It’s never easy for the Toronto Raptors, right? It should be the franchise motto; they could put it on a T-shirt. Even in the best era in franchise history, nothing has ever been easy for the Raptors, except for losing. There are always rocks in the water, somewhere.Unless, of course, you learn to sail. The Raptors played a Game 2 without the weight of a Game 1 loss on their shoulders Tuesday night, and they were mercilessly, joyfully good. A 44-point first quarter, an 18-point lead at the half. The Washington Wizards were bickering. The Raptors looked free. And when the inevitable run came, it was … fine. Wizards point guard John Wall led a charge, and the lead was down to 108-103 with 7:52 to go. This is where previous Toronto teams might buckle; this is where previous teams might fall.Read more: Opinion | Dave Feschuk: Teamwork and timing on Raptors’ side in Game 2 winRecord-setting Raptors trounce Wizards againWizards need short-term answer to Raptors’ long-range successBut these Raptors are something new. They got a little lucky, sure. C.J. Miles salvaged a brutal possession with a crazy long three; Delon Wright blocked a Wall floater right before it started to come down. They were just on the side of right. Next thing you know, Toronto stomped on the accelerator, scoring 17 of the next 21 points, and putting the Wizards in an 0-2 hole with a 130-119 win. This is what good teams do, when challenged. The last time the Raptors won Game 1 of a best-of-seven had been 2001. The last time the Raptors went up 2-0 in a playoff series was never.“We strong as a team, we not strong as individual players,” said Jonas Valanciunas, who had 19 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks in just 23 minutes. “We did it as a team. We were great defending, helping each other, more than our own strengths. I think this is team sport and when you play it together, support each other, help each other, it’s fun. It gives you extra confidence ...
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