The Toronto Raptors came out of nowhere to win the title.

Just more than a year ago, the organization's best team in franchise history was swept out of the Eastern Conference Finals by a thirty-something LeBron James, leading arguably the most undermanned group of his two-stint tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Calls were even made to break up the Raptors and start from scratch, with hopes of rebuilding the team into one with more legitimate championship aspirations than ever even if that was no sure path forward.

Instead, Masai Ujiri traded franchise icon DeMar DeRozan and second-year big man Jakob Poeltl to the San Antonio Spurs for injured superstar Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, instantly shoving Toronto's championship window further open than at any other point in the previous few seasons. Nothing was guaranteed for the Raptors, of course, both in 2018-19 and going forward, with Leonard both recovering from a nagging quad injury and facing free agency.

Still, the 2019 NBA Finals MVP knew exactly what his new team was capable of this season before it even tipped off.

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Leonard averaged 28.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game against the Golden State Warriors, fighting through dogged individual defense from the likes of Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson en route to 60.2 percent true shooting – the mark of elite efficiency. With his second Finals MVP award, he joins LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players to win it playing for two different teams.

Toronto made another season-changing acquisition at the trade deadline, bringing in former All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol, whose presence loomed large on both ends throughout the team's run to the Larry O'Brien Trophy.