Toronto Raptors season ends in Game 7 sadness
The Toronto Raptors pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games, but that's as far as their playoff run will go.
Tied at halftime, the Raptors were competitive in Game 7. They even held a 20-10 lead early on.
Then the second half began.
The Cavs waged an offensive onslaught, outscoring Toronto 38-19 in the third quarter, and never looked back. Cleveland held on for a 114-102 win and will play the Detroit Pistons in the second round.
The Raptors didn't win a single game at Rocket Arena in Cleveland during this series, as the home team won all seven contests.
Scottie Barnes (24 points) and RJ Barrett (23) led the way offensively for Toronto, while Cleveland's leading scorers were Donovan Mitchell (22), Jarrett Allen (22), and James Harden (18).
The Raptors were without Brandon Ingram for a second consecutive game due to injury. They also missed Immanuel Quickley again -- he was unable to appear in any games during this series.
While it ended in disappointment, the Raptors took a big step forward this season, finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 46-36 record and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in four years.
While obviously disappointed after losing in Game 7, Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković was beaming with pride when speaking about his his team during the post-game press conference.
"We gave it all. We gave everything we got today. Guys were awesome. They were fighting for every possession. They were fighting for everything on the floor," Rajaković said.
"I'm really really proud of this group and the fight that they brought. Not just in the game tonight, but the whole series and the whole season. I think we created a culture that we're one of the hardest-playing teams in the league. We put a lot of pride in that. Our main guys, they love to play that way... I'm really proud of the campaign we had this year."
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