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Toronto Raptors · Franchise era 5 of 7

We the North: the Toronto Raptors story

Franchise era

2013–14—2017–18

We the North

Toronto Raptors

The story in one sentence

Toronto won five straight 48-plus-win seasons and reached the 2016 conference finals, even as LeBron repeatedly ended its postseason.

01

Lowry and DeRozan make winning routine

02

Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valančiūnas gave the era its recognizable core.

03

Its ending created the conditions for the championship bet.

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Before 2013–14

    What came before

    A brief reset assembled the guard partnership that would create the most sustained success in team history.

  2. 2016

    Eastern Conference Semifinals: Toronto Raptors vs Miami Heat

    Eastern ConferenceSemifinals
    2016
    TORONTORAPTORS
    MIAMIHEAT
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Eastern Conference Semifinals · 7 games

    Toronto Raptors vs Miami Heat

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 7 · May 15, 2016Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors →Closest game · Game 2 · May 5, 2016Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors →

  3. 2016

    Eastern Conference Finals: Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers

    Eastern ConferenceFinals
    2016
    TORONTORAPTORS
    CLEVELANDCAVALIERS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Eastern Conference Finals · 6 games

    Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 6 · May 27, 2016Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors →Closest game · Game 4 · May 23, 2016Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors →

  4. 2018

    Eastern Conference Semifinals: Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers

    Eastern ConferenceSemifinals
    2018
    TORONTORAPTORS
    CLEVELANDCAVALIERS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Eastern Conference Semifinals · 4 games

    Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 4 · May 7, 2018Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers →Closest game · Game 1 · May 1, 2018Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors →

  5. After 2017–18

    What came next

    Toronto traded a beloved star for Leonard and was rewarded with the 2019 championship, then defended the title proudly after his departure.

The core

Faces of the chapter

01Kyle Lowry→02DeMar DeRozan→03Jonas Valančiūnas→
← Previous eraBuilding the next backcourt2010–11—2012–13Next era →The championship bet2018–19—2019–20