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Raptors' 2-game stretch vs. Cavs, Dubs proved more than previous 3 months

Richard Lautens / Toronto Star / Getty

Before his Toronto Raptors took on the Cleveland Cavaliers without the injured Kyle Lowry or suspended Serge Ibaka - a game that would tip off a 48-hour stretch against three-time defending finalists Cleveland and Golden State - Dwane Casey reminded reporters there was no time for built-in excuses.

"They're not going to cancel the game," Casey quipped. "Guys who have been wanting playing time and needing playing time are going to have the opportunity."

At the time, the prospect of canceling Thursday's nationally televised game against the Cavs sounded like a mercy option for the shorthanded Raptors. Turns out, it would've robbed Toronto of its biggest statement of the season.

Behind their impressive stable of young depth, the Raptors spanked the Cavs by 34 points. Two nights later, still without Lowry, Toronto nearly completed its biggest comeback in franchise history, falling to the Warriors by two points after digging out of a 27-point halftime deficit.

Before Lowry's back bounced violently off the Barclays Center floor seven days ago, the week was set up as the ultimate proving ground for the Raptors, whose offensive overhaul and 60-win pace were waiting to be tested by the NBA's stiffest competition.

Even without their All-Star point guard, Toronto's offense hummed against the defensive lethargy of the Cavs. Fred Van Vleet's career-high 22 points led seven Raptors in double figures, DeMar DeRozan used only 13 shooting possessions while dishing out eight assists, the Raptors drilled 18 of 42 3-point attempts, and recorded 31 assists on 53 made field goals en route to 133 points.

If a national audience, opponents, or the Raptors themselves needed a reminder that their new approach was more sustainable and less reliant on Lowry and DeRozan, Thursday's pummeling of the Cavs did just that.

"They played amazing team basketball," Cavs guard Dwyane Wade told theScore. "Everyone is comfortable with getting the ball and being aggressive. They move the ball around. That's definitely a recipe for confidence.

"The biggest thing is if you're going to the playoffs every year and losing, not getting to where you want to get to, you want to come back every year and get better, until your time comes, and I definitely feel that they're playing different basketball than they've played."

Teams overhaul their offensive systems and defensive schemes all the time when coaches are cycled in and out, or when rosters are rebuilt. What makes Toronto's situation so distinct is that Casey, in season No. 7 on the job, has implemented the changes with largely the same personnel at his disposal.

"It's different when you see a team change philosophically, with the same coach and a very similar roster. It's really impressive," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said prior to Saturday's matchup in Toronto. "They've adapted. They're playing a much faster, wide open game. The ball's moving much more, and they're much tougher to guard."

Raptors offense 2016-17 2017-18
Pace (rank) 97.11 (22nd) 100.67 (9th)
AST Ratio (rank) 14.6 (29th) 17.1 (16th)
3PArate (rank) .289 (22nd) .365 (8th)
ORtg (rank) 109.8 (6th) 110.9 (3rd)

Ironically, the Raptors would ultimately need DeRozan to put on a one-man show in order to hang with the Warriors hours later, as the three-time All-Star poured in 42 points on 35 shooting possessions in a 127-125 loss, but the balanced, two-way attack of Toronto's youngsters still spurred Saturday's second-half rally.

"The second half, the way we played, should be proof that we can compete with them and go toe to toe," Casey said of the Warriors, whose biggest compliment to the Raptors was that they felt the need to close the game with the deadly Curry-Durant pick-and-roll.

Though he and his team refused to accept either game as any sort of measuring stick, Casey spoke of Thursday's win in similar, confidence-building fashion.

"It should give all those guys confidence to know that, 'hey, I belong,'" Casey said of the lesser-known Raptors who stepped up in Lowry's and Ibaka's absences.

Having to go about it without two starters Thursday and then needing to dig themselves out of a massive hole Saturday - with Lowry still sidelined - isn't how anyone around the organization envisioned the week, but between the play of Toronto's up-and-comers and the brilliance of DeRozan, the circumstances might've lent itself to more promising results.

In terms of proving to the basketball world, and perhaps more importantly, themselves, that they're closer than ever to breaking through, the Raptors accomplished more in a 1-1 homestand over 48 hours than they did in a 28-11 start over three months.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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