5. GAME 5 VS. INDIANA PACERS – 2016 PLAYOFFS ROUND 1
Coming into this series, the Raptors hadn’t made it out of the first round in 14 years. That’s a long time for even the worst franchises in the league.
The team had been getting a bad rep for their playoff performances in the two seasons prior and looked to be outmatched yet again, despite being the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference.
Looking back on it we now know, the Raptors made it out of this series unscathed, finally taking a step forward with the Lowry, DeMar DeRozan teams.
However, halfway through this one, it didn’t look like that was going to be the case.
Usually, when a series goes to seven games, the seventh game is looked at as the most important or exciting to watch back. In this case, that’s not true. This game was way more entertaining and will have you sitting on the edge of your seat screaming at your TV.
When a series is tied at two, game five is generally a deciding factor as to who’s going to win the series. I can remember coming into this game feeling like it was a game seven.
Unfortunately, since you know the outcome, the luxury of those emotions you feel while watching these types of games won’t fully be there. But, I promise you, when the Raptors finally tie the game up after being down as much as 15 points, you won’t be able to contain it.
There are a few reasons this game is great to watch.
First of all, as mentioned, the Raptors made a huge comeback which was capped off by an iconic fastbreak slam from Norman Powell
Even more fun to watch than that was DeRozan and Paul George dueling it out on the offensive end of the floor. DeRozan ended the night with 34 points while PG put up 39 and played more than 40 minutes.
Just remember, Game 7 doesn’t always have to be better.