Sports: "The North" Win Out West; Raptors Gain 1st NBA title

In one crazy-loud night in the Bay Area, the Raptors went from their slogan of “We The North” to “We The Champs.” Toronto toppled the depleted Warriors in a 114-110 thriller to win the NBA Finals, 4-2, for the franchise’s first league title.

This final game in Oracle Arena’s history saw the champion’s heart of Thompson, the Warriors said tore his ACL late in the third quarter. He could, at best, be out eight months, until February

The Warriors wanted to win this for their fallen superstar, Durant, and then they wanted to win it for Thompson, too, but ran out of ammunition despite playing it down to the final wild seconds.

In their 24th year, the Raptors clinched a major title for a Canadian sports team for the first time since 1993, when the Blue Jays won the World Series and the Canadiens took the Stanley Cup.

Kawhi Leonard won his second Finals MVP Award, finishing it off with 22 points, hitting the final two free throws with 0.9 seconds left and raising his arms in triumph. He’s a free agent and gave no assurances of returning to defend the crown.

First-year Raptors coach Nick Nurse bounded into the interview room with his black championship cap drenched.

“A lot of bottles of champagne in there,’’ Nurse said.

The bubbly almost didn’t spill, despite Thompson’s injury.

With the Raptors up 111-110, Danny Green got the pass at midcourt and threw it away with 9.8 seconds left. But Golden State couldn’t convert as Stephen Curry threw up a brick on a wide-open jumper.