beside himself. That's what sports does to you. Sports changes you. And so take me through it again. How did it look in the beginning?

Can you go through some of the most exciting moments? Yeah, I think, you know, right off the bat, Kyle Lowry scored the first 11 points. Right, he came out so strong. Lowry, a break. Got it. Shot again. He is on fire again. And it looked like he was ready, right? He was ready.

Everybody knows that Kawhi is the leader of the team, the best player on the team. Sometimes you wonder about Kyle, but Kyle stepped up tonight from the beginning all the way through the end. And let's talk about Fred Van Fleet. Yeah, Fred Van Fleet, huge in the fourth quarter. all the way through the end.

And let's talk about Fred Van Fleet. Yeah, Fred Van Fleet, huge in the fourth quarter. Step back, and he drills a three! Big bucket! I think he scored 12 points in the fourth quarter. This guy was undrafted three years ago, and now he's a hero in a finals clinching game. Like, it's unbelievable. And, like, this guy also had a tooth knocked out

earlier in the series, which, you know, so he just had, like like such a crazy series. And, and okay, let's talk about Pascal Siakam, Spicy P. Pascal Siakam, incredible time. 26 points, 10 of 17 from the field. Couldn't have expected this even like a year ago. He was just a guy who had just learned to play basketball like five years ago. And now he's an NBA champion. It's, his story is unbelievable too. Is it fair for me to say he felt calmer tonight? Yeah, I think still at times

maybe he did look kind of tense. But the thing for me with Pascal is that all throughout the playoffs, he just keeps getting better. Like every time he runs into a wall, he figures it out. And you saw that tonight too. Struggled maybe a little bit at the start,

but by the end, he was kind of their go-to guy in the fourth quarter. And we're going to hear from some of these guys in a second, but let's talk about Kawhi's performance tonight. King of the North. You know, Kawhi didn't have one of those remarkable 40-point games, but again, he was steady.

Like when you needed a rebound, when you needed a shot, when you needed things to calm down, it was him, right? And all throughout the playoffs too, you know, the thing he doesn't get credit for on the box score is that he rubs off on everyone on the team. I've watched Kyle play for so many years, and this is the most calm that I've ever seen him on the biggest stage. And you have to give credit to Kawhi for that. Why do you think that is? I think it's just, you know, the best player, their demeanor, the best player and the head coach on this team, Kawhi and Nick Nurse, are very calm, very steady.

And they kept that going no matter what during the season, whether it was good or bad. They never changed their tone, never changed their mood. And sometimes it was frustrating. Because you look at Kawhi and you say, you know, maybe I want him to be a little angrier when they lose two straight games or something. But he just kept it the same. And it worked out. Everybody kind of just followed his lead. They saw what he could do in the

playoffs. And having a player of that caliber just calms everyone on the team. You know, I'm a guy that just you know try to not get too high or too low and um yeah it worked out it worked out and i want to talk with you about what felt like a real turning point it was when clay clay thompson went down and he's one of their best players uh he had been on a real tear throughout the whole game and and he seemed to go down with a knee injury and and tell me about that yeah so he got hurt late in the third quarter i think danny green fouled him and he landed awkwardly on his leg and he is in pain as danny green went up to contest

that shot um he had to shoot two free throws otherwise he wouldn't be allowed to come back in the game like that's just the rule so they were taking him to the back and he was told that you have to shoot the free throws so he went back out shot the free throws and they took him out that was a huge turning point because clay thompson was golden state's best player tonight clay thompson gets a little bit of room and he knocks it down and obviously they're already missing kevin durant who got injured in the last game and you know reports came out after that clay actually tore his acl so it's a pretty serious injury as well so he's i didn't know that yeah you just said that right so he's probably going to be out for most of next season as well which which is which is a very sad subplot to all of this stuff that happened tonight yeah those are two very injured players

you know i i saw some people tweeting that this isn't the way that they wanted to win what do you make of that yeah you know the thing is you can only play the team that's in front of you you know i think i think we should acknowledge the fact that the warriors were a shorthanded team especially without durant for most of the series and clay was injured tonight and he missed game three but i don't think it takes away from the raptors winning the championship you know at the end of the day you just play the team that's in front of you and every team deals with injuries it just so happened for the warriors that it happened at this time. Okay.

And in a second, we're going to get to this incredible journey, like how they got here in this playoff run. But first, I want to hear from some of these guys postgame because their reactions were incredible. Even Kawhi, who's so even-keeled that you mentioned. So, okay, let's play some of them. Let's start with Kyle. I wouldn't be here for these like so even keeled that you mentioned. So, OK, let's let's play some of them. Let's let's start with let's start with Kyle. I wouldn't be here for these guys if it wasn't for these guys.

Yeah, I can't really think right now. This is crazy. This is awesome, man. Toronto, Canada, we brought it home, baby. Longest tenured Raptor. He's been here for seven years and he's been through all the ups and downs. And I'm so happy for Kyle. Obviously, Kawhi is the best player on the team it wouldn't be possible without him but it also wouldn't be possible without kyle right kyle lowry you know it's interesting you mentioned how it also wouldn't be possible without kyle i want to hear this clip from kawaii talking about kyle lowry which

to me it was one of the best clips of the night. I text Kyle probably a day later or the day that I got traded and told him, let's go out and do something special. I know your best friend left. I know you're mad, but, you know, let's make this thing work out. And we're here today. I've watched all season Kawhi and Kyle slowly develop a friendship off the court. You know, when they lost a game in Philadelphia in the second round,

you know, famously on social media, they were caught out getting cookies at two in the morning in Philadelphia. They were getting cookies? Yeah, yeah. Insomnia cookies. It has become this whole thing. Like they bonded through that

and you've seen the way that they've been able to celebrate together. Obviously the DeMar Doresen thing was a tough thing for Kyle. Right, when he talks about losing your best friend, he's talking about DeMar Dorosan. Yeah, I was trading for DeMar, but, you know, it's a business, right? It's a business, and Kyle and Kawhi came together,

and now they're champions. Okay. And I also want to play this clip, which is Pascal Siakam, but it's actually Norm Powell talking about Pascal Siakam just because it's the best and everyone should hear it i mean it means everything man it means everything baby we nba champs man the journey the ups and downs my man p skill was going to work this year most improved player baby with that time man baby let's go champs baby yeah you know norm pascal fred all of these guys were just underdogs.

Nobody gave them a chance. And now here they are, just core pieces of a championship team. It's remarkable. And then let's hear one more clip. And then I really want to hear from you about the significance of this. This is Masai Ujiri. We've been growing and trying to prove to the world that there's a meaning to having an NBA team,

one NBA team outside of the U.S. And all these guys, these players, they've been unbelievable to our coaches, to our ownership, and much respect to the Golden State Warriors and to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. We love you as NBA players, but we wanted to win in Toronto,

and we have won in Toronto! Yeah! Yeah, you know, I got kind of chills listening to that just now, to be honest, because, you know, Masai Ujiri last year after the Raptors lost in the playoffs, he sat there and he said, if you're going to blame anybody, blame me. And, you know, when he made the trade for kawaii leonard he received a lot of criticism because demar de rosen was such a beloved player in the city but he told

everyone he said believe in this city you know believe in yourselves that think of toronto as a championship caliber city think of the raptors as a team capable of winning he's been saying this for all seven years that he's been here. Right, right. Even when they weren't good enough, he believed. And look at where they are now. You know, he's built this team. He really is the architect of this. He is. And he's been so passionate about it too, right?

Like he's embraced Toronto as a city. And he's always wanted the fan base to think higher and think better of themselves. And now they can. And so we're talking a lot today, you and I, about these underdogs. And what I also want to do with you is just relive the journey that got us here, this playoff journey that was so unlikely, right? So it's been this crazy few months.

First we take Orlando in five games and then we move on to the Philly series and there's that crazy game seven buzzer beater by Kawhi that we've talked about on this podcast before. Is this the dagger? No! And that run for Philly ended with Joel Embiid in tears. And you have to feel bad for that guy. Yeah, when you look back on this run, you know, the Sixers series was actually the hardest series that they needed to get through. You know, from a basketball standpoint, they were the toughest matchup.

And, you know, every championship team will have those moments of crisis that they need to get over. And there was a few of them in that series for the Raptors. And, you know, when it came down to the game seven, you can call it those four bounces we've talked about. You can say they're lucky, you know, it's fate, whatever you want it to be. They got through that. And once they got through that, you know, it wasn't like the rest of it was easy, but that felt like once they got past

that series, that the championship was a realistic goal. And then we go up against the Milwaukee Bucks, right? And so this was also no walk in the park.

These guys had the best record in the NBA. This is a team who had not lost more than two games in a row and a team with the true generational talent,

Giannis and Tantacupo. Did I pronounce that right? And what did people think that the Bucs would actually accomplish this year? Yeah, I think people had the Bucs going to the NBA Finals and had them with a good chance to beat the Golden State Warriors. So I think the Raptors, in retrospect, should get all the credit for falling behind 2-0

in the best-of-seven series. Right, it started off so bad, this series. Yeah, they got blown out in game two. It felt like they were going to lose the series. And they are two games away from the NBA Finals. They came back home. Game three was a double overtime game that Kyle Lowry had fouled out in the fourth quarter.

They beat the best team in the NBA during the regular season four straight times. Wow. And then now that takes us to this series with the Warriors. Back-to-back NBA champions. And then we beat them in Oakland. Yeah, they won all three games in Oakland. Yeah.

You know, before the series, Kawhi Leonard put up a billboard. I think we talked about this last time, too. He put up a billboard in Oakland. The New Balance billboard. New Balance, the King of the North. The King of the North is coming. So if you put up a billboard like that, you better go in there and win all the games.

And he did. And he did. You know, he kept his word. Following an iconic buzzer beater and a dominant performance in the finals, your 2019 Bill Russell Finals MVP is Kawhi Leonard. There were so many special moments since the playoffs started at the end of April. Like, what moments stand out for you? I have a few I want to talk to you about, but what moments stand out for you? Yeah, you know, for me, it was them winning Game 3 and four in the NBA finals in Oracle, in Golden State, because the Raptors teams of past years have never been able to do that, go on the road and beat tough teams.

And for them to do it in the NBA finals, to do it in the two games that nobody really felt like they were going to win was such a turning point for me. Cool. For me, it was something that happened off the court. There was this kid from CBC Kids News who got up and asked Kyle Lowry how it feels to be an icon, right? And, like, I don't know. I was, like, 10 years old when the Blue Jays won the World Series.

Here's the pitch on the way. A swing and a belt. Left field. Way back. Blue Jays win it. the World Series. Here's the pitch on the way, a swing and a belt! Left field, way back! Blue Jays win it! The Blue Jays are World Series champions! Like, I remember this moment, right? Like, I watched it with my dad.

My whole bedroom was covered in Roberto Alomar posters. And I just, like, was taken back to that moment where I realized what it was like for this kid, right? To see this amazing sporting moment happen in this city. And I think if I could sort of pick a moment for me in the series, besides tonight, which is amazing, I think it would be that. How does it feel to be an icon all over Canada with kids? I'll put it this way, man. I was once a kid. I was once in your shoes. And to be able to know kids one day will want to be like me, I hold myself to a super high standard.

And I want you to see, I want kids and I want you to see a man that's really professional, really about his business. But at the same time, he's still fun and loving and everything else. Yeah, I want to add to that. My seven-year-old nephew started watching basketball during this playoff run. So it kind of reminds me too of everyone gets into a sport or gets into a team through something, right? You don't just pick it up. And I feel like a lot of kids have picked up on the Raptors. a sport or gets into a team through something, right? Like you don't just pick it up. And,

you know, I feel like a lot of kids have picked up on the Raptors and on basketball. And we're going to see that effect well into the future. Like he's already signed up for basketball classes in the fall. You know, he's really into the sport now. I've somehow convinced him that I actually play for the Raptors. That's very cool. You're like the coolest uncle of all time. Yeah, he actually believes I'm best friends with Kawhi Leonard. That's amazing. I tell him he passes me the ball all the time. So it's amazing.

He'll realize that that's actually not true in like three years. At some point you're going to be a huge disappointment. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, you know, that's life though, you know. You got to set him up for disappointment. But that is really wonderful to hear as well, that he has that love for this game. And to all the kids out there tonight, what a great night for this city.

Yeah, I feel like, you know, me and you and everyone is still kind of processing it. I think just the stress of the game and the stress of the moment, everything feels kind of surreal. Even just walking out on the streets or even seeing the Raptors players wearing an NBA champion merch yeah very cool I never thought you know I always thought I always thought about this moment like you know at some point maybe the Raptors will get close yeah and and be within seconds of winning a championship and I always thought it would be so exciting but it turned out to just be pure stress yeah but I'm coming down from it now I'm coming down from it yeah um Alex it is such a pleasure to have you here. I've never been happier to talk to someone at 2.45 a.m. than I am to talk to you right now.

Yeah, never been happier to leave the condo at 2 a.m. Okay. I'll see you at the parade, my friend. Yes, we'll have our own float. Cool. Front burner float. Yeah. We'll make that happen.

I'll just call up the public broadcaster. Okay, thank you. Thank you very much. Okay, so I don't know about you guys, but I feel like I'm going to spend the next two days just watching clips of what happened in this game and all the post-game craziness. And here's one that I'm just going to watch over and over again. Kyle Lowry, who sat himself down with all the reporters to ask his teammate Fred Van Fleet a post-game question.

Kyle Lowry, Tony Raptors. Fred, how does it feel to be a world champion? It's unbelievable, man. It's unbelievable to have guys like Kyle Lowry on your team who step up and go for 15 in the first quarter, you know, but he should have had 50. But, you know, he slowed down, so I just want to come out during the second half and bail him out

and try to help him for his legacy. You know, they kill my man all the time in the playoffs. He gets more slandered than everybody I've ever seen in the league. And so to have him be able to hold that trophy up tonight, that's what means the most for us. Thank you. Thank you, Fred. Front Burner comes to you from CBC News and CBC Podcasts.

The show is produced by Chris Berube, Imogen Burchard, Elaine Chao, and Shannon Higgins, and Matt Alma, who is a massive Raptors fan. There's this picture of him in Jurassic Park that made the Globe and Mail a few years back. I hope that he is having a wonderful time on the streets of Toronto tonight. Derek Vanderwyk does our sound design. Our music is by Joseph Chabison of Boombox Sound. The executive producer of Frontburner, the one that I said was really stressed out during the game, is Nick McKay-Blocos. And I'm your host, Jamie Poisson.

Thanks so much for listening. Have a wonderful weekend and see you guys Monday. For more CBC Podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts. It's 2011 and the Arab Spring is raging. A lesbian activist in Syria starts a blog. She names it Gay Girl in Damascus. Am I crazy? Maybe. As her profile grows, so does the danger.

The object of the email was please read this while sitting down. It's like a genie came out of the bottle and you can't put it back. Gay Girl Gone. Available now.