The Raptors and Thunder have turned the NBA playoffs upside down.

Do we know anything about the Toronto Raptors beyond Jerry Stackhouse is one of their assistant coaches and Bismack Biyombo is an old Charlotte Bobcats castoff? Kyle Lowery and DeMar DeRozan are all-star caliber veterans scoring 30 points each, and Biyombo has come off the bench as a reserve center to grab 30 rebounds in the last two games, evening the Eastern Conference finals series with the Cleveland Cavaliers that was supposed to be over by now.

The NBA did not get the Cavaliers-Miami Heat match-up it wanted; the Raptors have made it a better series than anyone expected. Toronto might even win and spoil LeBron James’ plan to bring a professional championship to Cleveland for the first time in 52 years and then bolt back to Miami or to the Lakers. Even if the King and his Cavaliers survive, who knows if they can beat surprising OKC?

The Thunder are tonight’s fourth game in the Western Conference finals away from taking a 3-1 stranglehold on that series with defending NBA champion Golden State and two-time MVP Stephen Curry. Their blowout victory over the Warriors in game three, coupled with their first-game upset, have put Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in position to play for their first NBA title.

The Thunder has done it so far by playing small ball and beating Golden State twice at its own game. They are playing their best basketball of the season after struggling early under new coach Billy Donovan. But Durant and Westbrook have a supporting cast equal to any of the remaining teams, and a win tonight will give them a chance to end the series in game 5 back in Oakland.

This is not how it was supposed to go, folks. Cleveland had won 17 straight Eastern Conference playoff games dating back to last season and looked like it was going to sweep the Raptors as it had the Pistons and Hawks. But now the Cavs are in the same dogfight the Warriors find themselves in the West. At this point, it’s anybody’s title and the possibility of the NBA’s worst TV nightmare: The Raptors versus the Thunder for the world championship.

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