TORONTO - Unless something very strange happens, the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards will both make the playoffs for the first time since the 2007-08 season. They have both won precisely one series in the 19 seasons that the Raptors have existed. In other words: These are two of the worst franchises in modern league history.
The Raptors would have been fine extending the drought to six years this year. General manager Masai Ujiri was never going to cash in his assets - his young, cheap players and future draft picks - simply to crack the Eastern Conference's top eight. The team has played well since the Rudy Gay trade, and here the Raptors are.
The Wizards had that mandate, though. As soon as they traded their first-round draft pick for Marcin Gortat in October, the Wizards had to make the playoffs. Anything else would have been an unmitigated disaster that would have resulted in plenty of firings. To solidify the team, the Wizards traded a second-round pick and former lottery pick (albeit a disaster of a selection) Jan Vesely for backup point guard Andre Miller. You do not do that in today's NBA unless either a championship or your continued employment is on the line.
Ultimately, that added veteran depth was the difference in a game that went from sloppy to epic to hilarious within an hour or so. The Wizards won a triple-overtime marathon, 134-129. By the end of the game, the Raptors were playing without four of their best defenders: Terrence Ross, who sprained his ankle in the second quarter, and Kyle Lowry, Amir Johnson and Patrick Patterson, who all fouled out. It is hard to recover from all of that. By the end, the Wizards punished the undermanned Raptors in transition.
The Wizards needed Gortat to stay in the game. He scored each of the Wizards' final three baskets, including a game-tying put-back with five seconds remaining. Gortat wound up with 31 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out in the third overtime. Lowry missed a floater as the clock expired, landing awkwardly on his ankle. Somehow, he stayed in the game in overtime. Lowry had a potential game-winner blocked in the first overtime, too.
For the Raptors, the Gay trade is the deal that keeps on giving. Greivis Vasquez is slow for a point guard, but his collection of floaters and push shots resulted in 26 points against the Wizards. John Wall finished with 31 points. DeMar DeRozan led everybody with 34 points and 58 minutes logged.
Due to the maneuvering, the Wizards can deal with an injury or two. An injury to a starter can derail a team, but the Wizards have Gortat to make up for Nene's presence. There is an obvious loss of depth involved, but they have a survival mechanism.
For the Raptors, an injury could be more problematic. Ross, hardly the most integral player in the rotation, left the game in the second quarter with a sprained left ankle. The Raptors had no natural response. The creaky John Salmons replaced Ross in the starting lineup for the second half, while Lowry and DeMar DeRozan each had to play the first 15 minutes of the half. They both got only short breathers in the fourth quarters. With the injury to Ross and Lowry's late ailment, Salmons had to guard John Wall late in the game. Salmons was giving up just a little bit of speed.
The Raptors, for this year's purposes, could have used another swingman to provide an upgrade on Salmons or another 7-footer to fortify the frontcourt. Ujiri decided they were not worth giving up an asset. The Wizards, obviously, made the opposite conclusion. For one night, it was all of the difference. The reality could feel a lot different come the June draft.
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