2016-17 NBA G League Finals

Result

Finals MVP: Pascal Siakam

Raptors 905's only D-League/G League title, in the franchise's second season of existence; clinched 121-96 in Game 3, with Toronto Raptors assignee Pascal Siakam averaging 23 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks across the series.

Games

Finals context

The 2016-17 Finals were, in a real sense, a landmark for the league's international footprint: Raptors 905, the Toronto Raptors' D-League affiliate and the first Canadian franchise in league history, won the championship in just its second season of existence, beating the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in a three-game series clinched 121-96 in Game 3. The 905's run was led by rookie forward Pascal Siakam, a Toronto Raptors assignee who was simultaneously splitting time between the NBA club and its D-League affiliate during his rookie campaign, absorbing, as one contemporary recap put it, "about as much experience as one can" during such a formative professional season. Siakam earned Finals MVP honors after averaging 23 points and 9 rebounds across the series, closing it out with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in the decisive Game 3. The 905's championship roster went well beyond Siakam alone. Bruno Caboclo exploded for 31 points on 13-of-19 shooting, including five three-pointers, plus 9 rebounds in the clinching game, while Fred VanVleet -- who would go on to a lengthy, successful NBA career of his own -- contributed 28 points and a career-high 14 assists in that same finale. Yannick Moreira added a double-double off the bench. Coach Jerry Stackhouse, a longtime NBA veteran in his own right, rallied his roster around the mantra "hug your brothers" through a season the 905 finished undefeated at home in the playoffs and 6-1 overall in the postseason. For Rio Grande Valley, the Finals loss was compounded by injury: leading scorer Isaiah Taylor went down with a leg injury in Game 2 and was unable to play in the decisive Game 3, a significant blow to the Vipers' hopes of a comeback. This championship also carries two documented research corrections. First, a Spanish-language Wikipedia "Finals MVP" list names a "Jack Stackhouse" rather than Pascal Siakam for this season; an official NBA D-League press release headlined "Toronto Raptors Assignee Pascal Siakam Named 2017 NBA D-League Finals MVP," independently corroborated by contemporary RaptorsHQ and RidiculousUpside series recaps, makes clear Siakam is the correct honoree. Second, those same two contemporary recaps disagree with each other by a single point on the decisive Game 3 score (121-96 versus 122-96); this file follows RaptorsHQ's dedicated game recap and its 121-96 figure. Raptors 905's title validated the NBA's decision to expand the D-League across the border into Canada, and Siakam's Finals MVP run proved an early, prophetic data point in a career that would culminate, just two years later, in an NBA championship and an All-NBA selection with the parent Toronto Raptors themselves.

Sources

• NBA G League official — Toronto Raptors Assignee Pascal Siakam Named 2017 NBA D-League Finals MVP
• RaptorsHQ — Raptors 905 win D-League Championship after defeating Rio Grande Valley, final score & recap