It was supposed to be different for the Raptors this year, wasn’t it?
We watched them leap the hurdle and earn playoff experience last season. They gritted out wins against an All-NBA talent in Paul George, a Hall of Famer in Dwyane Wade. They got two wins away from LeBron James and the eventual champions, and the fans earned his praise after the dust settled.
Then, Toronto’s core came back intact. They added two defense-oriented veterans at the trade deadline. They geared up for their run, and understood what was needed to get where they wanted to go.