It's a distant memory now, but in late December, the Raptors sat atop the East with a 24-7 record. We all know how it played out after that: the Hawks stopped losing games to take the No. 1 seed, the Cavaliers climbed out of their rut after LeBron James took a sabbatical, and the Raptors trailed off.
Wizards vs. Raptors Game 1, NBA playoffs 2015: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Two premiere point guards, John Wall and Kyle Lowry, duke it out.
Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
After making the playoffs last year for the first time since 2008, Toronto is ready to take the next step. But they’ll need to play more like the team that was a conference leader, not the one that lost nine of 10 games coming out of the All Star break.
Of course, the Raptors' opponent, Washington, had a similar mid-season collapse before cleaning things up a little in the seasons' final quarter. John Wall has still been fantastic, but he doesn't have as many three-point shooters to pass to as he did last season, limiting his effectiveness. Bradley Beal has taken a small step back, in part due to an injury to open the season. Paul Pierce can still hit big shots, but he's a third or fourth option these days.
This game will probably feature a lot of questionable shooting, but Wall battling with opposing point guard Kyle Lowry should make up for it.
Here’s how to watch:
Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Online: WatchESPN
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