Toronto Raptors

Sometimes, we get carried away discussing sports, but Kyle Lowry reminded people that real-life circumstances matter most.

The Toronto Raptors star was asked to define pressure during Sunday's press conference ahead of Game 5 of the NBA Finals. While he could have addressed what it feels like to be one game away from closing out the series with the Golden State Warriors, he instead discussed his upbringing:

“What my mom had to go through, what my grandma had to go through … that’s pressure.”

- Kyle Lowry on how he defines pressure#NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/OJRRas43LG

— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 9, 2019

Lowry noted the sacrifices his mother and grandmother made to give his younger brother and cousins a better life. 

"People like that are heroes to me," the All-Star said. "Just going to work and grinding and doing whatever it takes to provide for your family and protect who you have to protect."

While Lowry is seeking his first NBA championship this week, stories like this help put things in perspective.

The Warriors have a must-win game Monday to keep their season alive, but their lives will go on regardless of the result.

Rory McIlroy won the Canadian Open on Sunday and celebrated in style, waving around Kyle Lowry's Toronto Raptors jersey to the adoring crowd. 

Rory Raptors
🤝

McIlroy puts on for Kyle Lowry and Toronto after winning the Canadian Open
(via @PGATOUR)pic.twitter.com/izfgZWAsmJ

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 9, 2019

The Raptors hold a 3-1 lead in the 2019 NBA Finals over the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors. If they play anywhere near as well as McIlroy performed Sunday, they and the city of Toronto will be celebrating their first title Monday night.  

McIlroy shot a nine-under 61 on Sunday, winning the tournament (-22) by a whopping seven strokes over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson. 

Nice little 64-61 weekend for Rory McIlroy, who cruises to a seven-shot win in his first Canadian Open.

Second title this year. He’s straightened out Sundays.

“To play the way I did in a final round like this, I’m going to take a lot from this.”

— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelGolf) June 9, 2019

Lowry, Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam and the rest of the Raptors will be trying to channel some of that energy as they attempt to close out the Warriors.

Last week, rumors were floated suggesting that Kawhi Leonard had purchased property in Toronto, which if true would bolster his chances of returning to the Raptors this summer when he's eligible to become a free agent.

But Leonard denied the rumor during a press conference over the weekend:

Kawhi on the rumor that he’s buying property in Toronto: “It didn’t happen yet, no” https://t.co/O2AjiwqciY

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 9, 2019

Fans of teams that have significant cap space this summer, like the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, will be happy to hear Leonard hasn't bought any property in Toronto.

But fans of the Raptors will be hanging on one word and one word alone from Leonard's remarks: the fact that he said he hasn't "yet" bought any property in the city.

Outside of Kevin Durant, Leonard will be the biggest catch in this summer's free agency. The 27-year-old has been the NBA's best player this postseason, averaging 31.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.6 steals and shooting 49.8 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from three, all while playing lockdown defense.

He's led Toronto to a 3-1 lead over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, and a Raptors title could have fascinating implications for the offseason. 

Would a title make Leonard more likely to stay in Toronto, or is he hellbent on playing basketball in Los Angeles, his hometown? Would Kevin Durant be more likely or less likely to return to the Warriors if they lost this series? 

For all of the intrigue of the dynastic Warriors potentially losing to the Raptors, the NBA offseason remains the true source of fascination amongst most fans. That isn't surprising, considering Leonard, Durant, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler, Kemba Walker, DeMarcus Cousins and Tobias Harris, among others, could hit free agency.

Add in Anthony Davis likely getting traded, and the entire landscape of the NBA could look dramatically different in a month or two. Where Leonard ultimately buys property could play a major role in just how dramatic that overhaul looks.  

Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors are one win away from taking the 2019 NBA Finals from the Golden State Warriors. They have three chances to get that one victory against a team that has won three of the past four championships.

Kawhi has a shot to beat an opponent that was previously seen as invincible. Remarkably, he's been in this spot before.

Rewind to 2014. Kawhi was 22 years old and up against LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and a Miami Heat team that had just beaten the San Antonio Spurs and Leonard in 2013 for a second consecutive title.

In that series, Leonard averaged 9.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in the first two games. The Heat and Spurs split those bouts in San Antonio. Then, Kawhi became the Kingslayer who would take down the vaunted Heatles.

The Spurs won three straight, took the title and all but sent LeBron back to the Cleveland Cavaliers. An era that began with LeBron's forecast of "not one, not two, not three" championships ended four seasons after it started.

In the three games that ended Miami's reign, Kawhi averaged 23.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocks. He shot 68.6 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from three.

"He's a great learner, and he's super competitive, has a drive to be the best that's really uncommon in our league," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters after Leonard won Finals MVP in 2014. " ... So I just talked to him about not being in that defer sort of stage. The hell with Tony [Parker], the hell with Timmy [Duncan], the hell with Manu [Ginobili], you play the game. You are the man."

On a team that featured three future Hall of Famers who'd already won multiple titles, the young Kawhi was his team's best player.

Over the next four seasons, Leonard made two All-Star teams, won two Defensive Player of the Year awards, averaged 21.1 points per game and somehow saw things deteriorate between himself and the Spurs. The furthest San Antonio got in that stretch was the 2017 Western Conference Finals, when Golden State's Zaza Pachulia infamously ran under Kawhi's feet on a jumper in Game 1 and caused him to miss the rest of the series.

The next season, he appeared in just nine games as rumors popped up that his camp wanted him to play in a bigger market. Toronto wasn't on his list.

But in The North, Kawhi reminded everyone of what they learned in such dramatic fashion in 2014. He's a dominant postseason player who isn't fazed by a dynastic team. Over his next three games, he has a chance to finish off an unprecedented task.

In 1989, Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons took down the back-to-back reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers. Fifteen years later, the Pistons broke up another Lakers run. This one was led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, and Thomas had been retired for a decade. In 2011, Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks shocked the Lakers, who'd just won back-to-back titles.

That gets us back to 2014, when Kawhi ended the Heatles. Now, he has a chance to break up another superteam.

Good luck finding an NBA player who's done that to more than one team.

Of course, none of this would be possible if Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri didn't trade for Leonard and surround him with such a deep, talented supporting cast. But O'Neal, Kevin Durant, James, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson are the only players who put up a better average game score in a Finals than the one Leonard is posting.

ESPN.com's Zach Lowe summed up Kawhi's play:

"The Raptors are here for lots of reasons, but mostly because of Kawhi Leonard, who has asserted his claim as the world's best player over the past month. Leonard did something that only LeBron James had approximated before him, and LeBron had help from another all-world scorer in Kyrie Irving, who poured in 90 combined points over the last three games of the 2016 Finals -- when the Cleveland Cavaliers completed the unprecedented comeback Golden State will attempt now.

"Leonard broke the Warriors."

If the Raptors can get one more win, the NBA's kingslayer will get his second Finals MVP. He'd be the 12th player in history to win the honor more than once. LeBron and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the only ones who've done it for more than one team. Hakeem Olajuwon is the only player with two Finals MVPs and two Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Leonard is on the verge of cementing his status as one of the best playoff performers in NBA history.

He's already fourth all time in both career playoff box plus-minus and career playoff win shares per 48 minutes.

But the numbers only supplement the feat.

Isiah and Dirk only got the Lakers. Pop only got the Heat. Jaime Lannister only got the Mad King. Kawhi has a chance to top them all.

Toronto Raptors fan Tristan Warkentin was arrested and charged with mischief (interference with lawful operation of property) for comments he made about Ayesha Curry—the wife of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry—during a television interview.

According to AJ Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today, the 28-year-old Warkentin is scheduled to appear in court July 11.

Per Joe Warmington of the Toronto Sun, Warkentin was interviewed by CP24 outside Scotiabank Arena in Toronto after the Raptors lost Game 2 of the NBA Finals to the Warriors to even the series at 1-1. During the interview, Warkentin said, "I just wanted to let everyone know: Ayesha Curry, we're going to f--k her in the p---y."

In an interview with the Sun after the fact, Warkentin expressed remorse for his comments: "What I did was disgraceful; it was an alcohol-influenced situation. ... To be honest, I don't even remember being there, but I am responsible for my own actions at the end of the day."

Warkentin also said he hoped he could reach out to Ayesha and Stephen Curry to apologize.

Since Toronto's Game 2 loss, it has won two consecutive games and is now one win from its first NBA championship.

The Raptors will host the Warriors in Game 5 on Monday.

Kawhi Leonard is a man on a mission, and that mission is almost complete. 

Following his Toronto Raptors' 105-92 Game 4 win Friday night to take a 3-1 NBA Finals lead over the Golden State Warriors, the three-time All-Star bluntly described his mindset to ESPN's Doris Burke: 

"I don't play hero basketball. I'm not playing for fans. I'm just playing to win. I'm not out here trying to break records ..."

—Kawhi right after taking the 3-1 lead pic.twitter.com/rqcfo4X15I

— ESPN (@espn) June 8, 2019

Leonard may not care about his numbers, but his production has been indisputably dominant this postseason. Prior to his game-leading 36-point Game 4 performance, the 27-year-old was the second-leading scorer in these playoffs at 31.1 points per game. 

Outside of statistics, he has authored legendary moments such as the first Game 7 buzzer-beater in NBA history to oust the Philadelphia 76ers in the conference semifinals. 

Come Monday's Game 5, Leonard can win the ultimate prize. Should the Raptors beat Golden State once more, the franchise will claim its first-ever title. 

The title would be Leonard's second, as he won with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014 while also claiming the Finals MVP. 

Being one win away from an NBA championship has brought Toronto Raptors fans out in full force. 

Following the Raptors' 105-92 win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the 2019 NBA Finals on Friday, there was a Canada-sized celebration inside Oracle Arena:

Scene at Oracle pic.twitter.com/V0W9gAqnC6

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) June 8, 2019

Standing on guard 🇨🇦. #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/wS3PNjZWsI

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) June 8, 2019

1,000 Raptors fans singing Oh Canada in lower bowl. Amazing scene. pic.twitter.com/UEaDJ7z6gE

— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) June 8, 2019

Every Raptor fan in the building chanting “One more win”

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) June 8, 2019

Canadian Mayhem at Oracle pic.twitter.com/PM2MnJ2s2e

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) June 8, 2019

The Raptors were able to take a 3-1 series lead despite shooting just 41.9 percent from the field. It helps that the team has Kawhi Leonard, who dropped his third consecutive 30-plus point game. 

This celebration can be considered downright disrespectful when you observe the way Raptors fans refused to trash talk during a segment on The Jimmy Kimmel Show.   

With one more win, the Raptors and their fans can sing and talk all the trash they want to the entire NBA. 

Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet took an accidental elbow to the face from Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston as the two were going for a rebound in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday:

VanVleet took a hard elbow to the face and he’s headed to the locker room 🙏 pic.twitter.com/0iDgTXnPoN

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 8, 2019

VanVleet bled from a cut near his right eye and stayed on the floor for a few minutes as Raptors medical personnel attended to the star backup.

ESPN cameras also captured what appeared to be a tooth following the collision:

It looks like there was a tooth on the court after VanVleet headed back to the locker room 🧐 pic.twitter.com/jcWA1dXHsb

— ESPN (@espn) June 8, 2019

Kawhi Leonard replaced VanVleet in the lineup with 9:35 remaining in the game and the Raps up 82-71.

ESPN's Doris Burke reported on the broadcast midway through the fourth that VanVleet received seven stitches and passed concussion tests.

The Raptors confirmed the news and reported that VanVleet, who had eight points, six assists and four rebounds upon his exit, was available to return.

The third-year pro out of Wichita State averaged 14.3 points per game over his first three NBA Finals contests and has played excellent defense on Warriors point guard Stephen Curry. He's an invaluable member of the Raptors' rotation and has closed out multiple playoff games with the starting unit.

Game 5 of the NBA Finals will take place in Toronto on Monday at 9 p.m. ET.

Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard hit a three-pointer with 3:32 remaining in the third quarter of Game 3 of the 2019 NBA Finals to put his team up 83-71 over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. 

At first glance, all that shot did was pad a comfortable Toronto lead with the fourth quarter nearing. However, that make, which was the Raptors' 12th three-pointer of the night, meant a lot more.

Per Jake Edmiston of the Financial Post (h/t Scott Gleeson of USA Today), McDonald's has given away more than two million orders of medium french fries in its Ontario-based restaurants thanks to a promotion promising free fries each time the Raptors have made 12 or more threes in a game this season.

Edmiston reported that McDonald's has lost $5.8 million worth of french fries due to the promotion (assuming an average Ontario McDonald's menu price of $2.89 per order), which began before the regular season and has continued into the playoffs.

Of note, Ontario McDonald's provided fans with 80,000 orders of fries after the team's Game 1 win, in which the Raptors hit 13 three-pointers.

Per Edmiston, McDonald's originally estimated that it would be giving away 700,000 orders of fries. However, that was before the team acquired Leonard, who has propelled the team to the NBA Finals. The deal was struck weeks before the San Antonio Spurs traded Leonard to Toronto.

The Raptors can provide their fans with more free fries as early as Friday at 9 p.m. ET, when they face the Warriors for Game 4 of the Finals at Oracle Arena.

Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard was held out of the lineup a handful of times during the regular season for "load management" purposes, and he credits that approach for helping him be healthy enough to play in the 2019 NBA Finals.

"I don't think I'd be playing right now if I would've tried to go through the season," Leonard told ESPN's Rachel Nichols (h/t TSN) ahead of Friday night's Game 4.

According to the Sporting News' Sean Deveney, 14 of the 22 games Leonard sat out where classified as "load management."

The 27-year-old is coming off a 2017-18 campaign that saw him make just nine appearances for the San Antonio Spurs due to a quad injury. Per Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, a lack of trust between Leonard and the Spurs developed as the team allegedly did not buy he was too hurt to play—and that ultimately led to his trade to Toronto last offseason.

The Raptors, knowing the three-time All-Star can be a free agent this summer, have taken the cautious approach with Leonard all season. Not once did he play back-to-back days during the regular season. And it's been hard to argue with the results.

Leonard established new career highs in both scoring (26.6 points per game) and rebounding (7.3) while playing 34.0 minutes per game. While Toronto (58-24) finished two games behind the Milwaukee Bucks (60-22) for the top seed in the Eastern Conference, it made it to the postseason with a healthy Leonard, which proved key.

The 2014 Finals MVP has elevated his game even further this postseason, averaging 30.9 points per game thus far. His play has helped his team defeat the Orlando Magic, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Bucks en route to leading the Raptors to their first-ever Finals berth. Now, they are just two victories away from capturing their first Larry O'Brien Trophy, as Leonard is averaging 29.0 points against the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver revealed last month that he is willing to explore the idea of shortening the 82-game season as star players around the league have been healthy scratches for a number of regular-season games in recent years.