It was the Toronto Raptors time to take over Toronto sports. The basketball team was heading towards what looked to be a successful run. The opposite direction the other Toronto teams were heading. It was a direction that finally looked like it could last for the long-term.

Toronto Maple Leafs are continuing to disappoint and this following season reached the theme in which fans had completely given up. Toronto Blue Jays have not been relevant since the late-1980s and early-1990s. Since then the Blue Jays have been nothing more than a third place division team and recently a team full of excitement that just never fulfilled the hype. And Toronto FC have been a disappointment since they came to Toronto.

For the Raptors, with everyone else heading down a dark path it was time to take over.

Last season it was a core that was supposed to be broken up and shredded into pieces. Instead they rallied together to become more than one could expect.

After a Rudy Gay trade to Sacramento in December of 2013, the talk of Andrew Wiggins becoming the Raptors first overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft became real. Kyle Lowry was supposed to follow Gay out the door, but the Raptors started winning games.

Masai Ujiri had no choice but to stick it out with the core he had after the Sacramento trade. Raptors went on a 42-22 run after the deal. They won the Atlantic Division and finished third in the Eastern Conference.

When things are going good you ride the course. The Raptors General Manager had to stick it out. He had to let the good times fly.

We can turn the clock back to the early-2000s – the Vince Carter era in Toronto. Raptors were relevant in the NBA, but not so much in Toronto. We look at the Carter times as the period Canadians began to understand basketball. People actually decided to give the Raptors a chance because Carter put them on the map.

The Chris Bosh era never felt like a special moment in Toronto. Bosh’s time here was like having a rebound girlfriend. Once you break up with your true girlfriend and go running to another girl it just is not the same. You need time to recover. Carter was the true girlfriend; Bosh was a short-term rebound.

Enter the Kyle Lowry-DeMar DeRozan era. When this team went on a surprising run last season it seemed real. It felt as if the Raptors were finally a meaningful franchise again. The Air Canada Centre was packed for the Raptors first round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets. Maple Leafs Square had thousands of people standing and supporting the team during games.

It was not just Lowry and DeRozan that made it special. Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross were two sophomores with high upside and people believed they would help make the Raptors into a championship contender. Greivis Vasquez was a rare NBA player – he actually wanted to spend his whole career in Toronto. Dwane Casey looked like a special young head coach.

Basketball was finally built in Toronto, and even in Canada. It was time for the Raptors to finally have their moment as the rest of the Toronto teams took steps back.

Though the Raptors fell to the Nets in their first round seven-game series last year, many were able to take the defeat much easier knowing this core had a bright future.

Welcome in the 2014-2015 season.

Getting off to a great 37-17 start made everyone believe this Raptors core was exactly who they showed the previous season. The success continued for a very short period post all-star break. They jumped on the now first seed Atlanta Hawks, winning the first game after the break 105-80.

Then everything began to fall apart.

After that game the Raptors finished the season on a 12-16 run. Their defence began to look out of place. After beginning the season as a top defensive team the Raptors finished 23rd in the league. Lowry started to miss games near the end of the season due to injuries and the Raptors dropped to the fourth seed in the Conference.

Their first round opponents this year; the Washington Wizards have had issues of their own. It looked as if this series was going to be back and forth, and at times unwatchable. Instead, the Raptors have looked as bad as they ever have. Through the first three games the Wizards have taken a 3-0 series lead.

A Raptors core that was to be the bright spot of Toronto sports was crumbling in front of our eyes. Come Sunday evening for game-four, win or lose, this roster that was to be that shining light could be quite different next year. To some rookie Bruno Caboclo could be the only returning player.

This roster has looked so beaten over the course of this playoff series that people have begun to think there is no reason to keep it together. You could say, it was a fun ride while it lasted.

Ujiri still has the option to keep this roster together and try to make adjustments through free agency and trades during the offseason. However, this roster looks as though there’s no reason to keep it together.

Teams like Atlanta, Cleveland, Chicago and even Washington continue to improve. Younger teams like Milwaukee, Boston and Orlando are growing into legitimate playoff teams. Making the Eastern Conference tougher to compete in.

Ujiri will need to decide if this group has what it takes to continue to grow and compete. If he does not see a bright future like we did following last season, then it’s time to send key players packing out the door.

Raptors could very well win tomorrow night and then come back to Toronto for game five. It could all change between now and the conclusion of game four (and maybe five). Or it could continue the path of destruction.

The Raptors time to take over Toronto sports is now, and they’re blowing it. Come Sunday evening, it may not be the end of the Raptors season. But again, it very well could be the end of the season and more.