Toronto Raptors

Record: 47-35

Overall ranking: 525^th, 0.682 points above average

The 2006-2007 Toronto Raptors crawled off of the endangered species list and clawed their way to the first division title in franchise history.

Toronto seemed destined to extend a string of four consecutive losing seasons when it lost eight of its first 10 games.

Fortunately for the Raptors, they played in the putrid Atlantic Division. All five teams in the division possessed losing records for most of the first half of the season. Toronto quickly climbed into contention for the division lead.

The Raptors moved above the .500 mark for good with a five-game winning streak that started January 31. The first victory in the surge – against the Washington Wizards – gave Toronto the division lead for keeps. The Raptors finished 47-35 and won the division by six games.

First-year general manager Bryan Colangelo, who built the Phoenix Suns into a high-scoring powerhouse, engineered Toronto’s 20-win improvement. Seventeen players suited up for the Raptors during the 2006-2007 season. Only six of those players remained from Toronto’s 2005-2006 roster.

Observers referred to the Raptors as Phoenix North because of the Colangelo connection. In truth, Toronto got better because it tightened up its defense. The Raptors allowed 98.5 points per game – way down from the 104.0 points per game they yielded during the 2005-2006 season. Toronto scored 99.5 points per game for an average point differential of +1.0 points per game – just the second positive point differential in franchise history.

All-Star forward Chris Bosh proved worth his offseason contract extension by averaging 22.6 points and a career-high 10.7 rebounds per game. Raptors coach Sam Mitchell received the league’s Coach of the Year award.

The player many Toronto fans blamed for the four losing seasons preceding the division title run brought the Raptors’ bounce-back year to an end. Vince Carter led Toronto to three postseason berths at the start of the decade. But Carter’s popularity dwindled as his scoring average plummeted from 27.6 points per game during the 2000-2001 season to 15.9 points per game during the first half of the 2004-2005 season, resulting in a trade to the New Jersey Nets.

Carter promptly raised his game to its former heights when he joined the Nets, raising the ire of the Raptors’ fans. Their anger did not dissipate after Toronto’s series against New Jersey in the first round of the 2006-2007 postseason. Carter averaged 25.0 points per game as the Nets upset the Raptors in six games.