The Toronto Raptors are headed to their first NBA Finals after overcoming the Milwaukee Bucks.
Toronto's 100-94 Game 6 win over the Bucks on Saturday secured their move to the biggest stage, where the Golden State Warriors await.
Here are three takeaways from the Raptors' historic win.
The "others" made all the difference
Toronto's bench outscored Milwaukee's in three consecutive games during their four-game winning streak in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Raptors got valuable contributions from a variety of role players throughout the series. Among them were Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell and Serge Ibaka.
The Bucks did not have the luxury of a new face showing up each game, and it led to their downfall.
The @Raptors win the East & advance to their first #NBAFinals Presented by @YouTubeTV in franchise history! #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/VcgeImpXnB
— NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2019
Kawhi Leonard's will to win is unrivalled
Leonard did everything possible to elevate his team's play against the Bucks.
The Raptors superstar finished with a game-high 27 points on nine-of-22 shooting, but also grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds – 12 more than any of his team-mates.
Leonard logged 41 minutes and carried his team through critical moments down the stretch, like he has all postseason.
One of his more notable plays was a poster dunk on defensive player of the year candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo.
MY GOODNESS pic.twitter.com/LUcXoJ3hPk
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) May 26, 2019
The Bucks' free-throw struggles came back to bite them again
Toronto's crowd seemed to have a serious effect on Milwaukee at the line.
The Bucks fell short by six points and left nine at the charity stripe. Antetokounmpo clanged five of his 10 attempts which clearly changed the outcome of the game.
But you have to give credit to the Raptors for their swarming defensive tactics and aggressiveness, forcing their opponents to earn their scoring the hard way in Scotiabank Arena.