The Toronto Raptors rounded off their regular season with a final record of 58-24 with wins against the Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves, following a loss to the Charlotte Hornets. How did everyone fare this week?
Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to Toronto Raptors playoff basketball. Without a doubt, the most exciting time of all.
As of Wednesday night, the Toronto Raptors finally found out their opponent for the opening round of the playoffs: the Orlando Magic.
Interesting times lie ahead, the Raptors should comfortably progress to take on the Brooklyn Nets or the Philadelphia 76ers, but we’re not here to predict the future. We’re here to talk about the past week, it’s what we do. You know that by know.
There wasn’t an awful lot left to play for this week. The Raptors would need to better the Golden State Warriors record down the stretch to guarantee homecourt advantage for a potential NBA Finals matchup. They accomplished that, with the Warriors finishing one game behind the Raptors in the overall standings.
One road win in their final two trips would also break the franchise record for most road wins in a season, set last year at 25 wins.
Despite losing to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night, the Raptors went on to defeat a depleted Minnesota Timberwolves squad in their final game of the regular season. That game will be remembered by some as “the Chris Boucher game”, due to his career-high in points, rebounds, and assists. Why yes, Boucher does feature in the column this week.
Sandwiched in between a loss and a win was another win, this one coming against the Miami Heat. The win all but sealed Miami’s fate of a summer without the playoffs. It also ruined the chance to see Dwyane Wade in the playoffs one last time. That’s an unfortunate circumstance, but winners win. Regardless of that result, Wade is definitely a winner. What a career, man.
But hey, who else balled out this week?