Historical Moments:
1995/96: It only seemed appropriate as Toronto hosted the first game in BAA history on November
1, 1946, as James Naismith the inventor of the game was a Canadian. The Toronto
Huskies would lose that first game to the New York Knickerbockers 68-66.
The Knicks would go on to be a cornerstone of the league that would soon become
the NBA, but the Huskies would fold after just one season with a 15-45 record.
The NBA would not return to Canada for nearly 50 years. When it did return
it brought 2 expansion teams the one in Toronto would be called the Raptors
trying to capitalize on the dino-mania after the release of "Jurassic Park". The
Raptors played their first game on November 3, 1995 beating the New Jersey Nets
94-78 at SkyDome. Their would not be much success that first year as the Raptors
finished last in the Central Division, with a record of 21-61, as they split
2 games against Canada's other expansion team the Vancouver Grizzlies. However,
the highlight of the season had to be their stunning win on March 24th when
the beat the Chicago Bulls, who were in the middle of a record shattering 72-10
season, 109-108 at SkyDome. However, win or lose one player was always exciting
as Damon Stoudamire won the Rookie of the Year with 19.0 pp and 9.3 apg.
1996/97: In their second season the Raptors experienced allot of highs and lows beating NBA
elite teams like the Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz, and Houston Rockets who all made
it to their Conference Finals while losing 3 times to the Boston Celtics who
had an awful record of 15-67. Such inconstancy is the mark of a young team and
the 2 top young stars on the Raptors were Damon Stoudamire who led the team with
20.22 ppg, while rookie Marcus Camby made the all-rookie team while averaging
14.7ppg and 6.3 rpg. However, despite all the promise the Raptors could not avoid
last place as they posted a record of 30-52.
1997/98: After 2 seasons of optimism things fell apart for the Raptors. The troubles started
early in the season with a slew of injuries to Popeye Jones, Marcus Camby, Carlos
Rogers, Walt Williams and Zan Tabak, which led to an early 17-game losing
streak, which buried the Raptors in the first part of the season. The struggles
as well as an ownership change led Executive Vice President Isaiah Thomas, whom
many considered the heart and soul of the organization, to severe his ties with
the team. As the season wore on the Raptors even severed ties with their young
budding star Damon Stoudamire as they traded him to the Portland Trailblazers
along with Walt Williams and Carlos Rogers for Kenny Anderson, Gary Trent, Alvin
Williams, a couple picks and cash, after Stoudamire indicated he would not
re-sign following the season. The Raptors were not done trading yet, as they sent
Anderson, Popeye Jones and Zan Tabak to the Boston Celtics for rookie Chauncey
Billups, Dee Brown, Roy Rogers and John Thomas. With all the tumultuous changes
it was not surprising that the Raptors struggled finishing in last place with
a horrible record of 16-66.
1998/99: A year after taking talented high school star Tracy McGrady in the draft the Raptors
select his cousin Vince Carter who was a star at UNC. However, Toronto fans
would have to wait to see the talented cousins in action as a 4-month lockout
delayed the start of the season. When the season started the Raptors new arena
was almost ready, as they beat the Vancouver Grizzlies 102-87 in their first game
at the Air Canada Centre on February 21st. After years of playing in the spacious
SkyDome the Raptors finally had an arena built for basketball and they clearly
benefited as they finally escaped last place by posting a record of 23-27.
Leading the promising Raptors was Vince Carter who became the 2nd Raptor in 4
years to win Rookie of the Year with 18.3 ppg. At season's end Carter took the
microphone and addressed the ACC crowd after the final game and guaranteed a trip
to the post-season next year.
1999/00: With the off-season acquisition of Antonio Davis for a high draft pick, the Raptors
not only got older, they got a whole lot better. As Davis along with Charles
Oakley who was acquired a year earlier provided veteran stability to a young talented
team. The veteran presence helped make Vince Carter into an All-Star as
he received the second most amount of all star votes ever while stealing the show
in the Slam Dunk Contest which he won easily. Carter would go on to average
a team high 25.7 ppg while his cousin Tracy McGrady finished second with 15.4
ppg, as the Raptors fulfilled Vince Carter's guarantee with a 45-37 record. However,
in the playoffs the inexperienced Raptors would be schooled by the playoff
tested New York Knicks losing in 3 straight games. Following the season, the
Raptors would be jilted by Tracy McGrady, who decided to seek his own fame, out
of his cousin's shadow by signing with the Orlando Magic.
2000/01: After their first playoff appearance the Raptors decided to go after a Hall of Fame
coach, to lead the team to the next step as the hired al-time winingest Coach
Lenny Wilkins. Vince Carter continued to establish himself as the next big star
in the NBA by leading the Raptors with an impressive 27.6 pp, after exhibiting
show-stopping dunks in the Olympics with Team USA. With the continued improvement
of Vince Carter the Raptors would finish in 2nd place with a solid record
of 47-35. In the playoffs the Raptors were matched up against the New York Knicks
for the second year in a row. After splitting the first 2 games in New York
the Raptors appeared to be heading for a disappointing exit again after they lost
Game 3 at the ACC 97-89. However, the Raptors would send the series back to
New York by winning Game 4 100-93. In the decisive 5th game in New York the Raptors
would stun the Knicks 93-89 to advance to the 2nd round. In the 2nd round
the Raptors were matched up against the top seed Philadelphia 76ers. However the
Raptors would give the 7ers all they could handle as the battled tooth and nailed
all the way to a 7th game where Vince Carter missed a buzzer beater with
the Raptors down 88-87, which would have sent the Raptors on the Eastern Conference
Finals.
2001/02: After experience success in the playoffs the Raptors were able to sign Vince Carter
to a long-term multimillion-dollar deal to ensure their marquee stars for years
to come. In addition the Raptors would add even more star power by acquiring
future Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon from the Houston Rockets. The Raptors appeared
to be heading for another strong season as they held a record of 29-21 entering
the all-star break. However, in the final game before the break Vince Carter
suffered a knee injury that would hamper their star for the rest of the season.
In the second half the Raptors lost 18 of 19 games including, 13 straight
games following the break. With all hopes of the playoff seemingly lost Vince
Carter decided to undergo knee surgery. However, the Raptors would suddenly turn
thing around as they won 8 straight without Vince Carter to get back into the
playoff picture. The Raptors would do on to slip into the playoff as the 7th
seed with a record of 42-40. In the playoffs the Raptors would get off to a shaky
start as they dropped the first 2 games on the road to the Detroit Pistons.
However, coming home the Raptors would rebound nicely winning 2 games at ACC to
force a decisive 5th game. In Game 5 at Detroit the Raptors gave the Pistons all
they could handle before losing 85-82.
2002/03: Things looked bleak for the Raptors early in the season as Hakeem Olajuwon announced
his retirement following a disappointing first season in Toronto. In addition
Vince Carter continued to feel the lingering effect of his knee injury as he
missed most of the first half. However, some former teammates and NBA observes
began to question Carter's heart and desire and he didn't seem to be a hurry to
get back in the lineup. This view was even given further ammo when Carter was
dancing on stage with Nelly as the Raptors, were getting blown out by the Hawks
in Atlanta. The Raptors would have all hopes for the playoff buried in January
as they held a record of 8-28, which included a 12-game losing streak. Vince
Carter would return and play most of the second half, averaging 20.6 ppg, but the
Raptors struggles continues as Coach Lenny Wilkins who already held the record
for most career wins set the record for most career losses as a coach, while
the Raptors finished in 7th place with a disappointing record of 24-58. Following
the final game GM Glenn Grunwald apologized to the fans at ACC announcing changes
would be made. He would get started right away by firing Coach Lenny Wilkins.
2003/04: With new Coach Kevin O'Neill the Raptors started the season on a high note beating
the 2-time Eastern Conference Champion New Jersey Nets 90-87. However a few days
later they would set an embarrassing post shot clock record by scoring just
56 points in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. That kind of inconsistency
would become the hallmark of the Raptors all season, at times they looked like
genuine playoff contenders, while others they looked like a last place team. At
8-8 the Raptors pulled off a blockbuster deal with the Chicago Bulls on December
1st acquiring Jalen Rose, Donyell Marshall, and Lonny Baxter in exchange for
Antonio Davis, Jerome Williams, and Chris Jefferies. The Raptors would win their
first 3 games after the deal but won just 1 of 7 following the initially strong
start as the Raptors continued through out the entire first half as they sat
at 25-25 at the All Star Break. However after the all star break injuries would
become a problem as the Raptors won just 8 games the rest of the way finishing
with a 33-49 record. Following the season the Raptors would fire Coach O'Neill
choosing to go with Sam Mitchell.
2004/05: The Sam Mitchell era got off to a good start as the Raptors won four of their first
five games. However the joy was short lived as the Raptors came back to earth
fast, as a disgruntled Vince Carter continued to sulk, which hit rock bottom
in a November 12th loss in Seattle as he told the Supersonics what play the team
was going to run in the waning moments of an 88-87 loss. Through December the
Raptors struggled badly winning just 3 of 15 games, as they finally gave up on
Vince Carter as he was traded to the New Jersey Nets for Eric Williams, Aaron
Williams, Alonzo Mourning, and two first-round draft picks. Mourning a future Hall
of Famer refused to play for the Raptors and forced a buyout as he returned
to the Miami Heat where he had his best years. Meanwhile the Raptors would go
to finish tied for last place in the Atlantic Division with a 33-49 record, while
Chris Bosh started to emerge as the new star of the Toronto with a solid 16.8
ppg and 8.9 rpg in just his second year.
2005/06: Under new Coach Sam Mitchell not much was expected from the Raptors who were clearly
in a rebuilding mindset as they were still feeling the effects of the Vince
Carter deal, in which they got nothing substantial in return, while many questioned
their decision to draft Charlie Villanueva. When the season start the Raptors
were struggling to match even their low expectations as they lost 15 of their
first 16 games. In December the Raptors would show some improvement as they
split 14 games as Chris Bosh put together an All-Star season leading the Raptors
with 22.5 ppg. The Raptors would continue to play .500 ball in an up and down
January that saw them set a franchise record for points in a game while a week
later they were torched by Kobe Bryant for 81 points. January would also see
changes in Management as GM Mike Babcock was fired and eventually replaced by Bryan
Colangelo. The Raptors would close the season much as they begun losing 12
of their last 13, with Chris Bosh injured as they finished in 4th Place with a
27-55 record. The Raptors poor record would have one beneficial side effect as
they won the top pick in the draft lottery which they used on Italian prodigy
Andrea Bargnani, making him the first European drafted number one overall. While
they would trade Charlie Villanueva, who would prove critics wrong by finishing
second in Rookie of the Year Voting to the Milwaukee Bucks for play making Point
Guard T.J. Ford.
2006/07: The new look Raptors would stumble out of the gate, losing 8 of their first 10 games,
as they held a 13-18 record at the start of the New Year. Led by Chris Bosh,
who would be named NBA player of the Month the Raptors would begin to come together
in January as they posted a 10-5 record to get back to the .500 mark taking
over the lead in the mediocre Atlantic Division. In February the Raptors would
play even better as they climbed over .500, with Chris Bosh continuing his
strong play as the Raptors won 9 out 12 games. The Raptors would hit a slight
bump in the road in March as they three in a row and four out of five. However,
showing the ability to bounce back proved that they were in fact a team as good
as their record, as they closed the month winning four of five games, virtually
locking up their first ever division championship. In April the Raptors
would continue to play well wining six in a row to equal a franchise best 47
wins. However, with losses in their final two games the Raptors would only tie
their all-time best record of 47-35. The division title would bring honors to the
men responsible for the turnaround, as Sam Mitchell was named Coach of the Year,
with General Manager Bryan Colangelo winning the Executive of the Year. In
the playoffs the Raptors faced off against the New Jersey Nets featuring former
Raptor Vince Carter. In Game 1 with the Air Canada a sea of red, Carter was lustfully
booed by the Raptors fans. However, the Nets would draw first blood winning
Game 1 by a score of 96-91. Led by Chris Bosh who scored 25 points, with
13 rebounds, the Raptors would bounce back evening the series with a solid 89-83
win. However, in New Jersey the young Raptors with a roster full of players making
their first playoff appearance would struggle losing both games, as the Nets
took a commanding 3-1 series lead. In Game 5 a record crowd at the Air Canada
Centre helped the Raptors fight off elimination as they took control early and
won 98-96, holding off a late charge from the Nets, as Jose Calderon had a career
high 25 points with 8 rebounds. However, the Raptors season would come to
an end with a 98-97 loss in Game 6, as Richard Jefferson gave the Nets a lead
with under ten seconds remaining.
|
