Seeding has been decided, late-season momentum is a myth, so why exactly do the Toronto Raptors final games matter? Well, because sitting for multiple weeks before a playoff series would throw players off their rhythm, and generally, whenever you have a basketball team on the court you at least want to push them towards playing their best.
With a remarkably easy schedule, the Raptors have been heating up as of late. Despite a few shaky efforts and a couple of DNP-rests (under a new name at this time), they’ve won five straight. With beatable opponents in each of their last three games, they could enter the playoffs with eight straight wins and a franchise-record-tying 59-23 record.