This wasn't the start Raptors fans were hoping for, but that doesn't mean the Raptors are finished. Let's diagnose what went wrong in Game 1 and how it can be remedied.
Saturday's Game 1 loss to the Indiana Pacers was a chillingly familiar sight for Raptors fans. Nervous tension, shoddy execution, bizare coaching moves and, of course, absent star players - we've seen this movie more than once in a playoff setting. That's now seven straight playoff losses for the Raptors dating back to 2014. Given the track record of the Masai Ujiri-era Raptors panic, frustration and outrage that was omnipresent on the Internet and inside the ACC Saturday was entirely understandable.