Toronto Raptors: 15 greatest NBA playoff moments

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Toronto Raptors – Marcus Camby (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

11. 2000 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: First ever playoff game

The Raptors didn’t have much success during their first few seasons in the NBA. In the franchise’s initial four years, Toronto went 90-205 for a combined winning percentage of under 31 percent.

The 1999-2000 season was the Raptors first real taste of success. Second-year player Vince Carter, his cousin Tracy McGrady, along with grizzled veterans Antonio Davis and Doug Christie helped the Raptors secure the first winning record in franchise history. Along with it came a playoff berth.

Toronto would be facing off against the No. 3-seeded New York Knicks. The Knicks were the defending Eastern Conference champions after winning the East as a No. 8-seed the season prior. They were loaded with veterans such as Patrick Ewing, Latrell Sprewell, and others. New York was the heavy favorite heading into the series.

When Game 1 tipped off, the Raptors looked like a team with no playoff experience, while the Knicks looked like they had been there before. New York held Toronto to 12 points in the opening quarter. By the end of the first period, the Knicks had a 15-point lead.

As a young, inexperienced team, Toronto could have folded right then and there. The Raptors didn’t, as they battled and won the remaining quarters by 11 points. The final margin ended up being just four points.

Despite going against one of the best, most accomplished teams in the league, Toronto wasn’t ready yet. But the Raptors at least got to the big stage, cementing their place as a real NBA franchise. It got them ready for the next year, when they would be a legitimate force.