THE Toronto Raptors gambled the entire future of their franchise on one year of Kawhi Leonard. On Sunday, that bet paid off.

Fueled by 41 points and a game-winner from their two-way superstar, the Raptors advanced to the Eastern Conference finals with a thrilling 92-90 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

What started as a defensive-focused rock fight progressed into a thriller in the fourth quarter, where the Sixers erased a five-point lead with less than five minutes left and a four-point lead with less than one minute left. What followed will go down in Raptors lore.

The Raptors are now headed to their first conference finals since 2016, but awaiting them will not be their constant tormentor in LeBron James.

Rather, it will be the closest thing the East has left to James in Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, who stomped the Boston Celtics in five games.

Four more wins, and the Raptors will have gone further in a season than ever before. And with every series victory, the team likely gets a better chance to hold onto Leonard, their hero of the moment, in free agency next year. (SD-Agencies)