Wednesday night had a party-like atmosphere in Toronto, as fans filled not only the arena, but thousands also joined together outside of the arena to watch the Toronto Raptors open the 20th season in franchise history.
Unlike so many of the seasons before it, the Raptors are entering the season with high expectations, coming off of a 2013-14 season that saw them finish as the Atlantic Division champions, coupled with a crushing Game 7 loss at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets. Now just a year removed from lottery dreams, Toronto is viewed both as the division favorite, and as one of the few teams that could give the Chicago Bulls or Cleveland Cavaliers a scare during the second round of the playoffs.
More from Hoops Habit
- The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
Much of these high expectations are due to the All-Star caliber backcourt of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. Last season saw DeRozan turn into one of the top scorers in the NBA, finishing with per game career highs in scoring (22.7.), assists (4.0), rebounds (4.3), free throw attempts (8), and steals (1.1), all on the way to his first All-Star appearance.
Lowry was much the same. He not only shed his reputation of having a poor attitude, but was finally able to put everything together on the court with personal career bests in scoring (17.9), assists (7.4), rebounds (4.7), and three-point percentage (.380), while also taking a career high of 6.3 shots from beyond the arch and leading the league in charges drawn. Despite deserving to join DeRozan in the All-Star game, Lowry walked away as the biggest snub in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto’s success last season was directly related to the success of Lowry and DeRozan, which is why Wednesday night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks should only boost expectations for the Raptors as a whole.
Lowry and DeRozan finished the night shooting a combined 7-for-27 (25.9 percent), but the Raptors still managed to put in a workmanlike effort in handing the Hawks for an opening night victory. They both also found other ways to contribute as Lowry finished with game-high 10 assists, and DeRozan finished with a team-high 11 rebounds, six steals, and 10 free throw attempts.
After DeRozan opened the scoring with one of his standard midrange jumpers, Atlanta responded with a three-pointer by Kyle Korver (the first of six he would hit on the night) to take a 3-2 lead, which would be the only lead Atlanta would have.
Yes, Atlanta went on a few runs to threaten the Raptors, but the game was never out of hand as Toronto was able to push back due to their new found depth.
By late in the first quarter, Dwane Casey even removed every starter and went with a lineup that featured Greivis Vasquez, Louis Williams, James Johnson, Patrick Patterson, and Tyler Hansbrough.
Toronto now has the flexibility to run a 10 man rotation, meaning that Casey has the ability to create mismatches at almost every position and overcome nights when his top players struggle.
Even Atlanta’s head coach, Mike Budenholzer had high praise for the Raptors after the game:
Budenholzer was happy with his team’s ability to simply fight back against Toronto.
Gone are the days that opposing team’s view a loss to Toronto as a game that got away from them. Raptors fans can now get to experience, for the first time in their 20-year history, what it feels like to be viewed with respect throughout the league.