TORONTO -- Giannis Antetokounmpo vowed that with his teammates' backs against the wall, the Milwaukee Bucks wouldn't fold.

The Bucks had suffered a disappointing Game 5 loss to the Toronto Raptors and, for the first time in the 2019 postseason, were facing elimination Saturday. Antetokounmpo said then that he couldn't ensure the Bucks would win, but he was certain they would fight.

Through three quarters of Game 6, the Bucks didn't fold. It was a game of pendulum swings. The Bucks fought hard, earning double-digit leads, only to see them wane. Then they built them back up again. Toronto ended the third quarter on a 10-0 run that cut the Bucks' once 15-point lead to five. That proved to be the turning point in Toronto's 100-94 series-clinching win.

"They just made tough shots," Malcolm Brogdon said. "We made our mistakes, and they capitalized."

It wasn't supposed to end this way. After nearly every one of the Bucks' regular-season wins, Antetokounmpo or Brogdon or Khris Middleton would say that the win was nice, but they were playing for something bigger.

That "something bigger" was never identified by name, but the underlying, unnamed truth was that the Bucks had their eyes on a Finals appearance.

"I think we had a great year," Middleton said after the game. "Sixty wins, one of the best teams in NBA history. Got past the first round, which we struggled with for a long time. Just fell short of our goals."

Like in Game 5, the Bucks got off to a hot start in Game 6, building a 31-18 lead by the end of the first quarter. But slowly, the Raptors crept back. Each time Toronto scored, the home crowd erupted. Each bucket, after all, got them one step closer to the team's first Finals appearance in franchise history.

With two minutes left in the game, fans inside Scotiabank Arena began to bounce. Each time the Raptors scored, pushing their lead from one to four and eventually to six, the scoreboard flashed video of the scene in Jurassic Park outside the arena, where thousands of fans stood cheering.

Toronto's win was sealed by two free throws from Kawhi Leonard.

The Bucks locker room after the game was somber. Players dressed quickly and quietly.

"Experience. You have to go through some things to get to where you want to go," Middleton said. "So hopefully we learn from this and move on."

Afterward, Milwaukee's players and coaches climbed the steps to their team buses and drove slowly through the sea of partygoers and Raptors faithful who had waited decades for their team to earn an NBA Finals berth.

A Finals appearance for the Bucks will have to wait at least until next year.

TORONTO -- After the confetti fell on the Raptors, fresh off of their 100-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals Saturday night that sent Toronto to the NBA Finals for the first time in history, the team's president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri was asked on TNT's telecast how the trade for Kawhi Leonard turned out.

"He's the best player in the league," Ujiri said as the sellout crowd inside Scotiabank Arena -- all 20,478 of whom were still in their seats -- roared in approval.

"And we're happy he's in Toronto."

Just as he has all throughout these playoffs, Leonard was dominant again in Game 6, finishing with 27 points, 17 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks to lead the Raptors to a fourth straight victory over the Bucks as Toronto -- the team that has fallen short so many times over the past few years -- finally had its day in the sun.

It did so because of the trade Ujiri swung for Leonard last summer, sending out franchise icon DeMar DeRozan -- along with Jakob Poeltl and a first-round NBA draft pick -- for the superstar forward plus Danny Green. After the Raptors had seen their season end for three straight years at the hands of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Ujiri was determined for things to be different.

And, thanks to Leonard, they are.

"I don't really judge my game like that," Leonard said when asked about Ujiri's comments. "I'm more of a team-aspect, see-what-my-team-is-doing [guy]. I just want to win. I don't care about being the best player. I want to be the best team. I've always said that.

"Before the season, when we made the trade, Masai felt that way about me. He told me how he felt and why he made the trade.

"It's turning out well now. We're in the Finals, and we're not done yet."

It looked as if this would be a very different outcome late in the third quarter Saturday, when Toronto was trailing 76-61 and the crowd was all but silent. But then the Raptors ripped off a 26-3 run over the next eight minutes of game action -- capped by a massive Leonard dunk following a steal by Kyle Lowry with 6:46 left, making the score 87-79.

"It was a kind of momentum-capper," said Lowry, who finished with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists. "We kind of were on a run, and why not feed the big dog? Let the big dog eat."

At the time, it felt like the beginning of a victory lap for the Raptors -- but that feeling was short-lived. Milwaukee immediately responded with a 7-0 run over the next 90 seconds to pull back to within one, setting up a tense final few minutes.

Throughout it all, though, Toronto never trailed again. A beautiful driving Lowry layup pushed Toronto's lead back to three, and then back-to-back 3-pointers by Marc Gasol and Leonard gave the Raptors a 95-90 lead with 3:04 left.

While the final few minutes were frenetic, Milwaukee never had another chance at a tying shot.

Eventually, the game ended with Leonard -- who else could it be? -- knocking down a pair of free throws with 3.9 seconds left after corralling a free throw miss by Pascal Siakam to give the Raptors the final margin of victory and finally set the celebrations in motion both inside Scotiabank Arena and among the tens of thousands of fans congregated outside of it in Jurassic Park.

Even Drake, who was in his customary courtside seat wearing a hoodie with "Kawhi Me A River" written on the back, was in on the fun.

"I think first of all, to accomplish what we've done, winning the Eastern Conference, you've got to really truly believe you can do it," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. "That was kind of my message from Day 1 of training camp: We've got a good team here, we've got good players, we've got depth, we've got a lot of things. We've got to understand that there are a lot of good teams in the East, but we're right up there. I think that belief started things, and I think we always kind of thought that. So that's the starting point.

"And Kawhi is like -- I don't know how many more good things I can say about him. He's just so good. And again, I'm seeing a level of competitive greatness out of him. It's just his willing us to win and him grabbing those rebounds and willing those shots in, almost it seems like, and going down and locking up somebody and taking the ball from them. It's what it is; it's great competitive desire."

It was only a week ago the Raptors found themselves down 0-2 in this series and being counted out by many before even playing a single game on their home court. But the thing that made this Raptors team different than previous iterations was Leonard.

For months, there have been skeptics regarding Toronto's decisions to monitor Leonard's minutes so closely this season -- to the point where "load management" officially entered the NBA lexicon. There were doubters about the need to make such a move for a player few ever gave the Raptors a chance of keeping beyond this season. Throughout these playoffs, though, Leonard has delivered time and again -- most notably with his incredible shot to win the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers, one that bounced on the rim four times before falling through the net.

Saturday night's performance didn't quite require those heroics. But Leonard provided more than enough to lift the Raptors to the NBA Finals and to make Ujiri's declaration to the crowd afterward far from a foolhardy one.

"It's great," Leonard said of returning to the NBA Finals for the first time since winning Finals MVP with the Spurs in 2014. "I worked so hard to get to this point with the season I had last year, just always betting on myself and knowing what I feel and what's right for me. I ended up coming here with a great group of guys, a lot of talent. And I just strived with them every day.

"I just kind of bought into their system. Kyle helped me a lot with my transition, on the court and off the court, asking him questions, him just pushing me on the floor, as well, and letting me know what to do in situations when he calls plays. All that hard work just put together.

"Now we're here, and it's exciting."

TORONTO -- There's very little about Kawhi Leonard that screams "mindfulness guru," but as the Toronto Raptors gathered on the bench during a timeout in the midst of the team's big 26-3 run in the second half, he told his teammates, "Enjoy the moment, stay here, stay together, we're good," according to Raptors guard Norman Powell.

The Raptors did enjoy the moment, did stay together and were so good they erased a 15-point deficit late in the third quarter in less than four minutes of game time. This explosive spurt was the most consequential stretch of basketball in this NBA postseason, vaulting Toronto to a 100-94 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals Saturday night, and the first NBA Finals appearance in Raptors' franchise history.

"It's what you play basketball for, for those moments," Powell said. "The one thing Kawhi really stressed to us was just to enjoy it. Don't get too out of character, just enjoy the moment and continue to go out there and just lay it on the floor. So it was an amazing feeling just to be able to battle and chip away at it.

"It's how you make history."

The 26-3 surge took less than eight minutes of game time, but it was an action-suspense film. The sequence was befitting of a Raptors' postseason run that was highlighted by Leonard's dominance but also complemented in recent days by timely contributions from many of the supporting cast who have endured cold snaps.

The first stage was mounted with just over two minutes left in the third quarter, and the Raptors trailing 76-61 -- it was an exhibition of rugged dominance by Leonard. Toronto ripped off the final 10 points of the quarter, eight of them scored by Leonard, the other assisted by him -- a hook shot from close range by Serge Ibaka.

These were not Leonard's most artful eight points on the night -- an awkward step-through leaner in traffic, a 21-foot jumper moving left off a pick-and-roll and four free throws sprinkled in. Yet it was the sort of heavy manufacturing the Raptors desperately needed to stay within shouting distance of Milwaukee as the game entered the fourth quarter. During that span, Leonard also corralled four defensive rebounds off Raptors misses, and collected one of his own free throw misses as well. With Leonard's individual exploits, a 15-point deficit was now cut to five headed into the fourth.

"He's been here before," Raptors guard and longtime Leonard teammate Danny Green said. "He's very comfortable in those situations. When the bright lights get brighter, his game rises and he knows how important it is. He makes the big plays, whether it's getting shots or getting rebounds."

Leonard was scheduled for a short blow to start the fourth quarter, which presented the Raptors with one of their toughest assignments of the postseason: maintain their momentum without the player who propelled it. With Kyle Lowry returning to the lineup with Powell, Ibaka, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, the Raptors ignited the most improbable 3½ minutes of their postseason. It started with VanVleet, who slithered into the lane off a nice stack play, cutting the lead to three points.

"When [Leonard] is on the floor we all defer a little bit to whatever he wants to do," VanVleet said. "So you have to take a little more initiative with playmaking."

Ice cold for much of the playoffs, VanVleet's reemergence over the past week -- a stretch that coincided with the birth of his first child -- had been a bellwether of the Raptors' reversal in the conference finals. Those struggles were one reason why roster depth seemed to favor Milwaukee dramatically in the series. But the elevated play of VanVleet and Powell in recent days had flipped the script for Toronto, with the big run in Game 6 another display. With Lowry, a teammate he regards as a mentor and older brother, VanVleet took the controls of the potentially fateful six possessions of the season, without Leonard.

The Raptors scored on four of those possessions without Leonard to take the lead. As has often been the case when the Raptors are on their game but Leonard isn't on the floor, the ball popped for the Raptors. VanVleet and Siakam attacked Milwaukee with a pick-and-roll, with Lowry moving into the space vacated by VanVleet on the perimeter. As soon as the kickout hit Lowry, he quickly swung a pass to Powell, who was open in the corner, as the ball beat the Bucks' rotation.

The Raptors tied the score on the next trip down when Lowry slung a beautiful pass to Ibaka, who snuck behind a collapsing Milwaukee defense. Then, the Raptors snatched their first lead since the opening minutes with another VanVleet-Siakam pick-and-roll that yielded Siakam a silky floater.

"You get in the game, you want the score to go the right way," VanVleet said. "As a player, you're conscious of that -- not to the point that it affects decisions, but you want to feel the momentum of the game change. To be able to get ourselves going and get ourselves some offensive momentum was big."

As Leonard checked back into the game, the score was going the right way -- a five-point deficit at the start of the quarter had transformed into a two-point lead. Leonard had taken his rest, and with his return, the Raptors sustained their rhythm to the delight of a raucous Scotiabank Arena crowd. Toronto scored seven of the game's next nine points, including a step-back 3-pointer courtesy of VanVleet, and the tour de force -- an emphatic dunk by a trailing Leonard on a break, left for him by a crafty underhanded shuttle pass from Lowry.

"It was a momentum kind of capper," Lowry said. "We kind of were on a run, and why not feed the big dog. Let the big dog eat. I'm always going to look for the guy that I know can finish with the best of them. That's what he did."

A dynamic run like the one the Raptors enjoyed Saturday night must, almost by definition, be as driven by defensive stops as by offensive scores. And for every 3-pointer and transition bucket, there was a less photogenic sound rotation and ball denial. Whether it was Siakam switching onto Eric Bledsoe and inducing an off-balanced runner toward the end of the third quarter, or a brilliant sequence after a turnover early in the fourth in which the Raptors blunted a half-dozen actions by Milwaukee in a possession that resulted in a desperation heave by Hill at the shot-clock buzzer, the Raptors put on a defensive clinic during the run.

"Our communication, scheme, switching, blitzing, our rotations, contesting shots, all those things have been growing here since the start of the playoffs," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. "The other thing is there are some moments, like stretches -- we call them consecutive stops -- and there are some stretches where it's darned hard to complete a pass against us. That wears into a team after a while when you're up into them and you're denying, and everybody is just that connected and playing that hard."

The Bucks were worn, as the Raptors maintained the lead until the final horn sounded and confetti fell. A Toronto team that had been entirely dependent on Leonard succeeded both with him and without him during a historic run that will have a prominent place in the franchise's time capsule.

ATTICA, Ohio — This year will mark the 12th season Ohio Logistics has been the title sponsor of the Brad Doty Classic.

The 31st annual Ohio Logistics Brad Doty Classic Presented by Racing Optics will hit the track at Attica Raceway Park on Tuesday, July 16 featuring the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car Series.

The 2018 Brad Doty Classic saw 50 drivers compete for the $10,000 top prize with 10-time series champion Donny Schatz claiming the victory.

“I feel so fortunate Ohio Logistics President and CEO Chuck Bills and his family took an interest in our race 12 years ago and signed on as the title sponsor,” said Brad Doty. “It’s been an incredible and long-lasting partnership and all of us at Attica Raceway Park are so thankful for their continued friendship and support.”

Ohio Logistics provides innovative warehousing, distribution and transportation services to clients with local or global logistic requirements.

This year will mark the 15th consecutive season the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series has sanctioned the Ohio Logistics Brad Doty Classic Presented by Racing Optics.

There have been 22 different winners in the 28 contested Brad Doty Classic features (two have been rained out).

ORRVILLE, Ohio — The Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 fell victim to Mother Nature yet again, this time at Wayne County Speedway.

Heavy rain and high winds invaded the Orrville, Ohio-area just after 4 p.m. and lasted nearly 20 minutes, ultimately leaving Wayne County Speedway heavily saturated.

Additional heavy rain fell on the speedway just before 6 p.m. leaving All Star and Wayne County Speedway officials with no choice but to cancel the evening program. The event has been rescheduled for Monday, Sept. 2.

Mother Nature is now responsible for 12 cancellations and/or postponements during the last 14 All Star Circuit of Champions events.

Tony Stewart’s All Star Circuit of Champions will conclude their three-day, Memorial Day weekend sweep of the Buckeye State with a Sunday night visit to Fremont Speedway on May 26.

TULSA, Okla. – Concerning two-day events with the American Sprint Car Series, an amendment has been made to the ASCS rule book in regards to lock-in drivers from the first night.

The Top-Four drivers from the first night of competition will no longer lock into the second day of a two-day show, meaning all two-day events are treated with each night as it’s own standalone event.

One thing not changed is that, in order to be eligible for the redraw on the second night, the driver must have drawn in and attempted to compete on the first night.

“I apologize for making the change after the season started. We talked about this last season and meant to make the change before PRI, and it got overlooked,” said ASCS founder Emmett Hahn. “We raced last weekend at I-96 Speedway and honored it because it was already a part of the weekend program, but going forward there will be no lock-ins from the first night to the second on ASCS two-day events.”

Events like Dirt Cup, Knoxville 360 Nationals, and the Hockett/McMillin Memorial do not follow the two-day format and are special events with unique formats that use event points.

The rule now reads as follows:

“On the second night for a two-day event at the same track, all drivers will re-qualify. No lock-ins from the first night. The top four in passing points (who drew in and attempted to compete on the first night) will draw for positions one through four, with the next four drivers in passing points drawing for positions five through eight.”

KNOXVILLE, Iowa – Heavy showers and a bit of hail during 410 time trials was too much for the Knoxville Raceway to take Saturday night during Slideways Karting Center/Knoxville Hospital & Clinics Night.

The wet grounds caused a cancellation of racing.

Racing resumes at the black-dirt half-mile oval on Saturday, June 1 with McKay Group/West Bend Insurance Night.