Reel off the most important moments in Toronto Raptors franchise history and some usual suspects will come up: beating Michael Jordan and the 72-win Bulls during Toronto’s inaugural season, Vince Carter‘s 2000 slam dunk contest performance that put the Raptors on the map, winning the Atlantic division title in 2006, the return to the playoffs in 2015 and the birth of Jurassic Park with Masai Ujiri’s infamous “F*@# Brooklyn!”…
But May 4, 2001 marked perhaps the biggest moment of them all.
It was Game 5 of a first-round series between the Raptors and New York Knicks — the same Knicks team that had swept Toronto the year before in the Raptors first-ever post-season appearance. Back then the first-round was a best-of-five, which meant the season was on the line for what was at that time two of the most impressive and colourful teams in the East.
Despite Vinsanity being at it’s peak and the Raptors roster loaded veteran talent including Antonio Davis, Dell Curry and Charles Oakley, it was fourth-year point guard Alvin Williams who would play one of the biggest roles in sealing the franchises’ first-ever playoff series win.
Earlier that season, Williams had been coming off the bench behind Mark Jackson. But a mid-season trade that saw Jackson dealt to the Knicks resulted in Williams being inserted into the starting lineup.
For Williams, squaring off against his former teammate and mentor was surreal. But nothing would compare to the feeling of playing a do-or-die game in the NBA’s most iconic arena, Madison Square Garden, with a chance to make history on the line.
Sixteen years later, I sat down with Williams to re-watch one of the most important games in Raptors franchise history. It’s one that he, and the franchise, will never forget.
Let’s go Inside the Huddle:
Box scores courtesy basketball-reference.com
