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The Raptors are back in the playoffs!

Auteur: All Buzznews

2022-05-31 13:20:09

In their last playoff appearance in 2019-20, the Raptors lost in seven games to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern semifinals .

United States

Credit: © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Last season was a tough one for the Toronto team, who played all their games in the United States due to numerous health restrictions. They finished 12th in the Eastern Association with a record of 27 - 45.

Kyle Lowry

Credit: © John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

In August, the Raptors officially went into rebuilding mode by trading Kyle Lowry to the Miami Heat. The undisputed leader of the team, he played the last 9 seasons in Toronto.

Toronto

Credit: © John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Following the departure of their #1 point guard, expectations were not very high for the upcoming season. But at least the team is back at home and would finally play in front of their fans.

An encouraging start

Credit: © Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

An encouraging start to the season, 6 wins in their first 9 games despite the absence of Pascal Siakam, gave way to a 10 game losing streak. They are ranked 12th in the East after 22 games.

Resilience

Credit: © Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

On January 29, the Raptors travel to Miami with a 23-23 record to face the powerful Heat who are ranked 1st in the East. Nick Nurse's team showed great resilience and won in triple overtime.

Hopes are high

Credit: © John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

This win against Miami was the first of an 8 game unbeaten streak. On February 10th, the Raptors are in 6th place in the East, only 4.0 games out of first place. All hopes are high.

Fred VanVleet

Credit: © John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The absence of the injured Fred VanVleet is felt and the Raptors will lose 7 of their next 10 games. Nevertheless, the RapTors are still in the race for 7th place in the East with 18 games to play.

Pascal Siakam

Credit: © Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Led by the outstanding performance of Pascal Siakam (26.6 pts/game) the Raptors win 14 of their last 18 games and finish the season ranked 5th in the East and secure a playoff spot. They will face the 76ers in the first round.

Raptors-76ers

Credit: © John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Everyone remembers the last Raptors-76ers matchup in the 2018-19 playoffs... Kawhi Leonard's miraculous 3-point shot with 0.3 seconds left in Game 7 of the East Finals had the entire country buzzing.

Joel Embiid

Credit: © Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Led by Joel Embiid, the NBA's leading scorer this season (30.6 pts/game), and following the trade that brought James Harden to Philadelphia, the 76ers are heavily favored to win this year's duel.

James Harden

Credit: © Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

However, James Harden's performances have been disappointing since his arrival with the 76ers (21.0 pts/game) and he has yet to prove anything in the playoffs.

Pascal Siakam

Credit: © Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Pascal Siakam who had a disastrous end of season last year has regained his confidence and is playing exceptionally well this year. He is the most used player in the NBA (37.9 min./game) and has had 14 games over 30 points this season.

Fred VanVleet

Fred VanVleet has become a great leader and has fittingly replaced his mentor Kyle Lowry as the Raptors' point guard. He had his best season of his career with averages of 20.3 points, 6.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 3.7 3-point shots per game.

Scottie Barnes

Many doubted Scottie Barnes' selection at #4 in the 2022 draft. His performance totally vindicates the Raptors in selecting him and he is a serious candidate for Rookie of the Year.

Gary Trent Jr.

Gary Trent Jr. acquired in the deal that sent Nick Powell to Portland also had his best season ever (18.3 pts/game) and is proving to be a formidable weapon from the 3-point line (38.3% success rate).

Chris Boucher

Quebec's Chris Boucher has obviously gained the confidence of his coach and has played an important role at key moments. He is dominant in rebounding and has had 7 games of 20+ points this season.

Defense

No superstar in the Raptors, but a team with depth that never gives up and is excellent defensively. They could very well surprise the 76ers in this series.