For the past seven seasons, the Eastern Conference in the NBA has been ruled by one man - LeBron James. Whether it be with the Miami Heat or the Cleveland Cavaliers, the King has always come close to coming out on top.

This has made it difficult for teams like the Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors to get a footing in the conference, as they're never able to reach the Finals due to the four-time MVP winner and his ability to play ball in the most important times of the season.

The Raptors have been the more consistent team when it comes to dethroning James and his East dominance, as they have finished in the top four of the conference in each of the past four seasons.

However, they have never been able to get the better of him, and in each of the past two seasons, they have actually been knocked out of the playoffs by his Cavaliers team. Nevertheless, this has deterred Toronto.

Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri recently told The Vertical that he is approaching the challenge of dethroning James from a different angle, as he doesn't want his team to simply give in to him.

Ujiri said: “Our job is to beat him. You have to figure it out. If not, then go play in some other league or something. Go play in Greece. Our jobs, and the jobs of the players, [are] to figure out how to beat those guys. If not, you might as well give them the championship before it starts. I understand how good he is and I understand how good those teams are, but those things end.

"At some point, somewhere, somehow, we as leaders of our group, we have to figure out a way and motivate our players and give them the confidence to go out there and compete.”

The last time James was not featured as part of the Eastern Conference representative in the Finals was in 2010. The only time the Raptors have come close to stopping that was when they took two games away from the Cavaliers in the Conference Finals during the 2015-16 season.

No matter what happens with the Kyrie Irving situation, it's still going to be tough for the Raptors to dethrone James and the Cavaliers, but not an impossible task. The Celtics this past season showed it is possible to make the term uneasy. You just have to make sure you deliver a final blow.

"I can’t run and hide under the table just because they tell me those (James-led) teams are that good," Ujiri said. "We want to freaking beat them. That’s the point of the league."