“Thanks again for following along all season. Now, on to the most important playoffs in franchise history!”
That was the last sentence I wrote in the final edition of The Rap-Up last season. Who knew that statement would soon become “one of the greatest accomplishments in Canadian Sports history.”
The defending champions enter the season with a (dip-less) chip on its shoulder. The respect typically bestowed onto reigning champions went out the door and straight to Los Angeles, leaving the Raptors as afterthoughts in most prognostications. As they’ve done for 24 consecutive seasons, Toronto have visions of proving their American counterparts wrong.