In the end, it wasn't even close. The Raptors beat the Heat handedly in game seven of their second round series to advance to the Eastern Conference finals against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The final score was 116-89.
Prior to tipoff, I was surprised by how little anxiety I felt. It was as if I had seen the game and knew we won. Here's what I tweeted.
I'm surprised how optimistic I'm feeling about this game 7. I sincerely believe we'll win this game.— Toronto Mike (@torontomike) May 15, 2016
Kyle Lowry was unbelievably good. He scored 35 points, added 9 assists and 8 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan wasn't too shabby himself, finishing with 28 points and 8 rebounds. This is the backcourt that led us to the 2 seed in the East.
Bismack Biyombo added 17 points and 16 rebounds, helping us forget that Jonas Valančiūnas was watching from the sidelines in a camouflage suit.
This is now, without a doubt, the most successful Raptors season in franchise history. It's our first conference final, and equals the distance the 2015 Blue Jays went before they bowed out in the ALCS. The Leafs haven't been to a conference final since 2001-02.
I'm not going to worry about what lies ahead. Instead, I'm going to enjoy the fact we've finally won a conference semi-final series. How sweet it is!
