How these Raptors raised the bar and set a new standard

11:49 PM ET

TORONTO — This was a season to remember: the best in the 21-year history of the Toronto Raptors.

It was a season that came to an end at the hands of LeBron James, an all-time great, and his Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night. But not before the resilient Raptors took James and his Cavs to Game 6, a 113-87 loss.

The Raptors came into the 2015-16 campaign with zero 50-win seasons and zero best-of-seven playoff series victories. They ended it with a franchise-record 56 wins during the regular season and their first trip to the Eastern Conference finals.

Toronto GM Masai Ujiri built a roster that embodied the city, a roster full of hard-working players who overcame adversity to become part of the core.

Kyle Lowry went from immature backup to two-time All-Star leader. DeMar DeRozan, a Raptors lifer, went from being part of all those losing teams to being part of all these winning ones. Jonas Valanciunas went from overseas question mark to interior force. DeMarre Carroll and Cory Joseph went from D-Leaguers to multimillionaires. Bismack Biyombo went from lotto bust to veteran beast.

And of course Dwane Casey went from being …

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