In a postseason full of hope, heartbreak, and familiar tales of woe, the Toronto Raptors look to redefine their narrative once again. Last night’s nail-biting victory over the Philadelphia 76ers serves that agenda particularly well.
As the seconds ticked down, and the clock ran out in Game 3, that once felt feeling of existential dread – the one that has plagued the Toronto Raptors postseason ambitions year after year – was back.
On the road against a lower-seeded foe, the Raptors were punched in the mouth as one of the best players in the NBA went to work, bullying a dejected Toronto team into effectively giving him their lunch money.
It seems as if, once again, the proverbial glass ceiling would be no more than a mirror, and staring back at them was the failure of every team before this iteration.
Game 4 was a season-defining game, but also much more than that. It could well be the end of the line in some cases. The trajectory of the team was under scrutiny. Players needed to step up and not suffer from the stage fright on the biggest stage of them all.
Unfortunately, the emotional rollercoaster of Game 3 had taken its toll and the Cleveland Cavaliers swept the series yet again.
This time had to be different, right?
Canada's a great and beautiful country, but it's soft! And so is it's basketball team! Just sayin.... https://t.co/pINfoOp76i
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) May 3, 2019
Soft.
That was what the so-called “experts” called the Raptors after the humiliating Game 3 loss against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Maybe an element of that was true.
Outside of Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam, the team was largely a no-show, fuelling the unwanted narrative that has plagued the Raptors for longer than time itself. That opinion was fuelled by a nescient belief that the Raptors were the same team as years have gone by and that there was no real point to even fathom otherwise.
It wasn’t the team that we have seen time and time again though, even after losing yet another Game 1 in the first round of the playoffs.
The Raptors beat the curse in round 2, running the Sixers off of the court in Game 1. It served as the entrée to a potential rebirth for a team looking to redefine themselves one last time.
And, just like last year, they were faced with the same crisis.
Would they fold and begin to prove everyone with a microphone and an ill-informed opinion right, or would the Raptors look to push back against the narrative?
For some, the eulogy was penciled in before the Raptors even had the chance to be resuscitated.
But it was different this time, just like it is every year.
Toronto brushed themselves off and prepared for war against a talented Sixers team. With Siakam a game-time decision, much anticipation around the game was around the Raptors supporting cast and who – if anyone – would step up and share the load with Kawhi Leonard.
Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol were guilty of passing up open looks in Game 3, but both players redeemed themselves in Game 4. Finishing with a combined 30 points and 10 assists, their contribution was much needed as the Raptors ground out a win in front of a hostile Philadelphia crowd.
Bouncing back from a humiliating performance takes guts, especially when the chips aren’t in your favor. The Raptors could have collapsed mentally and just taken another beating, just like they did against the Cavaliers last year.
But they didn’t. They showed up when the moment was right. When the city of Toronto needed them to. To inspire hope one more time.
This game could well turn out to be one of the biggest games in Toronto Raptors history. That’s not hyperbolic, it’s a matter of fact.
Soft teams lie down. The Toronto Raptors don’t.