The Toronto Raptors had never advanced past the second round in their franchise history - until now.
Toronto used a huge second-half run to grab a 116-89 win over the Miami Heat in Game 7, only the second Game 7 they've won in franchise history (the first was against the Pacers in the first round this year). They now advance to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Raptors led for most of the first half, but the lead never grew past seven and were up just 53-47 at the break. It wasn't until the second half when Toronto really broke this one open, using a 20-7 run at the start of the third quarter to build a 17-point lead.
As has been the case in this tight series, Miami responded and cut the lead to six with 14 seconds in the quarter, but that's as close as they would get. The Raptors immediately came back with a 32-11 run of their own to close the game, officially turning it into a laugher.
Toronto's much-maligned backcourt stepped for them in a BIG way in this one. Kyle Lowry finished with a game-high 35 points and nine assists, while DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Center Bismack Biyombo also played extremely well with 17 points and 16 rebounds.
Dwyane Wade's 16 points led the Heat, who had all five starters score in double figures. However, Miami shot just 35 percent from three-point range and were out-rebounded 43-25 by Toronto.
Game 1 between the Raptors and Cavs will be on Tuesday at 8:30 pm ET on ESPN.
Back to the Toronto Raptors Newsfeed