Doc Rivers Congratulates Raptors Following Sixers' Series Win

The Toronto Raptors didn't get off to the hottest start during the 2021-2022 regular season. At a point, Toronto wasn't even in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

But as the season progressed, a lot started to change. When the regular season concluded, the Raptors avoided the NBA Play-In tournament and locked in their position as the Eastern Conference's fifth seed.

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Raptors engaged in a first-round series. At first, the Sixers had total control. Despite going 1-3 against the Raptors throughout the regular season, the Sixers fired off three-straight wins in the postseason.

Eventually, the series got interesting. The Raptors put the Sixers away in Game 4 with an eight-point victory. Although the Sixers were heavily favored in the Game 5 matchup in South Philly, the Raptors gave it their best shot and returned home with a dominant 15-point victory over the Sixers.

Once the series got to 3-2, many began to worry that the Sixers might need seven games to get out of a series they were once on the verge of sweeping. Fortunately for Philadelphia, that wasn't the case.

A tight first-half battle eventually turned into a second-half beatdown in Game 6. As the Sixers entered the second half with a new life, they cruised past the Raptors with a 132-97 win to close out the series.

While the Sixers were dominant against the Raptors in a few of their first-round matchups, Philly's head coach Doc Rivers credited Toronto for offering stiff competition. He also congratulated the Raptors on turning things around and putting up a good fight throughout the 2021-2022 season.

Doc Rivers Applauds the Raptors

“I would like to say congratulations to the Raptors," said Rivers after Game 6. Considering the Raptors certainly made the series more interesting as the final games approached, Rivers believes Toronto made the Sixers a better team.

"I thought this series made us a better basketball team," he continued. "We actually needed them in some ways. We are a new team, and we’re still growing, so with all the switching and all the different things they did, I thought it was really good for our team. I thought it was really something good to go through."

The Raptors will go back to the drawing board as they enter the postseason early. Meanwhile, the Sixers will continue their playoff run with a series against the Miami Heat, which is set to begin next week. It's unclear just how prepared the Sixers are for the first-seeded Heat, but Rivers believes they are stronger heading into that series because of their first postseason opponent.

"We obviously came out winning the series 4-2, and it was really good," Rivers finished. "But we were pushed. And we were pushed because of them, and I thought that was great.”

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.