Despite Immanuel Quickley’s absence and Brandon Ingram’s struggles, the Raptors pushed James Harden, Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers to the brink of elimination. RJ Barrett, the hometown kid, saved Toronto’s season in Game 6 with a heroic game winner that hit the back heel of the rim, bounced all the way up to the top of the shot clock and back down through the net. Although the Raptors’ magic ran out in Game 7 once the Cavs took control in the second half, Barrett’s moment is one for him and the entire city to remember for some time as it had all the Kawhi Leonard vibes. Even with a disappointing end to the season, the Raptors took a step forward this season. In year three under head coach Darko Rajaković, they improved from 30 wins to 46 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2022. Toronto didn’t even have to go through the play-in tournament to do so thanks to a surprising Magic loss to the Celtics’ reserves on the final day of the regular season.…