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1 week ago | raptorsrepublic.com | Esfandiar Baraheni

This article is a part of a five-part series highlighting the best moments from the 2024-2025 Toronto Raptors season. Exhilarating games are few and far between in a 30-win season, but I will never forget watching this one in person. The night celebrated one of the greatest Raptors of all time, Vince Carter. It started out with a press conference where Carter got emotional about his tenure in Toronto, reminiscing about the old days while talking about how much he had grown since then.

1 week ago | raptorsrepublic.com | Esfandiar Baraheni

This article is a part of a five-part series highlighting the best moments from the 2024-2025 Toronto Raptors season. Depending on your perspective, one of the funniest parts of the Raptors’ season was their refusal to play regular basketball games. When you thought they were going to win, they’d lose. When you hoped they’d lose (for lottery balls), they ended up winning. That all came together in the most bizarre game of the season in March versus the Orlando Magic.

2 weeks ago | raptorsrepublic.com | Esfandiar Baraheni

This article is a part of a five-part series highlighting the best moments from the 2024-2025 Toronto Raptors season. The Raptors had two games this season that were absolute battles against the defending champion Boston Celtics. The first was a grueling overtime loss in Boston despite monster games from Jakob Poeltl and RJ Barrett. They combined for 60 points, 22 rebounds, and 15 assists, while Barrett notched the first triple-double of his career.

2 weeks ago | raptorsrepublic.com | Esfandiar Baraheni

This article is a part of a five-part series highlighting the best moments from the 2024-2025 Toronto Raptors season. There weren’t too many impressive wins from the Raptors in a 30-win season, but on February 23rd, 2025, they pulled off a fantastic feat: locking up Kevin Durant. While Devin Booker and Bradley Beal combined for 61 points, Durant scored just 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting.

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Esfandiar Baraheni

Please scroll down to watch my latest video on the key battleground area in the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. One stat is determining the outcome of the 2025 NBA Finals: paint touches. Indiana had more paint touches than Oklahoma City in its Game 1 win (21-15). Then, Oklahoma City responded by getting into the paint more in Game 2 (24-10). Overall, the Thunder have won the battle on the inside through two games, outscoring the Pacers by 20 points in the paint.