The new unique Drake-inspired uniforms won’t be the only changes for the Toronto Raptors in the upcoming season.
After being unceremoniously dumped by the lower-seeded Washington Wizards in the first round of the 2014-15 playoffs, just after winning their second consecutive division title for the first time in franchise history, the Raptors made several changes to their roster this offseason in hopes of avoiding a repeat meltdown.
Gone are vets Lou Williams, Greivis Vasquez and Amir Johnson and coming in is free-agent signee DeMarre Carroll, an extremely versatile player that is capable of helping the team in many different ways, just as he did with the Hawks last year in helping them attain the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed.
With Toronto firmly established as one of the better teams in the East, after spending several years as a conference bottom-feeder, out-of-town fans will certainly want to get in on the newfound excitement that is Raptors basketball. Fortunately, this can be done with ease through Hipmunk.com, a fan’s one-stop shop for all basketball destination needs. They sport an array of flights to Toronto from most major airline carriers, while also featuring affordable listings for hotels in Toronto, with rooms starting from $102, for fans who want to stay awhile and soak it all in. The Raptors, after all, are the only NBA franchise north of the border.
Raptors head coach Dwane Casey and his men will find out quickly what they’re made of in the upcoming campaign, as the team will play 11 of their first 14 games away from the Air Canada Centre, including tilts against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat, and the defending champion Golden State Warriors. Toronto opens the season at home Oct. 28, when they take on the Indiana Pacers.
In January, the Raptors travel to London to face the Orlando Magic on Jan. 14 at the O2 Arena as part of the NBA’s Global Games initiative, a trip that will surely amount to more than its share of the 36,994 miles NBAsavant.com estimates the team will travel this season.
Just like last year, the key to Toronto’s season lies in the production of their two stars, electric point guard Kyle Lowry (18 points, seven assists, five rebounds) and the explosive DeMar DeRozan (20 points, five rebounds, four assists). With Carroll now onboard to do much of the dirty work, the two could find themselves even more unleashed on the offensive end.
Host of this year’s All-Star Game festivities (Feb. 12-14), the Raptors have their longest homestand of the season shortly before that in-mid January when they welcome in the Nets, Celtics, Heat, Clippers, Wizards, Knicks and Pistons. This could be a pivotal stretch that potentially gives the Raptors a lot of momentum heading into the break.
Certainly, fans will also be looking forward viewing prices for Toronto Raptors tickets on the secondary market for their meetings with the Wizards this season, after they surprisingly swept the Raptors in the postseason. The two clubs face each other four times this year, with matchups on Dec. 30 and Jan. 26 being at the Air Canada Centre, while their meetings on and Nov. 28 and Jan. 8 will emanate from the Verizon Center in our nation’s capital.
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