Raptors could go north of 60 wins

When they played LeBron James and the Cavs in the final, Toronto needed home court to stave off the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat, both series won in Game 7 showdowns played at the Air Canada Centre.

This spring may turn into something even more special.

Winning 60 games is big, but a lot needs to be done for the Raptors to hit that number.

DeMar DeRozan expressed excitement at the thought of reaching 60.

“Hell yeah,’’ he said. “Why not? Yeah, for sure. It’s never been done here. Not many people get an opportunity to win 60-plus games.

“That’s big, but on top of that, you have to prove why you’re a 60-win team. As long as we continue to do what we need to do, hopefully we’ ll get there.”

If the Raptors take care of business against teams such as the Hawks and the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Clippers, they can get to 60.

Toronto is, after all, a team that has a bad habit of playing down to the opponent’s record, and stepping up when a marquee team or player is on the other side of the floor.

There will likely be no letdown when James Harden comes to town — the Rockets are in Toronto on Friday night — or Russell Westbrook or a Kyrie Irving, or when Toronto goes on the road to play the Cavs and James. nationalpost.com