With their series win over the Miami Heat, the Toronto Raptors have earned themselves a trip to their first Eastern Conference final. This is equal parts good and bad news.
The good is that the Raptors are in uncharted territory as a franchise and they’ve given their long-suffering fan base something to be generally elated about. If their 56-win regular season didn’t convince you, the Raptors’ mostly clumsy journey to this lookout in the NBA’s landscape should confirm it: this team, while doing it in the most difficult way possible this year, is for real.
The bad is the same bad news that met the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks after them.