The Toronto Raptors may never again have an opportunity like 2018

A missed opportunity could haunt you for the rest of your life. The 2017-18 Toronto Raptors have such an opportunity in front of them — one they should treat like they’ll never see again.

The Grammy-winning song by Eminem, “Lose Yourself,” may not drive the same emotions it once did, but it still carries the same message it always has.

The song is based on a story of an underdog making the best of a golden opportunity. It emphasizes the feeling of having one shot and not missing a chance that may never replicate itself again. The Toronto Raptors are basically a microcosm of those lyrics.

Coming into the season, most would have predicted a Boston Celtics-Cleveland Cavaliers Eastern Conference Finals. While that may still happen, it’s a lot more unlikely than it once was.

Injuries and inconsistent play have hit both Boston and Cleveland several times this season. For Boston, it couldn’t come at a worse time with star guard Kyrie Irving out for rest of the regular season, and possibly beyond. The Celtics were already down key pieces in Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart; they didn’t have room for any other absences.

The Celtics are reportedly optimistic about Irving returning for the playoffs, but it isn’t clear what version of Irving will be present. Kyrie Irving’s injury could spell doom to what many hoped to be a promising season.

More from Toronto Raptors

• NBA Trades: 10 Pascal Siakam deals the Raptors must consider
• Grade the Trade: Warriors become title-favs in proposed deal with Raptors
• NBA Trades: Memphis bolsters their roster in this deal with Toronto
• NBA Trades: This Pelicans-Raptors deal would send a star to the Big Easy
• 3 NBA teams facing do-or-die 2023–2024 seasons

The Cavaliers have also had their share of core injuries and overall team dysfunction. Even at full strength, there’s a question whether LeBron James has the firepower for another Finals run.

The Cavs have had Toronto’s number in the past, but if there’s a time for them to get Cleveland, it’s now. The rest of East is marred with talented but youth-filled rosters, from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Philadelphia 76ers.

That landscape leaves the Toronto Raptors with the most functional and dependable team come April. This year would arguably be their first appearance brandishing either of those titles.

The significance of their opportunity mainly revolves around the combination of their success and the issues of their competitors. Hell, even in the Western Conference, annual top finishers are battling injuries among other problems. The Raptors have evaded those deterrents, bringing heartwarming stories and surprising improvements.

Head coach Dwayne Casey has done a phenomenal job. DeMar DeRozan is having his best season. Role players from Fred VanVleet to OG Anunoby are both playing fantastic as well, keeping Toronto rested before the postseason.

It’s a beautiful story indeed, but it’s a story that some feel would be a third seed at best if things were right in Boston and Cleveland. The Raptors, having one of their most complete seasons in franchise history, have reasons to feel differently.

No matter what side is taken, both Boston and Cleveland will be different next season and should be better. Philadelphia will have another season under their young guns’ belts, and so will Milwaukee. Pat Riley and the Miami Heat can’t be looked past, and who’s to say the Detroit Pistons won’t be the New Orleans Pelicans of next season?

There’s firm hope that the Raptors could improve along with those teams, which is firmly possible. The combination of injuries the NBA has taken on this season is unlike we’ve seen in some time. The likelihood of a repeat next season is slim, however.

For the first time in almost a decade, the Eastern Conference is wide open again. The Raptors have taken advantage of every second during the regular season. Now it’s time for them to do so in the postseason.

Older Raptors fans should remember a time when a Vince Carter-led team was one Game 7 away from the conference finals in 2001.

With Michael Jordan no longer in the fold (temporarily), most assumed that year was just the beginning. Unfortunately, they never regained form. Even with this current iteration finding more playoff success and reaching a conference finals, that long-awaited trip to the NBA Finals has not come to fruition.

Next: 2017-18 Week 24 NBA Power Rankings

It is unknown how these current Raps will finish. Lord knows the city wants the Drake concerts that would follow a historic playoff journey. Either way, this is their best chance, and this opportunity may truly only come once in a lifetime.