Toronto Raptors: 15 greatest NBA playoff moments
1. 2016 Eastern Conference Finals: Game 4 vs. Cavaliers
The closest David ever came to slaying Goliath. For a moment, the Raptors were all tied up with LeBron James and the invincible Cleveland Cavaliers.
Coming into the contest, each team had taken care of business on their respective home courts. As the higher seeded team, Cleveland won the first two games. Game 3, the Raptors were able to ride DeMar DeRozan’s hot hand to a somewhat easy victory.
Down 1-2 in the series, Toronto needed to win Game 4 to have any realistic shot of pulling off the upset. With Jonas Valanciunas still out with an ankle sprain, the odds were stacked against the Raptors.
But they came out ready. Despite 27 combined points on 58-percent shooting from LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, Toronto led by 16 at the break. Kyle Lowry put together a herculean effort, dropping 20 in the first half.
More from All-Time Lists
- Best Toronto Raptors players in franchise history from every country
- Ranking 7 worst Raptors starters of the Kyle Lowry era
- 5 players the Toronto Raptors chose to hold onto way too long
- Toronto Raptors: Top 20 No. 13 overall picks in NBA Draft history
- 7 Worst free agent signings in Toronto Raptors franchise history
Then, the Cavaliers made their run. James and Irving continued to light up the box-score, as Cleveland slowly crawled back into the game.
With 8:20 remaining in the third quarter, Toronto trailed for the first time all game. The Raptors were back to their old playoff ways. Typically Toronto choke job.
Except DeRozan didn’t allow that to happen. After the Cavaliers took their first lead with 8:20 remaining, DeRozan scored 12 of the Raptors’ 22 points, going 5-6 from the field in the process.
Kyle Lowry threw in six points of his own. The Raptors’ backcourt, which had been mocked and dragged through the mud so many times, proved its worth. Finally, Toronto proved it could hang on the big stage.
Next. Toronto Raptors: Creating the team’s all-time roster. dark
Of course, we all know how the story finished. The Cavaliers won Game 5 and Game 6 decisively, showing that maybe this series wasn’t as close as we all thought. But for one moment at least, Raptor fans were able to experience true playoff success.