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Here's a sentence I didn't think I'd be typing at this time of the year: Tonight, the Toronto Raptors take on the Nets in Brooklyn looking for their 56th win on the last day of the regular season. (I had them down for 47 wins.) We made it.
There are obviously a lot of factors that have gotten us all, collectively, to this point. Real quick: Kyle Lowry over everything, DeMar DeRozan's continued evolution, the contributions of the bench -- in isolation and when working together, the explosion of Norman Powell, Dwane Casey's roster management in the face of injury, the Atlantic Division's general badness, and more. Just allow that to marinate in your mind. Then consider:
Not with team for tonight's game at Brooklyn: DeMarre Carroll, DeMar DeRozan, James Johnson, Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas. #rtz
— RaptorsMR (@RaptorsMR) April 13, 2016
In short: Who's ready for some funky lineups? Who's ready for some questionable basketball? Who's ready for some Bruno?
For some additional reading on the best and worst of the Raptors' 2015-16 season, check out Eric Koreen over on Sportsnet.
Then, read John Gaudes' preview of the game, because this is important.
Then, get in the comments?