The Toronto Raptors entered the NBA playoffs seeking validation.
What they have found is more cause for concern and confusion.
Two consecutive first-round exits were supposedly behind them. This was a different version of those same teams—a more practiced and polished squad that would legitimize a second-place finish out East, with the second semifinals berth in franchise history, presumably followed by the right to challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers for an NBA Finals bid.
The Raptors are alive, still within reach of an Eastern Conference Finals appearance; those ambitions have not been squandered. Yet.
But if it wasn't clear before, during a near-implosion in the first round against the thought-to-be-inferior Indiana Pacers, it's transparently evident now, after Tuesday night's Game 1 home loss to the Miami Heat: Toronto is running out of time for any of its past regular-season claims (from this year or previously) to matter at all. Another failure could trigger its offseason undoing.
Familiar Problems
For most of ...
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Article written by Dan Favale