The Toronto Raptors–not surprisingly–were named the “team of the year” by the Canadian Press on Saturday in what turned out to be a landslide vote.
Toronto earned 61 of 67 first-place votes after capturing their first title in franchise history this past June (via TSN):
On Saturday, the Raptors were rewarded for their historic NBA championship run by winning the team of the year award from The Canadian Press for 2019 in a slam dunk.
The Raptors earned 61 of 67 votes in a poll of writers, broadcasters and editors across the country.
“The entire country rallied around the Raptors. Million-plus celebration in downtown Toronto. And really, a remarkable feat,” said Phil King, The Globe and Mail's sports design editor.
Indeed, the fandom surrounding the Raptors during their title run grew to practically a maniacal level. Canadians packed the “Jurassic Park” area outside of Scotiabank Arena and celebrated with the likes of rapper Drake, who has minority ownership in the franchise.
Article Continues BelowOf course, the story of the 2018-19 Raptors cannot be told without Kawhi Leonard.
“The Claw” did not receive the warmest of welcomes due in part that the Raptors had traded beloved star DeMar DeRozan in order to acquire him from the San Antonio Spurs. This was also shortly after Leonard had numerous problems with Spurs management in the handling of his injury.
But in spite of early skepticism, Leonard paced himself during the regular season before embarking on a historic playoff run. The Finals MVP averaged 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game throughout the playoffs and forever cemented his legacy as a hero in Toronto.