Canada's First NBA Championship

Based in Woodstock, ON, Isaiah Belleth has served as a sales advisor with Sport Chek since 2017. When he is not engaging with customers and managing inventory at Sport Chek, Isaiah Belleth enjoys following Toronto Raptors basketball.

In 2019, the Toronto Raptors became the first National Basketball Association (NBA) team based outside of the United States to win the NBA Finals. Prior to the 2018-2019 NBA season, the Raptors had made five consecutive playoff appearances, including a run to the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals. Despite this consistency, team leadership decided a new approach was needed if the franchise wanted to secure its first finals berth and championship. Dwayne Casey, head coach since 2012, was removed in favor of Nick Nurse, while All Star guard Demar DeRozan was traded for San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, MVP of the 2014 NBA Finals.

The moves proved beneficial. Toronto’s 58 regular season wins were actually one fewer than the season before, but the win total remains the second highest in franchise history. Leonard enjoyed a productive season but put up truly impressive numbers once the post-season began.

After a convincing 4-1 opening round against the Orlando Magic, the Raptors were pushed to seven games in the second round by Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. Leonard responded in true MVP fashion, scoring 41 points in a 92-90 Game 7 victory. The Raptors then claimed back-to-back six-game series against the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors.

Leonard was named Finals MVP once again after leading the Raptors past the Warriors, joining LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players to earn the achievement with two different teams.

3 Episodes of The Movement Church Podcast

A former seasonal worker at Thames River Melons, Isaiah Belleth helped transport and sell produce at early morning markets in southwestern Ontario. He now works as a sales associate at Sport Chek in Woodstock, ON. Outside of his professional pursuits, Isaiah Belleth is a member of The Movement Church Woodstock.

Among other digital resources for spiritual growth available to congregation members, The Movement Church produces a weekly podcast titled On the Couches. It also produces a Sunday Message podcast. Here is a look at three recent episodes:

Sunday Message: Mike Miller

Podcast episodes in July featured conversations with pastors across Canada. In this episode, pastor Mike Miller shares how he and his wife launched Nova Church in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

On the Couches Episode 35

This episode explores the will of God and the effectiveness of prayer. It strives to answer the question of how boldly one should pray and why some prayers are unanswered.

On the Couches Episode 32

Although Canada is a progressive country, there is still room for growth in gender equity. This is especially true in church settings. Guest Rachel Ernst shares her own experiences with gender disparity and the benefits of allowing more female voices within traditional expressions of faith.