It was a week of anxiety, then relief, for the Raptors. A loss in Boston on Saturday put their backs to the wall in a fight for the East’s top seed, then confidence slid further as LeBron James and the Cavaliers put a beatdown on the team on Tuesday.
Thankfully, the young Raptors were at the fulcrum of a comeback on Wednesday, as the team returned (in spurts) to a defensive identity and energy that had been missing for the better part of a month. The really cool part of the win over the Celtics, one that basically assures them a #1-seed heading into the post-season, was that we saw every single young Raptors player have tangible impact.