The Toronto Raptors appeared to be in store for a nightmare first-round playoff matchup against the New York Knicks, whom they struggled against all season.
Instead, with a little help from the undermanned Boston Celtics, they leapfrogged the Atlanta Hawks to secure the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed. Toronto will now face the Cleveland Cavaliers in Round 1, with coach Darko Rajaković seemingly aware of his squad’s good fortune.
Darko Rajaković, Raptors Looking to Capitalize on ‘Amazing Opportunity’ Against Cavaliers
The Raptors took care of business against the Brooklyn Nets 136-101 during Sunday’s regular-season finale, finishing with a strong 46-36 record, a 16-win improvement from last year’s 30-win finish.
While the victory guaranteed Toronto a playoff spot, it was at the mercy of the Orlando Magic to decide its final seeding after finishing tied with the Atlanta Hawks (46-36) for the East’s fifth seed.
If the Magic (45-37) had beaten the Celtics, who sat out eight rotation players, including stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, they would’ve matched Toronto and Atlanta’s win total, resulting in a rare three-way tie. The Hawks would’ve then landed in fifth via their division-winning tiebreaker.
However, the Magic improbably fell 113-108 against Boston’s B team, dropping them to the eighth seed and allowing the Raptors to secure the fifth spot after sweeping their season series against Atlanta 4-0.
Toronto is now slated for a No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup against Cleveland (52-30), which it also swept 3-0 this season. Perhaps more importantly, the Raptors will avoid the third-seeded Knicks (53-29) in the first round, whom they went 0-5 against, looking severely outclassed.
“We never set a goal of this seed or that seed, we were just focusing on our work, focusing on things we can control, and the hands played out well for us,” Rajaković said postgame.
“We never set a goal of this seed or that seed, we were just focussing on our work, focussing on things we can control, & the hands played out well for us,” — Darko Rajakovic on guiding Raps to playoffs for first time, and 16-win jump from a year ago, 21 from year before that.
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) April 13, 2026
Regarding the Raptors drawing the Cavaliers for his first playoff appearance as a head coach, Rajaković embraced the challenge head-on.
“They have an amazing team, amazing coach. Everybody thinks that they’re one of the contenders, and I agree with that,” Rajaković shared.
“They’re loaded, and they made good decisions at the trade deadline. … It’s going to be an amazing opportunity for us.”
Darko’s first impressions of Cavs matchup: “They have an amazing team, amazing coach. Everybody thinks that they’re one of the contenders and I agree with that. They’re loaded and they made good decisions at the trade deadline… It’s going to be an amazing opportunity for us “
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 13, 2026
While Toronto has enjoyed success against Cleveland, all three victories came back in October and November, before the franchise acquired James Harden ahead of February’s trade deadline.
The 11-time All-Star’s addition has given the aspiring contender a proven facilitator and backcourt scorer to initiate offense for its Donovan Mitchell-led core, which finished top six in the NBA in offensive rating (118.3). The Cavaliers went 19-7 across 26 outings with Harden in the lineup to fortify their playoff seeding.
As for the Raptors, they have routinely struggled against upper-echelon competition throughout most of the season.
Brandon Ingram has proven to be a seamless fit as a go-to scorer alongside Scottie Barnes’ versatile attack. Meanwhile, Toronto has taken major strides defensively, obtaining a top-five defensive rating (112.1).
Still, questions linger surrounding the team’s lack of experience and shooting. The Raptors also have few answers for Cleveland’s star frontcourt duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, with starting center Jakob Poeltl looking like a shell of himself.
That said, per TSN’s Josh Lewenberg, the Cavaliers “are the only top-10 team the Raptors had a winning record against” this season, presenting a glimmer of hope that Rajaković and Co. can pull off an upset.
