The Toronto Raptors
The Raptors approached the season with the same core team they have been sporting for a few seasons now, but instead of standing pat and letting the course drive the car, GM Soundwave took the wheel and made an unexpected adjustment in the offseason. That adjustment was the acquisition of Tom Gugliotta at the expense of not too much in hindsight (thanks to Training Camp). He marched through the season to the beat of a dominating Torontonian drum, with another trade being made at the trade deadline (moving defensive stud Theo Ratliff for former All-NBA vet Steve Smith). They continued to dominate, but were still hounded by those pesky Hawks throughout the season. In head-to-head matchups, the Hawks always had the edge against the Raptors, winning the in-season series 3-1. And everyone in the league knew that the race for the Eastern Conference crown would be decided in a heated series between these two equal foes. And that it was. The game came down to Game 7 in Atlanta, where Toronto reverted back to their gameplan that had worked all season (and lost them games 1 & 2 in the series). To quote GM Soundwave, "Our mindset was this. If we are going to lose to the best team in the league, we are going to do it with our best lineup that has gotten us this far." Except they didn't lose. They took the leade at the end of the 1st Quarter and never looked back. It didn't hurt that Antonio McDyess got in foul trouble and only played 9 minutes the entire game or that Ben Wallace only played 19 minutes. But all that matters in the frozen tundra is that they have emerged injury free and victorious.San Antonio Spurs
Hot off the heels of their best season in franchise history, GM Eazy P and the Spurs had a lot of expectations to live up to. The Midwest became a gauntlet, and after making it to the Conference Finals to lose to the Mavericks last seasons, many fans expected to see the Spurs chasing the division crown (and the #2 seed). However, with the emergence of the Grizzlies, continued success of the Mavericks, and those Utah Tim Duncans, that would not be an easy feat. The Spurs needed to retool in the offseason, and needed to do it fast before Glenn Robinson starts to decline. Fortunately for them, they had somehow landed themselves a Top 5 pick in the draft which netted them Caron Butler (Present Bench depth/Future Starter: check). Then they acquired Jacque Vaughn for their 03 1st (legit starting PG: check). And lastly, they turned coal into diamonds by acquiring emerging stud center (expiring but RFA) Calvin Booth for another Spurs 1st (starting center of the future: check). The Spurs, literally traded their next two picks and a starting point guard for another starting point guard, a starting center, and a potential star forward. But then the Spurs got him with some injuries, and the Spurs were gonna Spur. They teetered on the brink of the lottery, regretting trading the pick until the month of March hit. And they surged to a record of 18-6 over the remainder of the season to launch them into the 6th seed. Once in the playoffs, they couldn't be stopped. They blew by the Sonics and Grizzlies. They had a scare in Los Angeles (going down 0-2 to the Jason Kidd-less Lakers after trying to exploit their weak PG position with Glenn Robinson starting at the 1), but the coach turned it around and won the next 4 games. The Spurs now face their toughest challenge yet.The Storylines
First-Time Finalists
Both of these teams have never made it to the NBA Finals before. They have both made the conference finals twice (including this year). It's been a long time coming and both GMs have had their eyes on this prize for the longest time. However only one organization can take home the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. How will these two teams handle the pressure of the big stage? Will they make ballsy adjustments or go with what's safe? Only time will tell.First-Time Finalists
Roster Depth
The Spurs have an outstanding starting 5 line-up, possibly one of the best and most talented in the league, only to be rivaled by (SURPRISE) the Raptors. The Raptors starting five is a little long in the tooth, but still dominating at every position. However, the depth for both teams beyond the starting 5... it's pretty non-existent. The Spurs do have Caron Butler as their 6th man and Nazr Mohammed to back up booth and Shareef, but that's about the extent of their depth.Who's #1?
Fun Fact with Stats! A #1 seed from either conference did not advance to the Finals for the first time since the 1998 Finals and for the 4th time in league history. When the #3 seed advanced to the Finals, they won the championship 2 times. The #6 seed has never been crowned the NBA Champion.GOOD LUCK TO BOTH TEAMS! AND CONGRATS ON MAKING IT TO THE FINALS!
