The Raptors have often conspired with their playoff opponents to turn each series into what can charitably be described as a rock fight. Hard-scrabble play, messy execution, a lot of missed shots — Toronto has seen some ugly post-season basketball over the past few years. It’s what made this series with the Philadelphia 76ers so frustrating to watch after Game 1. We knew this iteration of the Raptors could be better.
In Game 5, we got the good version once again, and then some. After a seesaw first quarter, the Raptors began to assert themselves, blowing a close game wide open by outscoring the Sixers by 20 in the second (37-17), and never really looking back.