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Following tonight's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Toronto Raptors have now broken a tie with the Sacramento Kings for the most consecutive losses in a Game 1 scenario, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
The Raptors have now lost 10 straight Game 1s, breaking a tie with the Kings (1981-2001) for the worst mark for an active team.
Toronto is now 1-12 all-time in Game 1s — a feeble 0.083 win percentage, the worst among active franchises and the second-worst all-time among all franchises. The only worse one? — the Sheboygan Red Skins, who only played one season (1949-50) and lost their only Game 1, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Getting off to bad starts has now kept the Raptors from achieving limited playoff success, but has indeed made it more difficult to get farther into the postseason. A 54-point combined performance between the big three of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and Serge Ibaka were not enough to counter a whopping 77 points by the Cavs' big three, spearheaded by LeBron James‘ 35.
Going down a game in the series greatly reduces the Raptors' chances of coming out victorious from the second round, especially against a team with playoff pedigree. It's not getting any easier for them after a 116-105 loss on Monday night.
