The mid-2010 Toronto Raptors had nightmares about LeBron James. From 2016-2018, Toronto matched up with Bron and the Cavs in three straight postseasons. In 2016, the Raptors advanced to their first-ever conference finals in franchise history. Unfortunately, the organization’s crowning achievement ended in six games, before LeBron & Co. went on to win Cleveland’s first-ever NBA title. Although Toronto lost the series in six, they had plenty of positives to take away. Experts viewed the Raptors as a team ahead of schedule, thankful to find themselves deep in the postseason.
The following year, the Raptors established they weren’t just some team happy to be in the mix, but a legit threat in the East. They reached the Conference Semifinals for a rematch against the Cavs… but LeBron led the way smacking them in four games. For Toronto, this 2018 season appeared to be different. Besides their dynamic backcourt duo of DeMar DeRozan & Kyle Lowry continuing to drop buckets, the team leaned heavily on their adaptable young bench, which allowed head coach Dwane Casey the peace to never stress who was on the floor. With Lowry and DeRozan holding it down, the youngins making noise, and consistent veteran support, the Raptors had arguably the most complete roster in the NBA and went on to win a franchise-record 59 games, earning the top seed in the conference.
Strapped with homecourt advantage throughout the postseason, these new and dangerous Raptors were prepared to make a deep run… until they once again ran into their playoff nemesis in the second round. After dropping the first two games to the Cavs, Toronto found themselves locked into a nailbiting Game Three with a chance to snatch a pivotal win on the road. Can they finally take one step closer to overcoming LeBron? To find out, we gotta rewind.
Written and produced by: Joe Ali
Directed and edited by: Charlotte Atkinson
Subscribe: http://goo.gl/Nbabae Enter the Secret Base: http://www.sbnation.com/secret-base
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/secretbase
Follow us on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/secretbasesbn
Follow us on Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@secretbasesbn?
Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/9pMHRV
Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/NvpZFF
Explore SB Nation: http://www.sbnation.com
49 Comments
Antagonist in Toronto’s occurring nightmare. If he was the protagonist in *their nightmare, they’d somehow be dreaming in either second-person perspective or vicariously as LeBron.
Great video! Sorry for the pedantics — cheers!
Hey Raptors fan here. Wish he was still in Cleveland in 2019 so that we could finally redeem ourselves. If it was any year it would've been that year. It's nothing but pain now.
When LeBron took that shot I said “wtf” then “😳” I’ll never forget that 👑
Lebron genuinely should've won the MVP in 2018.
The way the Raptors lost game 1 with all those missed tip shots deserves an episode by itself 😂
8:30, he was Toronto's ANTAGONIST not the protagonist
This channel needs to do a COLLAPSE on the Buffalo Bills. From 4 straight SB appearances, still making the playoffs, Music City Mir. and then nearly two decades of losing.
Blessed to be a cavs fan. 2018 bron was my favorite. He was on a whole different level offensively with essentially no consistent offensive help. Unreal season.
at 8:07 he says that CLE chose to run the ball instead of advancing to half court but isn't that impossible as by the looks of things CLE doesn't have any more timeouts?
LeRaptor Killer
Antagonist* not protagonist lol
Hereing about Anunoby having an injury history in a deep rewind video.
Get curious to see if he's still playing.
Fist search result—Anunoby ruled out for next game because of wrist injury.
Such an awesome, but also terrible, time as a Raps fan…
I remember when Toronto tied it 2-2 in 2016. Everyone was stoked, playing with house money. Then 2017 we get swept, but we were supposed to lose anyway. Then 2018 we were the 1 seed. This was our year. Cavs looked shaky. I’ll never forget the feeling of game 1. Me and my friend were at a bar. Raps were dominating, up 20. This was finally our year! But then it slowly started to slip. Cavs started making a run, Raps lose all chemistry. Even still, we had a chance to win in regulation. Demar had like 2 or 3 GOOD looks. Point blank. Then JV also had an awesome look. I knew then we were done. No way we would win in OT. We just lost all momentum. No way we would win the series, Lebron. Was in their head. If they just coulda finished that game, things coulda been a lot different.
But then we got Kawhi and won a chip, the end lol
LeBronto is a bad bad man
Where’s duke vs unc final four rewinder
This was tough. All my fellow Toronto fans, watch the Kawhi shot video after this to cleanse your palette.
All I can say is damn
Plenty of people make fun with the LeBronto monicker, but what other teams were as good as the Raptors from this time? the list is very short that's for sure, really nice how it ultimately ended in a Raptors title.
This is so cringe to watch.
This was hard for me to watch because I was a Cavs fan but I love Demar and KLo… I don’t think it’s fair that In the eyes of some people Demar’s Career will be defined by that. You never get those same thoughts about John Stockton or Karl Malone who could never get past the bulls.
Lebronto era was insane
Bro why do you cuss so much and so unnecessary
It ruins the vibe when u sound like ur reading off a script and trying to cuss forcefully
"The Rat'ters" wow.
ik the real reason why the raptors didn’t win it’s because drake was there
Love these videos!
8:33 LeBron's biggest fan…
Gotta watch Lebron getting swept by the warriors in the 2018 finals at least 3 times to make up for this.
One of the most impossible game winning shots of all time. That had to happen so we could get the Kawhi bouncing series winning shot against Philly a year later
Kobe fan here but lebron is the best I’ve ever seen lol lebron was on a different level in 2018
"I'm fine in the East"
– LeBron in the 2010s
Cle had no timeouts, thus cant advance the ball 8:07
So much pain in how this season ended but a necessary pain that led to Kawhi and the chip
Vince Carter and Antonio Davis were Toronto's first pair of All-Star teammates in the 2001 season
It’s literally pure pain just watching this
the best way to get a win against lebron in the playoffs is always game 1. if u cant win that then pack ur bags.
Lebron straight owning the raptors is the only narrative thatll exist lolol
Lebron's been the main "antagonist", not "protagonist".
LeBron is the most hated player ever
LeBronto
LeMeteor
Me: oh look a video about the Raptors vs Cavaliers playoff series in 2018 and more
Also me: did I regret clicking on this video already knowing the outcome of this series or was I bored and just wanted to watch Lebronto single handly destroy the Raptors in the playoffs before everything turned around for the Raptors the next season after 🤔
LeBron and his steroids taking all the credit for making it past the weakest conference in history to get blown out by an actual real team. LeBrons teammates played like garbage because LeFraud was taking all the credit that year and the media was trashing his teammates. And LeBum never stood up for them. I remember it like it was yesterday. LeBricks teammates always quit playing with him around year 3. That's the truth.
Og was awesome as a rook in the playoffs kinda like normgod
@8:00 you say the Cavs could advance the basketball… they have 0 timeouts
And you really have people out here believing that Lebron isn’t clutch😂😂😂😂🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️clowns I tell you what.
I hope the narrator gets fired. The usual SB energy is gone because of this incompetent buffoon. Just boring, annoying, and lifeless narration.
I like to look at this series as what it really was: an OG highlight reel.