Great job by the Raptors closing out the NBA finals in six games (and cashing at +400). The Warriors were up against it from an injury perspective and Klay’s ACL was the dagger. (Perhaps the NBA schedule is too long for teams to sustain multi-year title runs as the mileage builds on star players ?).

From the Toronto side, I think the Raps prove to be an interesting exercise in team-building, as they assembled a group of players with unique skill sets around Kawhi, which sort of feels like moneyball for basketball.

Marc Gasol was the finishing touch – a unique combination of size, shot blocking, paint clogging, passing and three point shooting.

VanVleet’s three point shooting and D on Curry belie his undrafted status. Great scouting and player development.

Siakam and Serge Ibaka provided athletic wing play, shot blocking length, and fill the lanes on the break.

Lowry, to me, is an odd mix, more of a throwback guard and not a statistically great three-point shooter, but physically strong, streaky enough to have an impact, and looked to be the heart and soul of the franchise.

Kawhi has evolved into a top 5 player in the league – strength, the Klaw, shooting, overall athleticism and hustle.

Overall the pieces were a great fit, with interchangeability and the ability to spread the floor and get points from different sources which made them extremely hard to defend, while their on-ball defense with Lowrie, VanVleet and Siakam played with the shot blocking ability on the back line.

As a group, this may have been a one-time deal, but to me, with the assemblage of this is the new blue print for the NBA.