The Toronto Raptors are making a return to the NBA playoffs after a three-year absence.
Toronto ended the regular season with a 46-36 record to finish in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, beginning on Saturday.
Despite needing a 16-win jump from the 2024-25 campaign to reach this point, Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said that this is exactly where the team expected to be from the beginning of training camp.
“Internally, this is where we thought we’d be,” Webster told TSN1050’s First Up on Friday. “At the beginning of the year, I think it was great that the players were talking about the playoffs. It was the standard they were holding themselves to, whether or not the media and critics felt that way about us.”
A lot of things had to go right for the Raptors to put themselves in this position. The team was looking for strong years from superstar swingman Scottie Barnes and 2025 trade-deadline acquisition Brandon Ingram
Ingram was acquired by the Raptors in February of 2025 from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for swingman Bruce Brown, centre Kelly Olynyk, and two draft picks. The 6-foot-8 forward was in the middle of an injury-plagued season that saw him appear in only 18 games with the Pelicans.
The two-time all-star was able to stay healthy this season, appearing in 77 games and led the Raptors by averaging 21.5 points per game.
Barnes continued his superb all-around play by being one of two players in the NBA to average at least 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and one steal this season, joining Houston Rockets forward Alperen Seguin. The 24-year-old was able to do this while shooting a career-best 51 per cent from the field and playing a career-high 80 games.
Combined with the progression of rookie Collin Murray-Boyles and sophomore forward Ja’Kobe Walter, the team’s expectations have come to fruition.
“Everyone had a bit of a chip on their shoulder [after last season], which seems to do well for Raptors players over the years,” said Webster. “Having said that, we haven’t done anything yet. We’re going to the playoffs, and we have to prove that the regular season wasn’t a fluke. I think that’s another challenge for us, but it’s not weighing on them too much.”
Despite the fact that the Raptors haven’t been to the postseason since the 2021-22 season, many of their key players have playoff experience.
Barnes was a rookie during the Raptors’ last appearance, falling to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. Ingram appeared in the playoffs twice as a member of the Pelicans, while swingman RJ Barrett, guard Immanuel Quickley, and centre Jakob Poeltl have all experienced postseason action earlier in their careers.
Webster says the message to the team has been to keep things consistent as much as they can from the regular season and to make sure their focus is on the full 48 minutes of the game.
“For the playoff experience, the message to our team has been to keep our routines the same, play our game,” said Webster. “All the things we can control like the flights, hotel, dinners, and practices have been by the book and fortunately, Cleveland is maybe the easiest city for us to travel to.
“For the young guys, we just want them to keep it simple and to do what they did in the regular season. Obviously, [Saturday] the lights will be bright, and it’s going to be loud, energetic, and there will be ups and downs. I think it’s a good reminder that you can be up 10 points one second and down 10 points soon after. They need to play all 48 minutes.”
The Cavaliers are a team that the Raptors are very familiar with in their playoff history. The two teams have tipped off three times in the postseason with Cleveland winning all three, led by the legendary superstar LeBron James.
This season’s matchup will be the first without James, but it won’t be without its share of stars.
Led by guards Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, the Cavaliers finished fourth in the East with a 52-30 record. The hold -460 odds to beat the Raptors in the first round, according to FanDuel.
“With Cleveland, it starts with the two all-star guards in Harden and Mitchell. You have to slow those guys down,” said Webster. “We’ve been a top defensive team all year and that’s been our identity. Even going back to the end of last year, [head coach Darko] Rajakovic and his staff created the culture that if you’re going to play, you have to play defence.
“That has boded well for us as the season went on. It’ll be a battle of wills and styles, as all playoff series are. We have hung our hat on the defensive end and if we can slow those guys down, we can give ourselves a chance.”
