Just like that, with a gutsy 105-99 Game 4 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Toronto Raptors have given us a real Eastern Conference Finals.
And a reason to believe.
It has been a tumultuous few weeks for the Raptors' playoff stock. They entered the postseason as the East's clear second-best team and, to many, were the biggest obstacle standing between the Cavaliers and another NBA Finals berth.
But by the end of Round 2, having endured seven-game sets against the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat, Toronto didn't stand a chance of rattling Cleveland, let alone upsetting them.
At the conclusion of Game 2, the Eastern Conference Finals were seemingly over. The Raptors lost both contests by a combined 50 points, their true colors on full display, revealing a silhouette of a pretender rather than a true contender.
Optimism didn't even shine through after their Game 3 win. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were terrible, combining to shoot 4-of-28 from the field. Bismack Biyombo (26 rebounds), DeMar DeRozan (32 points) and Kyle Lowry (20 points) were in beast mode at the same time. It was the Cavaliers' fi ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Dan Favale
Is It Time to Start Taking Toronto Raptors Seriously?
May 23rd, 2016 by Dan Favale Leave a reply »
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