Not many would have predicted that a place in the NBA Finals could be decided by a 23-year-old center named Bismack Biyombo.
When Bismack Biyombo signed for the Raptors last summer on a 2-year, $5.75million contract, there wasn’t a great deal of celebration. Up until this point in his career, the player hailing from the Democratic Republic of Congo hadn’t shown any sign that he’d be able to have a great impact on any NBA team’s championship hopes. Brought in as a back-up center to Jonas Valanciunas, Biyombo’s signing didn’t look like one which would affect the Raptors’ chances of a deep playoff run.