That’s A Rap #180: Raptors season comes to a bittersweet end

Toronto’s amazing underdog story reached its sudden conclusion approximately six minutes into the third quarter of Game 6.

The Toronto Raptors had fought valiantly becoming the 14th team in league history to force a Game 6 after losing the first three. Ultimately, Joel Embiid was an unstoppable force and Philadelphia received solid contributions from James Harden, Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, and Danny Green when the Philadelphia 76ers needed it most.

In the latest episode, we broke down the final game of the Raptors’ season with an eye toward the future. How would you rate Toronto’s season?

In This Episode:

3:40 — Therapy session

In a season like no other — where the Raptors had the Rookie of the Year AND an All-Star in the same season (and possibly an All-NBA player too) — nobody was hanging their head or was heartbroken after getting eliminated from the playoffs.

11:35 — Bright future

Even while the team was hovering around the .500 mark and unsure of their play-in position, Nick Nurse kept preaching that this Raptors team was a playoff team and that he wanted the young players to get meaningful playoff experience. It’s safe to say he achieved that goal. Precious Achiuwa showed promising signs guarding Embiid and Harden. Gary Trent Jr. battled through illness to provide some necessary scoring. Most importantly, Scottie Barnes showed no decline from his outstanding regular season — despite an ankle injury — and solidify his place as Toronto’s next superstar.

25:25 — Resilient Raptors

There’s a reason no team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit. All it takes is one bad shooting night (or a hot one from the opponent) for the series to end. However, if there’s one thing Nurse has proven during his Raptors coaching tenure, it’s that his resilience rubs off on his players. The team battled back and gave the Sixers a serious scare. How serious? Doc Rivers threw Tracy McGrady and his Orlando team under the bus as an excuse for his losing ways!

32:00 — Thank you

With the season officially over, it’s time to give out flowers. On this site, Josh has been an endless stream of support for our podcast. As we approach our 4-year anniversary, it never ceases to amaze me to see how this little podcast with die-hard Raps fans has grown. If you’ve ever listened, clicked, interacted, tweeted, or wrote to us, we thank you!