If Kyle Lowry couldn’t tell you what angst was before Toronto’s 108-98 victory in Game 5, surely he must be able to now. For the majority of the pivotal swing game, fans were treated to frustrating back-and-forth basketball that saw the Raptors fail to pull away from the Wizards, like they had so many other times during the regular season.
Let’s face it: we’re just not accustomed to seeing close games this year, and the lion’s share of the Raps’ past close-game experience is shrouded in bitter defeat. So seeing the Wizards run up the score to 87-82 with less than nine minutes left in the game, angst is the only word fitting enough to describe the moment.