What a ride it has been. I thought I would stick to the theme of optimism in the past 48 hours by revisiting everything that made this season so memorable. Due to so many factors, combined with the deepest playoff run in franchise history, it was clear that this was a landmark season for this club. Not only was it a leap in the right direction, it was a turning point in many ways that took Toronto to new heights in the eyes of the global basketball community.
Training Camp and the new Kyle Lowry
Coming into Training Camp, there were a few storylines around this Raptors team. What stood out the most was the shape in which Kyle Lowry arrived for the start of the season. In what was almost an Infomercial-esque transformation, Kyle Lowry took league headlines by storm by returning with a significantly slimmer, and toned physical stature. After what he called an embarrassing end to the 2014-2015 campaign, Lowry returned with the clear goal and mindset to have a deep playoff run, and this time by remaining in tip top shape in order to do so.
The Raptors seemed confident and focused on competing, winning at least one playoff round, and cementing themselves as a contending team in an eastern conference that was expected to be better and more balanced than last year. The Raptors also were adamant that DeMar DeRozan’s contract situation would not be a distraction to the team, and that DeRozan would address those matters when the time came at the end of the season. For Raptor fans however, it was clear that the questions surrounding DeMar and whether he’ll end up with a max contract next year (and whether it would be with the Raptors), would be the topic of conversation throughout the season.
The highs and struggles of the regular season
The Raptors started the season with a league-best 5-0 record (tied only with the Warriors at the time), and showed early signs of a team with the balanced offensive and defensive capability to hang with the toughest in the league, and make winning plays when it mattered most. They did, however, show signs of inconsistency as well, with the struggles of Patrick Patterson and Terrence Ross letting the Raptors bench down on most nights in November and December. But the strong play of Cory Joseph kept the bench afloat, and provided the Raptors with a winning punch on many nights. And especially on one memorable night in Washington D.C (where else?).
The Raptors had huge early-season wins on the road against the Thunder, Clippers and Hawks, and at home against Cleveland, San Antonio, and Dallas. They finished with a record of 11-7 in November, and were 18-12 by Christmas. With Kyle Lowry playing in his usual early-season form, and DeMar DeRozan catching steam with more efficient shooting as the season progressed, the Raptors seemed to be good on most nights, but had a long ways to go. 18-12 was good, but the team knew that record could have been a heck of lot better.
Like any other season, the Raptors were hit with the injury bug in 2 major ways. A fractured metacarpal for Jonas Valanciunas, who sustained the injury on the road in Los Angeles on November 20th , was an injury that would define the season of his backup. Bismack Biyombo stepped in to the starting role and did so admirably – averaging 8 points and over 11 rebounds on 51% from the field during the month of December. Jonas returned on December 28.
On January 6, the Raptors announced that after experiencing discomfort in his right knee, DeMarre Carroll was to have arthroscopic surgery, a procedure that was not meant to address any ligament or structural damage, but rather to repair cartilage, reduce swelling and to keep the knee stronger. With a record of 21-14, the Raptors were 7th in the league in most power rankings, had a net rating of +3.5, and had a reputation of being an efficient offense and a reasonably strong defense. Things seemed….manageable. And without the services of Carroll, the Raptors went on an absolute tear in January, winning a franchise record 11 games in a row, and going 12-2 in the month. That included a grueling victory against the Orlando Magic in London, England.
By mid-January, the Raptors gained separation in the standings and found themselves in second place in the conference with a comfortable lead. The time was now to make their mark and solidify their position going into the playoffs.
The all-star game and home stretch
February was highlighted by all-star game festivities in Toronto – a historic achievement for the city and basketball in Canada. In the first All-Star game outside the United States, Toronto played host, in frigid temperatures, to a fantastically memorable weekend, highlighted by one of the greatest dunk competitions we’ve seen in a while.
The game itself was an offensive explosion with record-setting results, as the West beat the East 196-173 and Russell Westbrook took home MVP honours. The weekend was a reminder as to how far this city and franchise has come since their first season back in 1995. For the Raptors, it was extra special as the franchise sent 2 all-stars to the game for the first time since 2001 (VC and Antonio Davis). And with the second half of the season looming, the Raptors looked to ride their 2 all-stars and cement themselves in the upper echelon of the eastern conference.
The Raptors went 21-9 in the final 30 games after the all-star game, a stretch that featured more impressive victories – probably the best one of the season coming at home against Cleveland to clinch the regular season tie-break with the Cavs. Kyle Lowry had easily his best regular season performance as a Raptor that night – one that will also likely go down as one of the best individual efforts in franchise history.
In a log-jammed conference where at times, only 1 game separated seeds 3-7, the Raptors after carving out their second seed in the east, still had no idea who they would play in the first round. Even with a few days left in the regular season, the jury was still out and depended on a multitude of variables, including the quickly fading Chicago Bulls (who were thankfully eliminated on April 10). And only 2 days after an impressive victory by the Raptors 905 (seriously) over the Pacers on April 8th, the Raptors learned that their first-round would kick off against the Indiana Pacers.
The Raptors beat the Pacers with their third-string lineup that night, which was a career night for Normal Powell, the surprising young rookie from UCLA that turned out being the best second-round pick in franchise history. It was clear that once the playoffs arrived, this guy could have a major impact.
The playoff run
The expectation was to win at least one playoff round, hopefully two. With the underdog Pacers to face the Raptors in the first round, everything seemed like it was in line for the first 7-game series victory in franchise history. But, in Game 1, every Raptors fans’ nightmare came true. Even against the lowly Pacers, the Raptors dropped game 1. But, similar to how they did all year, the Raptors bounced back with resilience to take the series in 7 games – the ultimate roller coaster ride for Raptor fans, who even after a 7-game series win, would take anything they could get.
If you haven’t checked out Open Gym (seriously – how?), it’s pretty amazing. I think the episode covering the Pacers/Raptors series was awesome and would probably do better justice in summarizing the series, especially from a behind-the-scenes perspective.
The Raptors then moved on to the face an experienced, and slightly-favoured Miami squad that took 7 games themselves to take care of the Charlotte Hornets. In spite of a flurry of Dwyane Wade 3’s and clutch shots, daggers from Goran Dragic and contributions from Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson and others, the Raptors fought off the Heat (without the services of Bosh and Whiteside) without their starting centre in hand either. On the grandest of stages, the Raptors sealed the series win with an inspiring and dominating Game 7 performance, fueled by the unbelievable performance of…you guessed it…KLow.
Again, Open Gym’s summary was pretty epic.
And with a trip to the Eastern Conference finals booked, the Raptors could have easily mailed it in. They were clearly happy to be there, there was no pressure whatsoever, and finally, the Raptors were actually the underdogs. Starting the series on the road was tough, but winning 2 games on their home floor showed toughness, and proved that despite the talent disparity, when Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are both locked in, the Raptors can hang with anyone.
And though Cleveland sealed the series in 6, the season, in retrospect was a grand success. With the expectation of winning a playoff round, and establishing themselves as a team that could finally enjoy some post-season success, the Raptors achieved all those goals and more. They won a franchise-record 56 games, won their division once again, had 2 all-stars, and took a talented, championship-calibre Cleveland squad to 6 games in a conference final. Unbelievable.
Looking Ahead to 2016/2017
The Raptors have plenty to proud of and have a reasonably bright future to look forward to. They’re coming off the most wins in franchise history, have 3 straight division titles (still something, and banner-worthy), have one of the most stable coaching situations in the league, have 2 (and likely will continue to have 2) all-stars, and now have the experience of being in a conference final and with 20 more playoff games under the team’s belt. For Masai Ujiri, the pursuit of perfection will never stop, as the Raptors will aim to address some key offseason question marks, including re-signing DeMar DeRozan, handling the Bismack Biyombo situation accordingly based on the situations of JV and Terrence Ross (those 3 form a trio that likely can’t co-exist), as well as potentially obtaining a starting-calibre power forward that can play both ends of the floor. Of course, this is something we have gained trust in Masai to do, after his trading of Bargnani, his acquisition of Biyombo, Cory Joseph and DeMarre Carroll last year, and several other low-risk and potentially high-reward moves that have kept the franchise moving forward. I expect Masai to treat this off-season no differently. And while the summer is here, let it be known that the North will rise again.
