TORONTO — There have been closeout NBA playoff performances like that before in Toronto, but they were performed by guys wearing Cleveland Cavaliers jerseys. In the end, it was a 115-96 Raptors victory for a fourth straight win that took the first-round series by a 4-1 margin. It was, in other words, exactly the kind of comprehensive series win that tends to happen when a strong two-seed meets a weak seven-seed in the NBA playoffs. Except it was also exactly the kind of comprehensive series win that the Toronto Raptors had never previously managed in their 24 seasons. They had Danny Green and, eventually, Marc Gasol, defensively sound veterans who gave added protection to the Raptors’ traditionally soft playoff underbelly.

Source: National Post April 24, 2019 02:18 UTC