Air Canada Center Arena.
Game 7 of the Raptors series, with only one minute left before the end of the game. Their opponent was the Philadelphia 76ers. The score was 113 to 103. The 76ers were 10 points behind.
Although the 76ers players on the field are still chasing points, everyone knows that the situation is over and the final winner of this game will only belong to the Raptors.
last moment.
The Raptors attacked, and Kyle Lowry, one of the team's core players, threw the ball into the hands of another core player, DeMar DeRozan.
DeRozan originally didn't plan to take any more shots, but he chose to lift the basketball when he saw that Ben Simmons continued to mark him. The two met each other, and DeRozan raised the basketball high and threw it from outside the three-point line.
Uh-huh.
A crisp three-pointer hit the basket steadily.
116 to 103.
The moment the scoreboard changed, Raptors fans cheered from the sidelines.
Over the past few seasons, the Raptors have been chasing the championship. Unfortunately, they have only made it to the Eastern Conference Finals once in the past 10 years. This time, they were beaten by the Cavaliers led by LeBron James and were sent to a sweep. Off the field.
This is undoubtedly a big blow to Raptors fans.
Fortunately, the team's record seems to have improved slightly in the past few seasons, especially under the leadership of the team's core DeRozan, the team finally successfully reached the semifinals last season.
However, unfortunately, this time they met the Cavaliers in the semifinals. In the end, under the strong output of the Big Three, the Raptors were once again swept 4-0.
The series of encounters really made the Raptors feel helpless. It can be said that as long as LeBron is still in the Eastern Conference, LeBron will be their evil star, forever hindering them from reaching the Eastern Conference finals.
Fortunately, this season they finally did not face the Cavaliers in the semifinals. Regardless of the final result, they successfully passed the test of the semifinals.
They will reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in the next ten years. Although they don't know what the future will bring, this is enough for the Raptors to look forward to.
Beep.
The timer on the court sounded, and the game finally came to an end.
The Raptors defeated the 76ers at home to win the series.
Players from both sides took the initiative to shake hands and make peace. DeRozan even walked over and planned to communicate with the core of the 76ers, Luol Embiid. Unexpectedly, Embiid did not look very happy and did not say hello to DeRozan. Just leave him and walk towards the players tunnel.
This scene made DeRozan very helpless.
He spread his hands at Lori, who was watching as a spectator, and Lori smiled helplessly at him.
"Okay! Demar, let's go! We finally made it to the Eastern Conference finals. We should find a reason to celebrate tonight..."
Lowry came up and put his hand on DeRozan's shoulder, joking.
DeRozan also walked toward the tunnel with him.
"Kyle, what do you think we can do with the Cavaliers this time? Although they don't look as good as before this season, they traded for a player like Zhao...that guy... ..It’s very strong, I think it might be more difficult to handle than Owen…”
Lori also sighed after hearing this.
"I think the same thing as you...that guy does look more threatening! We just need to defend Irving and prevent him from scoring, but that guy not only prevents him from scoring, but also limits his impact on the team. The command..."
The two looked at each other and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"Playing in Toronto for so many seasons, I don't know if we can still win a championship... If not, then I hope to at least retire here... This means a lot to me. It is said to be my second hometown..."
DeRozan said.
As he said that, he also looked at Lowry, "Not only that, but also you... My brother, it is really a great thing to play with you... "
Lowry was very moved when he heard DeRozan's words and patted him on the shoulder with a happy face.
However, at this time, DeRozan didn't know what happened, but he suddenly said, "Kyle, do you think the team will one day decide that I'm not good enough and trade me?"
"Are you kidding me?"
Lowry looked in disbelief, "DeMar, you have played here for 9 seasons! Man, you are the first player in the history of the team. You have done a lot of things and contributed most to the team. .....Not everyone wants to play in Canada..."
"If they trade you, I think that's stupid! Unless the front office is crazy, I don't know why they would do that."
"How is this impossible?"
DeRozan suddenly felt a little emotional, "Look at Zhao from the Cavaliers. Before he came to the Cavaliers, he was the leader of the Timberwolves! Have you seen the performance of the Timberwolves this season? They are not much different from the Warriors in terms of strength. There is a chance to defeat the Warriors and win the championship again..."
"Zhao can be said to have single-handedly contributed to the Timberwolves' current situation. However, he was sent away by the Timberwolves after suffering an injury...and the person who made the exchange with him was Isaiah! He originally worked for the Timberwolves. How many things has Boston done? The final result is like this... I really can't believe it..."
"Don't even think about it! Man! That day will never come! Without you, even if I win the championship, it will be somewhat regretful for me..."
The two finally walked into the locker room talking and laughing. At this time, they had no idea what was going to happen in the future.
At the same time, with the San Antonio Spurs, core player Kawhi Leonard was being examined by the team doctor. He has been sidelined for the season, which makes the Spurs management, who were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs this season, somewhat dissatisfied.
After the test results came out, the team doctor said that Leonard's recovery from his injury was good, and he may be able to return smoothly by the beginning of next season.
However, Leonard's agent and uncle disagreed with this statement. He believes that Leonard's injury is prone to sequelae, so he must have more rest time.
In response to this situation, the team management has actually had a dispute with Leonard's team for a long time. On the one hand, they hope Leonard will come back soon, thinking that his injury is already fine, and they deliberately delayed it entirely because they didn't want to play. The Nader team believes that the injury must be fully recovered, and risking a return must not be done.
After all, the team management will not be responsible for Leonard's future.
After the dispute between the two sides, the Spurs' management seemed to have lost all patience. After the team held a high-level meeting, it finally made a major decision.
"Then trade Kawhi! We can do the same without him!"
