Toronto Raptors Clinch Playoff Berth with Victory over Dallas Mavericks

The Toronto Raptors are going to the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

The Raptors clinched their spot in the postseason Saturday with a 94-86 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Toronto had to fight through adversity this season to reach the playoffs. Shortly after the All-Star break, it announced guard Kyle Lowry needed wrist surgery and would miss significant time.

It could have been a devastating blow given Lowry's position as an All-Star and one of the leaders of the team, but Toronto won the first three games without him and has won 11 of 16 since the announcement of the injury. 

Much of the credit for that development goes to DeMar DeRozan, who made his third career All-Star Game this season and has carried the offense for stretches as one of the league's premier scorers. He is averaging 27.2 points per game as his team's go-to option and will be called upon to continue his impressive effort in the postseason.

The Raptors also bolstered a forward rotation that already included DeMarre Carroll by adding Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker via trades.

They now have a deep rotation that will look to build on last season's Eastern Conference Finals appearance, where they lost to the eventual champion Cleveland Cavaliers. Making it that far was an important step for Toronto considering it lost in the first round the previous two seasons, but it ultimately ran into LeBron James.

For so long, the Eastern Conference has been James' team—be it the Miami Heat or Cavaliers—and everyone else. The Raptors are part of a group of formidable challengers looking to change that this season.

The Raptors, Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards have all battled for postseason positioning, and Toronto finished with an impressive 3-1 mark against Boston and 2-1 record against Washington.

However, it lost its first three head-to-head matchups with the Cavaliers with the regular-season finale remaining. That pattern of losing against Cleveland will have to change if the Raptors are going to take the next step this season and reach the NBA Finals.