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Look at the Losers: Toronto Raptors

Chris BoshA look at the losers as they get bounced from the playoffs.

After winning 47 games in 2006-07, the Raptors regressed to an even .500 record this year, in part because of injuries to Jorge Garbajosa, Chris Bosh and T.J. Ford. That said, no matter how well they played, there was no catching the Boston Celtics, who won the division by 25 games.

How They Got to the Dance: By being in the Eastern Conference. A 41-41 record would have left the Raps on the outside looking in were they in the West, but it was good enough to result in a No. 6 seed in the East. That said, there's no doubt that there's enough talent on this team to make the playoffs every year, but they need their key guys to stay durable, and it wouldn't hurt if Andrea Bargnani would finally live up to his No. 1 pick status.

How They Got Bounced: Dwight Howard is without a doubt the most dominant center in the NBA today. There aren't a lot of teams who can slow him down, let alone the Raptors, who are used to playing a more of a finesse game. Howard put up three 20-20 games in the series, helping the Magic dominate the boards while a crew of sharpshooters fired away from three-point land.

Can't Blame This Guy: For the third year in a row, Chris Bosh failed to play in more than 70 regular season games. While he needs to address durability concerns to take the next step into full-fledged NBA superstardom, there's no doubting his worth in a short series. His number went up virtually across the board as he averaged 24 points, nine boards and almost four assists a game. But he needs help: he averaged more than twice as many points as any other starter.

Summer Vacation Plans:
First and foremost, Bryan Colangelo needs to figure out who's going to coach his team. My guess is that Sam Mitchell keeps his job unless Colangelo can convince his old friend Mike D'Antoni to take over. Next up is deciding what to do with Jose Calderon and T.J. Ford. I don't think there's any question that Calderon is the best long-term solution, but Ford struggles when he comes off the bench, which means a trade may be the only solution.
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