CLEVELAND — The end of something unexpected or the start of a new adventure. 

Either possibility lies ahead of the Toronto Raptors as they get ready for Game 7 of their first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night. 

If they lose and their season comes to an end, it will be with the comfort of a job well done after a campaign that saw the Raptors exceed all expectations except perhaps their own with 46 wins and a fifth-place finish in the East. And had the series with Cleveland been brutish and short — and it certainly looked that way after a pair of double-digit losses to the heavily favoured Cavs — there would have been some uncomfortable questions about how the Raptors might build from here. Instead, extending the series to seven games has opened some eyes regarding the Raptors' collective potential going forward. 

If they win, it will vault the Raptors into the second round for the first time since 2020, when the team was still being lifted by the vapour trail of their 2019 championship. A second-round series against the winner of the showdown between Detroit and Orlando — Game 7 in that series will tip off at 3:30 this afternoon in Detroit, so the Raptors will know who will be waiting on them by the time the ball goes up for their game tonight (Sportsnet ONE, 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT) — will give a Raptors team driven by their youngish talent another crucible to advance their growth. 

As we await the unknown, a Raptors notebook to tide everyone over. 

Raptors-Cavaliers........

© Sportsnet