toronto raptors history
toronto raptors history
If your tired of the long, frigid Canadian winter, buy Toronto Raptors tickets and come inside the Air Canada Centre, where the NBA action is red hot. After ridding themselves of troublemaker Vince Carter, the Raptors reloaded their roster with high draft picks. Rookies Joey Graham and Charlie Villanueva will join rising star Chris Bosh to form a core of young talent for head coach Sam Mitchell to develop. Veteran point guard Jalen Rose was brought back to Toronto in the deal that sent Carter to New Jersey midway through last year. Career Raptor Morris Peterson also can provide leadership to the current crop of youngsters. Toronto is in full-blown rebuilding mode. But Mitchell likes the pieces he has to build with. How long with the construction process take? Find out by reserving your Toronto Raptors tickets today.
Along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, the Toronto Raptors brought NBA basketball to Canada in 1995. Former Detroit Pistons great Isiah Thomas became the Raptors first General Manager. A former point guard who led the Bad Boy Pistons of the late 1980's to back-to-back NBA titles, Thomas grabbed a diminutive point guard as the franchise's first draft pick. The selection of Arizona's 5-10 Damon Stoudamire raised some eyebrows across the NBA. But any doubts were quickly answered. Nicknamed Mighty Mouse, Stoudamire's tenacity and long-range shooting earned him the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the All-Rookie Game.
Like most expansion franchises, the growing process was long and tedious. But the additions of young projected superstars like Vince Carter and his cousin Tracy McGrady kept Raptors ticket holders interested. Their patience finally paid off with three consecutive trips to the NBA Playoffs, beginning in 2001-02.
After being eliminated by the New York Knicks in their postseason debut, Toronto tabbed veteran coach Lenny Wilkens to take them to the next level. They also sent McGrady to Orlando for a first-round draft pick, leaving Carter as the main and only reliable scorer on the team. The North Carolina product, known for high-flying antics, avenged the previous playoff loss to the Knicks and headed to take on Allen Iverson and the eventual Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers. It would come down to a last-second shot at the end of Game 7. Carter's fade-away jumper would clang off the rim, eliminating the Raptors from the playoffs.
Toronto would return to the postseason the following year, but would make a quick exit again, falling in the first round to the Detroit Pistons. That would begin a thee-year playoff drought that the Raptors are hoping to break in the 2005-06 NBA season. But it won't be easy. With an abundance of first- and second-year players, head coach Sam Mitchell has his work cut out for him. How long will it take Mitchell to develop the young talent and cash the Raptors' ticket back to the NBA Playoffs? Find out by picking up your Toronto Raptors tickets today.
