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NBA History: The best era for each of the 30 franchises

By Daniel Lubofsky

SAN ANTONIO - JANUARY 14: Tim Duncan #21 of the San Antonio Spurs looks to drive around Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks at the SBC Center on January 14, 2005 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2005 NBAE (Photo by Chris Birck/NBAE via Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO - JANUARY 14: Tim Duncan #21 of the San Antonio Spurs looks to drive around Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks at the SBC Center on January 14, 2005 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2005 NBAE (Photo by Chris Birck/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Toronto Raptors: 2013-Now

Whatever relevance the Toronto Raptors had during their relatively short period of existence was mostly tied to the physics-defying jams thrown down by Vince Carter. That all changed in 2013, where the duo of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry began changing the perception of a once irrelevant franchise.

The duo became the unlikeliest of friends. DeRozan was a former top-10 pick and the Raptors had been the only organization he’d ever known. Lowry arrived in Toronto a journeyman headcase after two previous stops elsewhere.

As they blossomed into All-Star caliber players, the Raptors began to pile up wins at a commensurate rate.

First came the ending of a five-year playoff drought. Year three of the pairing brought Toronto its first-ever appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals. The logical next step was a spot in the Finals, but that wasn’t in the cards for the Raptors, at least not then.

They suffered gut-wrenching back-to-back second-round sweeps at the hands of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team that was once just happy to be a playoff fixture grew stale, prompting general manager Masai Ujiri to send shockwaves through the NBA with one of the riskiest trades in league history.

Out went DeRozan and in came Kawhi Leonard. A former Finals MVP, Leonard was a far superior talent, but he brought no guarantees beyond the 2018-19 season and the dealing of the franchise’s all-time leading scorer opened a wound that could only be sealed with a championship.

Leonard proved to be well worth the potential one-year rental, leading the way for Toronto with clutch shot-making and stifling perimeter defense. He helped the Raptors claim the only championship in franchise history with a Finals MVP effort.

It was a fitting end to what had been started in Toronto, just with a different person finishing it off. With Kawhi in LA, the Raptors now push forward not necessarily looking to repeat as champions but to maintain a level of competitiveness the organization has grown accustomed to this decade.

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