NBA Finals 2019: A closer look at the Finals experience present on the Toronto Raptors roster

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ibaka-kawhi-danny-mccaw

The deeper teams go in the postseason, the more you hear about which players have – and haven't – made it that far before.

Experience has been and will always be the best teacher, so it should come as no surprise that much is made of players' familiarity with the specific stage and the moment. In very rare cases do you see a player or team excel at a new stage without a few bumps along the way.

Save for a few new additions, the Warriors' run of five straight Finals appearances has given the majority of the roster at least a moment in the spotlight of the biggest stage. While it's the first time the Raptors have made the Finals in franchise history, four members of their roster have experience in competing for a title.

Let's take a look back at how they've fared…

Kawhi Leonard, 12 Games (7-5 record)

• 2014 NBA Champion, Finals MVP

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At 21-years-old, Kawhi made his NBA Finals debut as a member of the San Antonio Spurs, who would eventually fall to LeBron James and the Miami Heat in seven games.

The sting of the loss in 2013 fuelled the Spurs in the next season, as they cruised to win the 2014 title in five games, while a dominant defensive performance from Leonard earned him Finals MVP honours at the young age of 22.

  GP PTS FG% 3P% REB AST STL BLK
2014 5 17.8 61.2 57.9 6.4 2.0 1.6 1.2
2013 7 14.6 51.3 34.8 11.1 0.9 2.0 0.4

Danny Green, 12 Games (7-5 record)

• 2014 NBA Champion

danny-green-2013-finals

While Green and the Spurs won the title in 2014, it was his performance in 2013 that will go down as one of the more impressive shooting performances in Finals history. The sharpshooter knocked down 55.1% of his 49 3-point attempts in the series, shooting 25-for-38 (65.8%) in Games 1 through 5.

  GP PTS FG% 3P% REB AST STL BLK
2014 5 9.2 53.1 45.0 2.0 1.2 2.0 0.4
2013 7 14.0 44.4 55.1 4.1 0.7 1.0 1.6

Serge Ibaka, 5 Games (1-4 record)

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At 22-years-old, Ibaka and the Thunder reached the NBA Finals in what was just his third professional season. OKC had the talent but lacked experience as it fell to LeBron James and the Miami Heat in five games, losing four straight after winning Game 1.

  GP MIN PTS FG% OREB DREB REB BLK
2012 5 26.3 7.0 42.4 1.6 3.6 5.2 2.0

Patrick McCaw, 9 Games (8-1 record)

• Two-time NBA Champion (2017, 2018)

pat-mccaw-2018-finals

McCaw knows nothing but Finals appearances. 

As a 21-year-old rookie, he was a member of the Warriors team that would defeat the Cavs in five games, scoring six points in 12 minutes of the closeout Game 5. The Warriors returned to the Finals in McCaw's second season, sweeping the Cavs while he played limited minutes after returning from a scary injury. Now, as a member of the Raptors, McCaw is set to face the franchise he's won two titles with.

Author(s)
Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News.