As hockey is the most watched sport in Canada, fans around the country were disappointed last spring when no Canadian team made it past the regular season, making the Stanley Cup playoffs an all-American affair for the first time since 1970. Amidst the woeful show on ice, the Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Raptors provided solace to the nation when they exceeded expectations and made deep playoff runs in baseball and basketball, respectively.

Around the country, Canadians — who are known for their undying love of hockey — had to settle for something different in April 2016, but they were not disappointed. The Blue Jays left the country in awe when they made their first playoff appearance in 21 years and were only one win away from the World Series. The Raptors followed suit, ending the season two wins away from the prestigious NBA finals.

In 2016, The Toronto Raptors — notorious for being a subpar team, well known for being on the other end of Kobe’s 81-point game and coming off a sweep in the first round of playoffs — had their best season yet. The Raptors hosted the 2016 NBA All-Star game, won a franchise-best 56 games and made the team’s first appearance in the Conference Finals, where they lost to eventual champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers, by two games.

With the success of the Raptors, basketball is becoming one of the fastest growing sports in the country, and it was no surprise when 2.7 million Canadians tuned to TSN to watch the game seven playoff match against Miami Heat during last year’s playoff run. Hockey and lacrosse will always be forerunners, but the hardwood fever is quietly taking over Canada, and the sky’s the limit for basketball in Canada.

The current Raptors team promises winning basketball that will inspire the younger generation to play at the highest level, considering that current Canadian NBA players credit the success of Vince Carter and the 1998-99 Toronto Raptors team for igniting their interest in the game. The 1998-99 Raptors team was previously the most successful, until the 2015-16 squad led by backcourt duo, two-time all-stars and gold medalists, Kyle Lowry and Demar Derozan.

Basketball growth and success is not foreign on University of Saskatchewan campus either. The men’s basketball team won the national title in 2009 and just last year, Huskies women’s basketball team was the best in the country en route to winning the program’s first national championship in March 2016.

The Huskies coach also happens to be the head coach of the Canadian women’s national team which also had a great year, winning the Pan-Am games and qualifying for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Basketball in Canada is growing, both in popularity and skill.

Coming off a franchise-best season, the pressure has never been higher on the Toronto Raptors and if they deliver, the best might be yet to come for Canada in April 2017 when the playoffs begin. After winning 56 games last season, ESPN projects that the Raptors will win between 45-50 games in the upcoming 2016-17 season behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. The core of the team is the same but the Raptors might struggle with losing one of the team’s best defenders, Bismack Biyombo, to free agency.

That being said, the Raptors’ season will not be evaluated based on regular season success but rather on how deep they go into the playoffs. The Raptors needed the maximum number of games to make it past the first and second round last year, but they will have to be even better this year because other teams in the conference have improved through trade and free agency. With the highest ceiling being a conference final appearance, any outcome outside a 45-win season and second round playoffs appearance will be a disappointing season for Toronto.

As the NBA season just started for this year, I suggest you show some support for the Raptors and Canada by watching one or two games. Two hours of basketball mixed with high flying dunks sometimes makes for a good stress reliever, too.

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Tobi Ajayi

Graphic: Paige Sutherland