There was a much happier time around the Raptors when they were enjoying the bump they got from the trade deadline acquisition of Jakob Poeltl, when they were playing well and winning at a high clip.
A time when climbing the Eastern Conference standings was the goal and they dared to dream about climbing as high as sixth to guarantee a playoff berth.
Seems such a long time ago.
As they begin yet another vitally important stretch of the schedule with seven of their next eight games at home, the Raptors — losers of three straight and four of five — find themselves clinging precariously to a spot in the play-in portion to get to the playoffs.