Close games against bad teams have been few and far between for the Raptors so far this year, a stark change from years past when letdowns against lesser teams was fairly common. In the past, these near inexplicable losses could be pointed to as key factors in the Raptors missing out on the Eastern Conference’s top seed. The absence of those disappointing games this year has played a major part in the current optimism surrounding the team.
The Raptors, for the most part, have stomped down the league’s cellar dwellers by huge margins, but tonight’s tense win against Brooklyn was a different kind of victory against a less talented team.